We are changing absolutely nothing in our plans.
In the Swiss Alps on a Wednesday morning, thousands gathered to witness an ancient ritual become an act of modern rupture: the Society of St. Pius X consecrated four bishops without the blessing of Pope Leo XIV, invoking a 'state of necessity' to justify what canon law calls automatic excommunication. The act is the latest chapter in a nearly four-decade schism born of resistance to the Second Vatican Council's modernizing reforms — a conflict that is, at its heart, a question every institution must eventually answer: who holds the authority to define what is sacred, and what happens when that authority is openly refused?
- Pope Leo XIV issued a last-ditch personal appeal urging the SSPX to stand down, warning that the consecrations would constitute a sin of extreme gravity — and was flatly ignored.
- The moment Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta laid hands on four new bishops in Econe, Switzerland, all five men incurred automatic excommunication under Catholic canon law, deepening a schism that has fractured the church since 1988.
- The SSPX's media manager declared the society feared nothing and would change nothing, while its superior urged the pope to delay any formal penalty — a posture of defiance wrapped in a request for restraint.
- Conservative and traditionalist Catholics, not just progressives, condemned the act as severe disobedience, with scholars noting the divide runs far deeper than liturgical preference into fundamental disagreements about salvation, religious freedom, and church authority.
- Pope Leo XIV now faces a defining test: formally declare the SSPX excommunicated and risk hardening the schism, or pursue reconciliation and risk signaling that papal authority can be defied without consequence.
On a misty Wednesday morning in the Swiss Alpine valley of Econe, thousands of traditionalist Catholics gathered beneath a tent to witness what their society called a historic event — and what the Vatican called an act of extreme gravity. The Society of St. Pius X consecrated four new bishops without papal approval, triggering automatic excommunication and pushing a nearly four-decade schism into open confrontation with Pope Leo XIV.
The ceremony had the feel of a celebration. Bells tolled, priests processed, nuns smiled, and souvenir wine bottles bearing bishop imagery sold for 92 Swiss francs. A countdown clock on the society's website had finally reached zero. Yet beneath the festive atmosphere, something theologically severe was unfolding. Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta — himself consecrated without papal consent in 1988 — laid hands on four new bishops from Switzerland, the United States, and France. The gesture, tracing back to Christ's commission of his apostles, also carried the harshest penalty Catholic canon law possesses.
The SSPX was unmoved. Its media manager stated plainly that the society did not fear excommunication, and its superior urged the pope to wait before declaring any formal censure. A priest read aloud during the Mass that any punishment brought against the act would carry no validity. The society's position was simple: with only two of its original four bishops still living and 800 worship sites across 77 countries to serve, consecrating new bishops was a pastoral necessity, not a rejection of Rome.
The roots of the conflict stretch back to the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, which modernized the liturgy, opened dialogue with other faiths, and permitted Mass in vernacular languages. For the SSPX's founder, French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, these reforms were a betrayal of authentic Catholicism. Wednesday's consecrations took place exactly 38 years after the Vatican had declared the society's first bishop consecrations a schismatic act.
Not everyone sympathetic to tradition sided with the SSPX. Catholic scholars noted that the society's disagreements with Rome extend well beyond the Latin Mass into fundamental questions about salvation, religious freedom, and the church's relationship to other religions. One ethicist argued simply that one cannot serve tradition while disobeying the church's authority.
As the ceremony concluded and the sun rose over the Rhone River, Pope Leo XIV was left with a question that has no easy answer: formally excommunicate the SSPX and harden the rupture, or seek reconciliation and risk demonstrating that papal authority can be openly defied without consequence.
In a Swiss Alpine valley on Wednesday, beneath power lines and morning mist, thousands of traditionalist Catholics gathered to witness an act of open defiance against the pope. The Society of St. Pius X, a breakaway group that has spent decades at odds with the modernizing direction of the Catholic Church, consecrated four bishops without papal consent—a move that triggered automatic excommunication and deepened a schism that has fractured the church for nearly four decades.
The ceremony at the SSPX seminary in Econe, Switzerland, unfolded with the trappings of celebration rather than rebellion. Bells tolled as priests processed to an altar beneath a tent. The livestream reached viewers worldwide in multiple languages. Seminarians unloaded boxes with visible joy. Nuns smiled. Girl Scouts handed out water bottles. Souvenir wine bottles—labeled with bishop imagery and priced at 92 Swiss francs—were available for purchase to commemorate what organizers called a historic event. The countdown clock that had been running on the society's website for days had finally reached zero.
