THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Rebel Catholic group SSPX defies pope, consecrates bishops An ultra-traditionalist Catholic group has consecrated bishops without papal consent, risking a schism with the church in Rome. Pope Leo had begged the breakaway Society of Saint Pius X to reconsider its plan.

What to know about the Society of St. Pius X, the schismatic group excommunicated by the Pope The Society of St. Pius X was excommunicated by Pope Leo for ordaining bishops without his permission. Its issues with the church run far deeper.<br>

Rogue Catholic group Society of Saint Pius X excommunicated - CP24 The Vatican announced Thursday that priests and members of a breakaway Catholic group that ordained four new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo XIV’s wishes are in schism and excommunicated. The Society of Saint Pius X, an ultra-traditionalist group, went ahead with the ordinations on Wednesday without papal approval and despite appeals from Leo to reverse the decision. In response, the Vatican’s doctrinal office on Thursday published a decree saying that the four bishops are excommunicated, along with the two bishops who participated in the ordination ceremony. Excommunication means they are excluded from the sacraments of the church. It added in an explanatory note that priests belonging to the society and lay members who “formally adhere” to the group are also in schism and excommunicated. The decree warns all “clerics and the lay faithful” not to formally follow the society as they will automatically incur the penalty of excommunication. In a final appeal to the group Monday, Leo had warned that the ordinations would be a “schismatic” act and a “sin of extreme gravity,” and the ruling by the Vatican is wide-rangin…

Members of rebel Catholic group in schism, excommunicated: Vatican ... Members of rebel Catholic group in schism, excommunicated: Vatican Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Vatican on July 2 said the two bishops who led the unauthorised ordination had been excommunicated, along with the four priests who had become new bishops. PHOTO: EPA Published Jul 02, 2026, 04:01 PM Updated Jul 02, 2026, 04:31 PM Set as preferred source Listen Summarise The Vatican declared the Society of St Pius X and its members excommunicated for ordaining bishops without papal approval, placing them in schism with the Catholic Church. The decree states the group’s sacraments, including marriages and confessions, are illicit and invalid according to Church law. The Society rejects key Second Vatican Council reforms, maintains ultra-traditionalist practices, and claims 733 priests worldwide, leading to ongoing tensions with the Vatican. AI generated VATICAN CITY – The Vatican said on July 2 that priests and lay Catholics who are part of a breakaway right-wing Catholic group that ordained bishops without Pope Leo’s approval are in schism with the wider Church and now excommunicated.…

Rebel Catholic group defies Vatican ECONE, Switzerland - An ultra-traditionalist breakaway Catholic group has consecrated four new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo XIV, who had pleaded with them to turn back from what he called a &ldquo;schismatic act&rdquo;.

#Vatican responded aggressively 2a traditionalist group that consecrated bishops without pope’s consent, declaring Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with Catholic Church. It excommunicated its bishops, priests,& warned its faithful that they face harshest sanctions apple.news/Ax9oYNUBZR3e...

Vatican excommunicates schismatic bishops and priests, and warns their followers <p>The Vatican on Thursday declared that the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church and it excommunicated its bishops.</p>

BREAKING - Vatican declares #SSPX bishops, priests schismatic, says lay faithful risk excommunication. The decision is a shockingly strong punishment from the Vatican and the pope. #PopeLeo #Vatican #schism #Catholic www.ncronline.org/vatican-decl...

Controversial bishops ordained as Pope warns of 'schism' in Catholic Church Thousands of worshippers attended a ceremony in the Swiss Alps as part of the breakaway Society of Saint Pius X.

Breakaway Catholic group SSPX risks schism with Rome An ultra-traditionalist Catholic group has consecrated bishops without papal consent, risking a rupture with the church. The pope had begged it to reconsider its plan.

BREAKING: The Vatican excommunicated a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) founded in Switzerland, who defied Pope Leo by ordaining bishops without his consent and thereby created a schism in the Roman Catholic Church. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Vatican excommunicates rebel SSPX bishops, followers The Vatican's watchdog authority has imposed severe disciplinary measures on an ultratraditionalist Catholic group. The move comes after the group, the Society of Saint Pius X, consecrated bishops without papal consent.

