The Vatican threatened with excommunication on Wednesday the 13th, a dissident Catholic group linked to the defense of the Latin Mass, if they insist on ordaining new bishops without the authorization of Pope Leo XIV. This is the first time the new pope has issued a threat with the Church’s severest punishment.
The Vatican’s doctrinal office informed the Society of Saint Pius X, based in Switzerland, that any ordination of bishops without the pope’s proper consent would constitute a schism, that is, a formal rupture with the pontiff.
The ceremony planned by the extremist group would represent “a grave offense against God and would lead to the excommunication provided for by the Church,” Cardinal Victor Fernández, head of the doctrinal office, said in a statement.
The Society of Saint Pius X is an ultraconservative group that rejects the changes introduced to the Church through the Second Vatican Council — a historic gathering of bishops held in the 1960s that promoted various reforms in the Catholic Church, including allowing the Mass to be celebrated in local languages rather than only in Latin.
The excommunicated are considered to be completely separated from the Church. They can no longer receive sacraments, such as Communion, or hold religious offices. If they die, they are not entitled to a Catholic funeral.
The Society of Saint Pius X, which claims to have 733 priests worldwide, has had tense relations with the Vatican for decades. The group’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining four bishops without the authorization of then-Pope John Paul II, who were also excommunicated.
The successor of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, attempted to resume dialogue with the dissident group and revoked the excommunications carried out by his predecessor. The fraternity’s current leadership announced in February that they intend to ordain new bishops in July, even without Vatican approval, claiming a need to expand the number of religious leaders of the group.
The Catholic Church regards as a strict principle that only the pope can authorize the consecration of new bishops, as a way to maintain the Church’s link with the 12 apostles of Jesus, regarded as the first priests and bishops.
The consecration without papal consent automatically results in excommunication for both the bishop presiding over the ceremony and those ordained.
*With information from the Associated Press.
