SSPX Schism Deepens With Illicit Bishop Consecrations
The EWTN News article dated February 2, 2026 reports that the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) plans to consecrate bishops on July 1 without papal mandate. This act repeats Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s 1988 schismatic consecrations, which incurred latae sententiae excommunication under Canon 1382. The SSPX claims doctrinal disagreements with Vatican II justify their actions, while the Vatican maintains their “imperfect communion” status. This deliberate rupture exposes the SSPX’s fundamental rejection of Roman authority and their pretense of Catholic identity.
Schismatic Act Confirms SSPX’s Rejection of Divine Authority
The SSPX’s planned consecrations constitute a formal act of schism, violating Christ’s establishment of papal supremacy. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi (1943) declares: “They… are not at all on the right path to salvation who… imagine that they can attach themselves to Christ as Head without being united to His Body.” The SSPX’s claim of preserving tradition while rejecting the papacy embodies the heresy condemned in Pope Boniface VIII’s bull Unam Sanctam (1302): “it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
The article’s reference to “imperfect communion” obscures reality. The SSPX operates in total canonical irregularity, lacking faculties for confessions, marriages, or consecrations. Pius XII’s Sacramentum Ordinis (1947) requires papal mandate for episcopal consecrations to avoid ipso facto excommunication. SSPX’s disregard for this law confirms their sectarian mentality.
Doctrinal Contradictions Expose Neo-Modernist Foundation
SSPX superior Davide Pagliarani claims the society seeks “the good of the universal Church” while rejecting its visible head. This doublespeak echoes Modernist equivocation condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907): “they affirm… the Church which they represent… though they reject the Church as it now is.” The SSPX’s selective acceptance of pre-Vatican II teachings while rejecting post-1958 papal authority demonstrates theological incoherence.
The article notes ongoing “doctrinal disagreements” with Vatican II but fails to identify the SSPX’s own doctrinal deviations:
“The Society of St. Pius X is not primarily seeking its own survival… guided by the timeless magisterium.”
This contradicts Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors (1864) which condemns the proposition that “the Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself to progress, liberalism, and modern civilization” (Error 80). SSPX’s practical schism while claiming Catholic identity constitutes the very modernism they pretend to oppose.
Invalid Ministry and Masonic Roots
Archbishop Lefebvre’s 1988 consecrations were canonically invalid due to his compromised position. The False Fatima Apparitions document reveals Lefebvre “was ordained by the freemason Liénart; questionable ordinations render them invalid in the Church.” This sacramental doubt extends to all SSPX clergy, making their sacraments – including proposed new consecrations – potentially invalid.
The article’s quoted SSPX layman Joseph Bevan asks “Who can blame them? Rome is dragging its feet” – a sentiment Pius XI condemned in Quas Primas (1925): “Rulers of states… let them fulfill this duty themselves and with their people, if they wish to maintain their authority inviolate.” Resistance to lawful authority, even when abused, remains condemned (Romans 13:1-2).
Omission of True Catholic Response
Nowhere does the article mention that faithful Catholics must reject both SSPX schismatics and the conciliar sect’s errors. Pius X’s Lamentabili Sane (1907) mandates: “The Church listening cooperates… in defining truths of faith” (Condemned Proposition 6). True Catholics remain obedient to pre-1958 magisterium while recognizing the vacancy of the Apostolic See since Pius XII’s death.
The SSPX’s actions confirm their status as a “schism within a schism” – neither truly Catholic nor fully Protestant. Their planned consecrations constitute a sacrilegious parody of apostolic succession, further distancing them from Christ’s true Church. As Pope Leo XIII warned in Satis Cognitum (1896): “The practice of the Church has always been the same… to have immediate recourse to the Roman Pontiff as the supreme teacher and shepherd.”
Source:
Society of St. Pius X to consecrate bishops without Rome’s approval, courting excommunication (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 02.02.2026