The Vatican on Thursday declared that the Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church and it excommunicated its bishops. It also warning its faithful they also could face the harsh sanctions.

Vatican excommunicates all members of ultra-conservative rebels SSPX <p>Schism caused by ordaining of four bishops without papal consent presents first crisis for Pope Leo</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jul/02/russia-strikes-ukraine-war-kyiv-volodymyr-zelenskyy-europe-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>The Vatican has excommunicated a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics who defied Pope Leo by ordaining bishops without his consent, creating a schism in the Roman Catholic church.</p><p>In a statement on Thursday, cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who heads up the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the group from the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), founded in the Swiss village of Ecône in 1970, had “committed an act of a schismatic nature” which, under canon law, is punishable with automatic excommunication.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/02/vatican-excommunicates-all-members-of-ultra-conservative-rebels-sspx">Continue reading...</a>

Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops The Vatican responded Thursday to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the pope's consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X in schism and excommunicating its bishops and priests.

Controversial bishops ordained as Pope warns of 'schism' in Catholic Church Thousands of worshippers attended a ceremony in the Swiss Alps as part of the breakaway Society of Saint Pius X.

The Vatican declared that the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X had formally broken with the Catholic Church by consecrating bishops without the consent of Pope Leo XIV. It excommunicated its bishops and priests, and warned its faithful that they too face the harshest sanctions in the church.

The far-right Society of St Pius X (SSPX) went through with its defiance of Pope Leo XIV, consecrating four new bishops at its Écône seminary this week. The Vatican responded with a declaration of war, imposing the harshest sanctions available to it under Roman Catholic canon law. Read more here:

Vatican excommunicates rebel SSPX bishops The Vatican's watchdog authority has imposed severe disciplinary measures on an ultratraditionalist Catholic group. The move comes after the group, the Society of Saint Pius X, consecrated bishops without papal consent.

Vatican declares SSPX bishops, priests schismatic, says lay faithful ... Vatican Vatican News Excommunicated Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta elevates the host during an illicit consecration Mass in Écône, Switzerland, celebrated by the Society of St. Pius X on July 1, 2026. The following day, the Vatican declared the four new bishops and those who consecrated them to be schismatics, as well as all the clergy and lay faithful who adhere to the schism. (Courtesy of the Society of St. Pius X) by Justin McLellan Vatican Correspondent View Author Profile [email protected] Follow on Twitter at @m/McLellan_Js Join the Conversation Send your thoughts to Letters to the Editor . Learn more Écône, Switzerland — July 2, 2026 Share on Bluesky Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email to a friend Print As hundreds of lace-laden priests processed into an ornate Mass July 2 on a hillside in the Swiss Alps, the bishops leading the line, their clergy and the 6,000 lay faithful bowed in prayer around them were declared members of a schismatic group no longer in communion with the Catholic Church. Less than 24 hours after the ultraconservative Society of St. Pius X created four new bishops in open defianc…

Vatican excommunicates members of right-wing breakaway group SSPX The Vatican has excommunicated priests and lay Catholics who are part of a breakaway right-wing Catholic group that ordained bishops without Pope Leo's approval.

Vatican excommunicates group of right-wing Catholic bishops over ... The Vatican declared on Thursday that bishops and priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X are in schism and automatically excommunicated after the group ordained four new bishops without papal approval. The decree affects both the ordaining bishops and the newly consecrated clergy. Bishops Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, who served as principal consecrator and co-consecrator, along with newly consecrated bishops Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier, incurred automatic excommunication. According to the decree by the Holy See for committing "an act of a schismatic nature." The document was signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and countersigned by the dicastery's two secretaries. The decision came a day after the episcopal consecrations were carried out in Écône, Switzerland, on the morning of July 1, in defiance of Pope Leo XIV's repeatedly expressed opposition. The excommunication further separates the fraternity's bishops and priests from the Church of Rome, and lay Catholics who formally…

"The Vatican responded aggressively Thursday to a traditionalist society that consecrated bishops without the Pope’s consent, declaring the Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicating its bishops and priests and warning its faithful they too face the harshest sanctions in the Catholic Church."

