A rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics defied Pope Leo on Wednesday, ordaining four bishops without his consent in a ritual-filled ceremony streamed live from Ecône, Switzerland. This act, performed in a ritual-filled ceremony streamed live from Ecône, Switzerland, triggered automatic excommunication for the five individuals involved under Catholic church law. It marked a significant rupture within a transnational institution that has long grappled with internal divisions over tradition and openness.
Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who himself was consecrated without papal consent 38 years ago, placed his hands on the heads of the four new bishops in the ritual laying on of hands that Catholics believe confers the Holy Spirit from one bishop to another. Under Catholic church law, all five now face automatic excommunication.
A priest reading a statement at the start of the mass declared, "Therefore before God we consider it a sacred duty toward holy church and toward souls to proceed with the consecration of bishops who are entirely faithful to her holy tradition and to her constant magisterium." He added, "We consider every punishment and censure brought to bear against this step will have no validity."
Pope Leo had made a last-ditch effort to persuade the society to halt the ordinations. He called them a "schismatic act" and a "sin of extreme gravity."
A Fortress of Tradition
The Society of Saint Pius X, founded 56 years ago in Ecône, was established to oppose liberalizing changes in the Catholic church. It's considered a threat to Pope Leo’s leadership because it represents a parallel, ultra-Catholic church.
The group rejects central changes from the Second Vatican Council, held 61 to 64 years ago. These include allowing mass to be celebrated in local languages, a practice that replaced the exclusive use of Latin. The live stream of Wednesday’s ceremony, conducted in French, was translated into English, German, Italian, and Polish. This demonstrated the group's global reach despite its traditionalist stance.
The Politics of Exclusion
The ordinations could prove to be the first significant crisis for Pope Leo since he was elected about 1 year ago as the first North American pope. He's made church unity a priority and has worked especially hard to heal rifts with traditionalists, which had deepened during the papacy of his predecessor, Francis.
This clash is the first between the Vatican and the SSPX since 38 years ago, when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the society’s founder, and four bishops he had ordained without the permission of the then pope, John Paul II, were excommunicated. Among those excommunicated 38 years ago was a British bishop, Richard Williamson. Pope Benedict lifted these excommunications 17 years ago. Shortly before, Williamson had caused uproar by denying the Holocaust.
Transnational Reach of Reaction
The society has a wide reach, with a significant following in the United States, where it has a large operations base in Kansas. It also has a strong presence in France, Argentina, and other countries. The group has nearly 1,500 priests, seminarians, and other vocational members. This extensive network underscores the transnational nature of ultra-conservative movements that challenge established authority and promote exclusionary ideologies.