Vatican City: The Vatican has formally declared that six bishops connected to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, also known as the Society of Saint Pius X, have been automatically excommunicated after carrying out and receiving episcopal ordinations without the approval of Pope Leo XIV.
In a decree issued on July 2, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said the episcopal ordinations held on July 1 in Écône, Switzerland, were an act of schism because they took place without a pontifical mandate and directly against the expressed wishes of the Pope.
The decree, signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who served as the principal consecrator, and Bishop Bernard Fellay, who acted as co consecrator, together with the four newly ordained bishops Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier, incurred automatic excommunication under canon law.
According to the Vatican, the penalty is a latae sententiae excommunication, meaning it takes effect automatically when the offence is committed. The Holy See said the sanction is reserved to the Apostolic See because the ordinations represented a direct rejection of the authority of the Roman Pontiff.
The decree was released one day after the solemn ordination ceremony in Écône. Vatican officials said the action followed repeated efforts by Pope Leo XIV and the Holy See to prevent the ordinations from taking place and to preserve unity within the Catholic Church.
Alongside the decree, the Dicastery published an explanatory note outlining the reasons for the decision and its wider consequences. The note recalled that successive Popes, beginning with Saint Paul VI and continuing through the pontificates of Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV, had sought to restore full communion with the movement founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Those efforts, it said, had ultimately failed.
The Vatican stated that the latest episcopal ordinations worsened an already difficult situation because they were carried out without papal approval and in open violation of canon law. Citing the 1988 Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei issued by Saint John Paul II after the first unauthorized Lefebvrist episcopal ordinations, the Dicastery said such acts amount to schism because they reject the primacy of the Pope in practice.
The explanatory note further stated that priests and bishops belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X are to be regarded as being in schism and are therefore subject to the penalties established by canon law. It also said that lay Catholics who formally join or adhere to the fraternity are likewise considered schismatics and are excommunicated under the conditions set out in a 1996 explanatory note issued by the then Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.
The Vatican also warned Catholics about participating in liturgical celebrations organised by the fraternity. It said that while the fraternity's ministers continue to celebrate the sacraments, they do so unlawfully. The Dicastery added that confessions heard by their priests and marriages celebrated with their assistance are invalid because they lack the necessary faculties granted by the Church.
Despite the strong disciplinary measures, the Vatican stressed that the Church remains ready to welcome anyone who wishes to return to full communion. It said Apostolic Nuncios around the world would coordinate with local bishops to establish procedures for those seeking reconciliation with the Catholic Church.
The Dicastery concluded its statement by urging Catholics to remain united with Pope Leo XIV, with bishops who are in communion with him and with the universal Church. It also encouraged the faithful to avoid taking part in celebrations or activities organised by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, saying that unity with the Roman Pontiff remains essential to the life of the Catholic Church.