Traditionalist Catholic group defies Pope Leo XIV with unauthorized bishop consecrations in Switzerland

The Society of St. Pius X defied Pope Leo XIV on July 1, 2026, by consecrating four new bishops without papal approval in Écône, Switzerland. The ceremony, attended by over 15,000 traditionalists, triggered automatic excommunications under church law. Pope Leo XIV warned that the ordinations represent a "sin of extreme gravity" and a schismatic act. The group, which rejects the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council, justified the move as a necessity to preserve the traditional Latin Mass.

Unauthorized SSPX bishop consecrations

• ▪The Society of St. Pius X consecrated four new bishops without papal approval in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1, 2026.
• ▪The newly consecrated bishops are Pascal Schreiber of Switzerland, Michael Goldade of the United States, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry of France, and Marc Hanappier of France.
• ▪Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who was excommunicated in 1988, administered the consecration rite to the four new bishops on July 1, 2026.

Papal excommunication warnings

• ▪Pope Leo XIV warned the Society of St. Pius X in a letter on June 30, 2026, that consecrating bishops without approval is a schismatic act and a sin of extreme gravity.
• ▪Under Catholic Church law, consecrating a bishop without a papal mandate carries the penalty of automatic excommunication for the new bishops and the consecrating bishop.
• ▪Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, stated that the ordinations break church unity and incur excommunication, though the Holy See has not confirmed the penalties.

Society of St. Pius X

• ▪The Society of St. Pius X justified the consecrations by citing a "state of necessity" to minister to its faithful with only two surviving bishops.
• ▪The Society of St. Pius X has approximately 600,000 followers, 751 priests, and 264 seminarians across 77 countries.

Vatican II opposition

• ▪The Society of St. Pius X rejects Second Vatican Council reforms regarding religious freedom, ecumenism, and celebrating Mass in local languages instead of Latin.
• ▪Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the Society of St. Pius X in 1970 in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

Participant defiance of Rome

• ▪The Society of St. Pius X proceeded with the ceremony, offering commemorative baseball caps and selling souvenir wine boxes for 75 Swiss francs.
• ▪Attendees expressed defiance toward the Vatican, with some stating they did not fear excommunication and believed the society defended the true Catholic faith.

Traditionalist Latin Mass celebration

• ▪The ordination ceremony was livestreamed on the Society of St. Pius X's website and YouTube channel in multiple languages.
• ▪An estimated 15,000 to 16,500 faithful attended the five-hour traditional Latin Mass ordination ceremony held in a large tent in Écône, Switzerland.

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