Yet the theological weight of what was happening could not be obscured by the festive atmosphere. Pope Leo XIV had sent a last-ditch appeal urging the society to abandon the plan, warning that consecrating bishops without papal approval constituted a sin of extreme gravity that would actually harm the faithful the society claimed to serve. The pope's words went unheeded. At the moment of consecration, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta—himself consecrated without papal consent in 1988—placed his hands on the heads of the four new bishops: Pascal Schreiber of Switzerland, Michael Goldade of the United States, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry of France, and Marc Hanappier, also of France. The laying on of hands, a ritual that traces back to Christ's gesture to his apostles, conveyed the Holy Spirit from one bishop to another. It also, under Catholic canon law, incurred the harshest penalty the church possesses: automatic excommunication for all five men involved and a declaration of schism—an intentional rupture of the church's unity.
The SSPX showed no fear of these consequences. Marc-André Mabillard, the society's media manager, stated plainly that the organization did not fear excommunication, though it pained them. The good they sought, he said, was greater than the suffering that would follow. In a statement read aloud during the Mass, a priest declared it a sacred duty to consecrate bishops faithful to the church's holy tradition, and asserted that any punishment or censure brought against the act would have no validity. The society's superior, Rev. Davide Pagliarani, urged the pope to wait before declaring any penalty. Mabillard added, with finality: "We are changing absolutely nothing in our plans."
The roots of this confrontation run deep. The SSPX was founded in 1988 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in opposition to the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s church meetings that revolutionized Catholicism by modernizing the liturgy, opening dialogue with other faiths, and allowing Mass to be celebrated in vernacular languages rather than Latin. For the SSPX, these reforms represented a betrayal of authentic Catholic tradition. The society has accused the modern church of being riddled with heresies—modernism, liberalism, ecumenism—and insists that only it upholds the true faith of Christ. Wednesday's consecration took place exactly 38 years after the Vatican had declared the last SSPX bishop consecrations a schismatic act.
The SSPX justifies its defiance by invoking what it calls a state of necessity. With only two of the original four bishops still alive, the society argues it simply cannot serve its global community without additional bishops to ordain priests and administer sacraments according to the ancient rite. The SSPX operates 800 places of worship across 77 countries. The society insists the consecrations are not a rejection of papal authority but a practical response to pastoral need.
Yet many Catholics, including conservatives and traditionalists, view the act as severe disobedience that damages the church. Rev. Robert Gahl, an ethics expert at the Catholic University of America, argued that one cannot serve tradition while disobeying the church and her authority. George Weigel, the biographer of Pope John Paul II, has written that the divide between SSPX and the Vatican extends far beyond the Latin Mass question—it concerns fundamental disagreements about the church's teaching on salvation, religious freedom, church-state relations, and the church's relationship to other religions. Weigel also noted that SSPX's founder had supported the Vichy regime in Nazi-occupied France, and that one of the original SSPX bishops denied the Holocaust.
As the sun rose over the Rhone River and the ceremony concluded, Pope Leo XIV faced a critical test of papal authority. The schism had deepened. The defiance was complete and public. The question now was whether the church would formally declare the SSPX excommunicated or attempt some path toward reconciliation—and whether the pope's authority itself could survive such open rejection.
Notable Quotes
We don't fear it. It pains us immensely, but we believe that the good we seek is greater than the pain that will be inflicted upon us.— Marc-André Mabillard, SSPX media manager
You can't serve tradition while disobeying the church and her authority.— Rev. Robert Gahl, ethics expert at Catholic University of America
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did they go through with it, knowing the consequences?
Because they believe the consequences are illegitimate. They don't accept that the pope has authority to forbid what they see as a sacred duty. In their view, the church itself has gone astray, so papal authority on this matter doesn't bind them.
But they're Catholics. Don't they believe in papal authority as a core doctrine?
They do—but they believe the pope himself is in error. They think he's abandoned true Catholic teaching. So they see themselves as defending the faith against the pope, not against the church.
That's a remarkable inversion. How many people actually follow them?
They operate 800 worship sites across 77 countries. That's a significant global footprint. They're not fringe—they're organized, well-funded, and they have deep roots in conservative Catholic communities that were never comfortable with Vatican II.
What happens now? Does the pope excommunicate them formally?
That's the open question. He could. But formal excommunication might entrench the schism further. The SSPX has already declared that any punishment will have no validity. So the real question is whether there's any path back, or whether this rupture is now permanent.
Is this unprecedented?
No. The last consecrations were 38 years ago, to the day. But this time feels different—more organized, more public, more defiant. They livestreamed it. They sold commemorative wine. This wasn't done in secret or with reluctance. It was a statement.
What do ordinary Catholics make of it?
Many are troubled. Even conservatives who prefer the Latin Mass see this as disobedience that harms the church. But the SSPX has its devoted followers who believe they're the only ones keeping the faith alive.