Fears of Catholic schism as defiant sect ordains ultra-conservative bishops <p>Consecrations by Society of Saint Pius X bring automatic excommunication for bishops – and crisis for Pope Leo</p><p>A rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics has defied Pope Leo by ordaining bishops without his consent, which they declared a “sacred duty” despite it causing their automatic excommunication.</p><p>In a ritual-filled ceremony on Wednesday streamed live from the Swiss village of Ecône, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) went ahead with the consecrations of four bishops, one from Switzerland, one from France and two from the US.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/01/fears-catholic-schism-sect-ordains-ultra-conservative-bishops-pope-leo">Continue reading...</a>

What is the SSPX? Everything we know as Vatican excommunicates priests ... The Vatican declared on Thursday that priests and lay Catholics of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) were in schism with the wider Church and excommunicated. It comes after the group’s ordination of four bishops without Pope Leo's approval. Here’s everything we know about the group. What is the SSPX? The Society of St. Pius X is a traditionalist Catholic priestly fraternity founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 in Switzerland. Lefebvre (1905-1991) was a French missionary bishop who spent years in Africa and later served as the Vatican's apostolic delegate to French-speaking Africa. open image in gallery Catholic Bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) Alfonso de Galarreta attends the Catholic episcopal consecrations ceremony at the International Seminary of Saint Pius X ( Getty ) The group is named after Pope Pius X (1903-1914), who was known for his opposition to theological modernism . The movement was established in response to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), a landmark gathering of bishops , also known as Vatican II, that agreed wide-ranging reforms for the Church. SSPX's head…

Vatican excommunicates six ultraconservative bishops over ordination The Vatican excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St Pius X on Thursday, while warning that any lay believers who "formally adhere" to the fraternity would suffer the same fate. Reporting from Rome, FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta explains that the breakaway group deny key tenets of the Catholic Church, specifically its modernisation, interreligious dialogue and repairing ties with other Christian denominations.

Schismatic Catholic society sees six bishops excommunicated by Pope The Vatican has excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St Pius X, while warning that any lay believers who "formally adhere" to the breakaway Catholic group would suffer the same fate. It comes a day after the traditionalist group consecrated four new bishops, openly defying a plea from Pope Leo XIV to desist and exacerbating a rift dating from 1988.

Vatican expels members of rebel Catholic group over unapproved ordination Vatican stresses only pope may approve bishop consecrations to safeguard apostolic ties to Jesus&#039;s original disciples.

What is the Society of St Pius X? Why Pope Leo excommunicated its bishops The Vatican declares &#039;schism&#039; in Catholic Church after bishops were ordained without Pope Leo XIV&#039;s approval.

Vatican excommunicates breakaway Catholic bishops who defied Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV excommunicates Society of St. Pius X bishops after unauthorized consecrations, declaring the traditionalist Catholic movement in schism.

Vatican excommunicates 6 bishops from rebel Catholic group The Vatican on Thursday excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St Pius X and said any lay believers who “formally adhere” to the group would suffer the same fate. The Vatican decree comes a day after the traditionalist breakaway group consecrated four new bishops, defying a plea from Pope Leo not to do so. The decree called the ceremony “an act of schismatic nature”. For the Holy See, consecrating bishops without the approval of the pope is a direct act of...

Vatican excommunicates ultraconservative breakaway bishops in first crisis for Pope The Vatican excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St Pius X , while warning that any lay believers who "formally adhere" to the breakaway Catholic group would suffer the same fate. The Vatican decree comes a day after the traditionalist group consecrated four new bishops, openly defying a plea from Pope Leo XIV to desist and exacerbating a rift dating from 1988 when the group earlier consecrated four bishops. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta tells us more about this story.