SSPX: Schism and Excommunication

The Catholic Thing · Jul 2, 2026 · 8m

By Fr. Gerald E. Murray The canonically illegal consecration/ordination (the terms are interchangeable) of four new bishops by two Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) bishops who were themselves illegally ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre 38 years ago is a renewed wound upon the Mystical Body of Christ. This schismatic act of disobedience carried out in direct defiance of Pope Leo XIV's public warning has resulted in the incurring by the six bishops of latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication. While claiming to uphold the traditional faith of the Catholic Church, the newly excommunicated…