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A future pope will ‘welcome us back’, says priest from excommunicated Catholic sect
NBC News • • world
Key Points:
- The Society of St. Pius X, a Catholic splinter group, was excommunicated after ordaining four bishops without Pope Leo's approval, deepening its schism with the Vatican.
- Priest Georg Kopf expressed hope that a future pope, similar to Pope Benedict XVI, would welcome the group back into the Church.
- Founded in 1970, the ultra-conservative group rejects modern Church reforms, practices the traditional Latin Mass, and opposes formal dialogue with non-Catholics.
- The group faced a similar rupture in the 1980s but was reconciled with the Vatican in 2009 when Pope Benedict lifted their excommunication.
- The Vatican stated that dialogue was offered before the schism, but the unauthorized ordinations were seen as a grave offense warranting automatic excommunication.
