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Traditionalist Catholics defy Pope Leo XIV with bishop consecration
AP News • • world
Key Points:
- The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist Catholic group opposing modern Church reforms, consecrated four bishops without Pope Leo XIV’s approval, leading to automatic excommunications and a break with the Holy See.
- Pope Leo XIV and Vatican officials condemned the act as a grave sin and schismatic, emphasizing the threat it poses to Church unity and the pontiff’s efforts to reconcile with traditionalists.
- The SSPX justified the consecrations as a “sacred duty” necessary to defend the Catholic faith, dismissing penalties and claiming a “state of necessity” to minister to their followers.
- The ceremony in Econe, Switzerland, drew around 16,500 faithful and featured traditional Latin Mass rituals, highlighting the SSPX’s international influence despite its outsider status.
- While some faithful supported the SSPX’s actions as preserving true tradition, many Catholics, including conservatives, criticized the consecrations as disobedient and damaging to Church authority.
