Traditionalist Catholics Defy Pope Leo XIV, Consecrate Bishops, Risk Schism

A breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics directly defied Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday by consecrating four bishops without his consent, dismissing the resulting excommunications and schism by declaring it was a "sacred duty" to defend the Catholic faith. The Society of Saint Pius X, which opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church, went ahead with the consecrations at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, despite a last-ditch appeal by the Pope to call it off.

Leo warned that consecrating bishops without his approval amounts to a "sin of extreme gravity" that would harm the faithful. The ceremony took place 38 years to the day after the Vatican declared the last consecrations of SSPX bishops a "schismatic act." Under church law, the mere act of consecrating a bishop without a papal mandate incurs automatic excommunication for the four new bishops and the bishop administering the rite.

The ceremony had the air of a joyous celebration. Bells tolled through the mountain valley as hundreds of priests processed to the altar, attended by thousands of faithful Catholics who prefer the traditional Latin Mass. A priest read a statement justifying the consecrations: "We consider it a sacred duty toward the Holy Church to proceed with the consecration of bishops who are entirely faithful to her holy tradition. We consider every punishment and censure brought to bear against this step will have no validity."

Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, himself consecrated without papal consent in 1988, placed his hands on the head of the four new bishops. The website had a countdown clock running for days. Participants received a baseball cap with the "Econe2026" seal and could purchase souvenir wine.

The SSPX was founded in 1970 by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre, who rejected changes from the Second Vatican Council, including allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages. The society celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and has justified the consecrations citing a "state of necessity."

"We don't fear it. It pains us immensely, but we believe that the good we seek is greater than the pain that will be inflicted upon us," said Marc-André Mabillard, media manager for the society. The clash is the first between the Vatican and the SSPX since 1988, when Lefebvre and four bishops he ordained without papal permission were excommunicated.

But many Catholics oppose the consecrations, viewing them as disobedience to the pope. "You can't serve tradition while disobeying the church and her authority," said the Rev. Robert Gahl of the Catholic University of America.