World Catholic leader Pope Leo XIV appealed to a group of ultra-traditional Catholics on Tuesday not to proceed with his planned consecration of bishops on Wednesday, an action that could lead to a full split with the Vatican.
The group, the Society of St. Pius
What did the Pope say about the planned consecration?
“I begged you and begged you with all my heart: please come back!” Leo, writing in a letter to the Rev. David Pagliarani, superior of the Society of St. Pius
In the letter, the Pope reiterated that the Vatican is ready for dialogue and warned of negative consequences for those involved.
He wrote, “I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual well-being of the faithful, since the schismatic work you are about to undertake will deprive them of liturgy, and in some cases, even of the legitimate reception of the sacraments.”
Under Catholic Church law, any consecration of bishops not authorized by the Vatican should result in the automatic excommunication of both the newly appointed bishop and those who consecrated him.
In the Church, being excommunicated excludes a person from the sacraments, sacraments, and spiritual fellowship of fellow Catholics.
Decades old schism in the Catholic Church
The Society of St. Pius
However, the consecration of bishops without the consent of the Pope is seen as a very serious violation of Church law.
In 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of France, founder of the SSPX, consecrated four bishops and they were immediately excommunicated along with new bishops, a measure lifted in 2009.
The SSPX claims to have a presence in more than 75 countries on six continents, with more than 750 priests and nearly half a million faithful.
However, the group still has no legal status in the Catholic Church.
Lefebvre himself died in 1991 at the age of 85.
The society adheres to a strict interpretation of doctrinal and religious tradition, including the celebration of the Latin Mass.
It also rejects the ecumenism – working towards closer unity with other Christian traditions – imposed by the Second Vatican Council.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic