&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Vatican declares SSPX in formal schism, excommunicates bishops after defiant consecrations")
The Vatican on Thursday excommunicated the consecrated bishops by the traditionalist Society of St Pius X (SSPX) and declared it is in a formal schism, warning its Bishops and Priests that they will face the harshest sanction for participating in the movement. The aggressive crackdown by the Vatican followed a formal act of defiance, by the ultraconservatives, SSPX, which celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modernising reforms of the Catholic Church.
The ultraconservatives celebrated a ritual-filled, five-hour Mass on Wednesday in Econe, Switzerland, attended by some 15,500 people and their children, where two Bishops were consecrated. The consecration was in defiance of the Vatican and Pope Leo XIV, who had previously urged SSPX to hold off for the sake of the church's unity.
Also Read: Traditionalist Catholics reject Pope Leo XVI and Vatican authority in a dramatic showdown
SSPX formation was a schismatic act
The group was formed in opposition to the Second Vatican Council in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre to protest the modernising reforms. In 1975, the SSPX founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was suspended, and the society was suppressed by the Vatican. But the group remain active and in 1988, it consecrated four bishops without papal consent. The group still has no legal status in the Vatican.
Under canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal authority automatically results in excommunication or issuance of a decree. But the church on Thursday declared the priests to be schismatics and therefore excommunicated.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
The group maintains that uncompromising traditionalism is the only shield against the peril of modernism. The group continues to grow its influence with six bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities. The SSPX superior, Fr Davide Pagliarani, has justified the consecrations as a “state of necessity” to save souls.
