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Breakaway Catholic group excommunicated after defying warnings from Pope Leo
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- The Vatican declared that priests and members of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), who ordained four bishops without papal approval, are in schism and excommunicated, excluding them from church sacraments.
- The decree extends excommunication beyond the bishops to priests and lay members who formally adhere to the SSPX, warning all clergy and faithful against following the group under penalty of automatic excommunication.
- Pope Leo XIV had warned the SSPX that the ordinations would be a schismatic act and a grave sin, emphasizing the importance of church unity and the link between the pope and bishops.
- The SSPX opposes key reforms of the Second Vatican Council, including teachings on religious freedom, ecumenism, and liturgical changes, which has been central to their break from the mainstream Catholic Church.
- While Pope Francis had previously allowed the SSPX to administer some sacraments, the new ruling declares marriages and confessions by the group invalid but offers a welcoming stance for those who return to full communion with the Church.
