Vatican Dispute Grows Over New Bishops

A major dispute within the Catholic Church has intensified after the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist Catholic movement, proceeded with the consecration of four new bishops despite a direct appeal from Pope Leo XIV to abandon the plan.
The ceremony took place on Wednesday in Écône, a town in southwestern Switzerland, drawing thousands of supporters from different countries. During the event, the SSPX’s two remaining bishops officially ordained four additional bishops, expanding the group’s episcopal leadership without approval from the Vatican.
The newly consecrated bishops are French priests Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier, American priest Michael Goldade, and Swiss priest Pascal Schreiber.
Delivering a homily during the ceremony, SSPX Superior General Davide Pagliarani described the occasion as a defining moment in the history of the movement. He insisted the group’s actions were rooted in preserving the Catholic faith rather than rejecting the Church, arguing that faithfulness to traditional Catholic doctrine remained their primary commitment.
Because the consecrations were carried out without papal authorisation, Church law considers the bishops involved automatically excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. However, SSPX leaders rejected that position, maintaining that any sanctions imposed by the Vatican have no legitimacy in their view.
The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and has long opposed reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council during the 1960s. The movement advocates traditional Catholic practices, including the celebration of Mass entirely in Latin, and rejects several modern changes adopted by the Church.
The latest ceremony carried symbolic significance, as it was held in the same location where Archbishop Lefebvre ordained bishops without Vatican approval in 1988, an action that deepened the movement’s separation from Rome.
The religious service lasted more than five hours and