I am very sad today.
BREAKING: The Holy See has declared that all six SSPX bishops are excommunicated.
The decree states that the consecrator Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta and the four newly consecrated bishops (Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier) have… pic.twitter.com/vgUeKhcd4O
— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) July 2, 2026
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on The 6 SSPX Bishops excommunicated. Priests are in schism. Marriages invalid. Confessions illicit. Lay faithful warned against schism and excommunication.: “Is there a particular reason that your headline says “confessions illicit”? Its pretty clear that their confession are now invalid…”
on The 6 SSPX Bishops excommunicated. Priests are in schism. Marriages invalid. Confessions illicit. Lay faithful warned against schism and excommunication.: “I think I respect Pagliarani’s assessment of the situation over that of Fernandez.”
on A study in contrasts: “My question about formal excommunication has now been answered (in Italian alone, strictly speaking, so far as I have seen…”
on The 6 SSPX Bishops excommunicated. Priests are in schism. Marriages invalid. Confessions illicit. Lay faithful warned against schism and excommunication.: “Yes I agree, a very sad day. Such draconian measures that seemingly go beyond what happened in ‘88 (eg including…” on The 6 SSPX Bishops excommunicated. Priests are in schism. Marriages invalid. Confessions illicit. Lay faithful warned against schism and excommunication.: “Vatican News has an unsigned post of “02 July 2026, 09:00” entitled “Excommunication decreed for Lefebvrian episcopal ordinations” which also…”
on The 6 SSPX Bishops excommunicated. Priests are in schism. Marriages invalid. Confessions illicit. Lay faithful warned against schism and excommunication.: “When the Holy Father, the Cardinals, the Bishops and priests, even the laity, consider the meaning of Schism in today’s…”
on The 6 SSPX Bishops excommunicated. Priests are in schism. Marriages invalid. Confessions illicit. Lay faithful warned against schism and excommunication.: “12/5/25 – Bishop François Li Jianlin was unilaterally elected by the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. His appointment was later…”
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Sad too.
I have been sympathetic to the SSPX. However this time around it feels like deliberate prideful defiance.
Folks dreaming that T.C. is going to get overturned . . . what about all of this makes anyone think there’s any mercy or sympathy in the Vatican for anyone who “formerly adheres” to the TLM?
I’d be happy to be wrong, but I don’t see anything good coming over the horizon anytime soon. And by not soon I mean not in my kids’ lifetimes.
Meanwhile, it looks I’m going to have to discern what “formerly adheres” to means when it comes time to seek Confirmation for my kids in the near future.
I will say, not that I gave it much thought before, but to me, from this point forward, any talk from Pope Leo about “mercy” and “unity” and “togetherness” and the like is worth less than hot air on a humid summer day.
Sad. Very sad. They certainly wasted no time. I know that it was already decided, but I had hoped that Pope Leo might delay the decree at least for a short time. Also, isn’t there any process involved? A hearing of some sort? Anything?
12/5/25 – Bishop François Li Jianlin was unilaterally elected by the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. His appointment was later quietly ratified and accepted by Pope Leo XIV in August, leading to his formal consecration.
When the Holy Father, the Cardinals, the Bishops and priests, even the laity, consider the meaning of Schism in today’s world, what has it, before the recent news of the SSPX, meant to them?
Does it bother the Holy Father that the English Church became schismatic, and later, Protestant? He didn’t seem to tell the new female “Archbishop” of Canterbury that the Anglicans must return to the True Church.
When the Muslims wanted to perform their false worship, did the Pope remind them that the Blessed Trinity is God, and they should convert to the True Church, or did he give them a room in the Vatican in which to pray?
Did Archbishop Weisenberger in Detroit tell the Muslims in the mosque he visited that they were not worshiping the Trinity as God taught, or instead did he say it “made him feel “a profound divine presence” and that there was “no place where I feel more respect, fraternity, and kindness”.””
When the Chinese Communist political leaders told the Pope they will choose the bishops of the Catholic Church there and give them the jurisdiction to rule over territories, did the Holy Father strongly remind them it was not their place to do so? Or did he after the fact accept those bishops consecrated without a papal mandate as Roman Catholic bishops?
In all seriousness, does schism or excommunication mean anything in today’s Church? It doesn’t seem to. Pope Leo insists “We are one; we are all one!”
Cardinal Fernandez says “I fully trust every human being will be saved.” Why does he care what the SSPX does then?
So I’m just wondering why the SSPX and its consecration of bishops, excommunication and schism even make the headlines. If anything, it seems like perhaps they will get more attention from the Vatican, perhaps be invited to bless the clergy in Rome, and be given a room in the Vatican or an altar at St. Peter’s to celebrate Mass.
In all seriousness: what does schism and excommunication mean to Rome today? Is it only reserved to traditional Catholics who hold to the Faith and Mass taught and assisted at by our ancestors for centuries, until Vatican II came along?
There does not seem to be great efforts made to bring “our separated brethren” of Protestants back into the fold. Often they are praised for their works instead.
The whole things seems ironic and contradictory. How can everyone be “one” and have their religion and practices be accepted, except for this small inconsequential group of priests and faithful whose biggest fault is not accepting a few documents of Vatican 2 which either are ambiguous or directly go against what the Church had taught before, and whose next biggest fault is to respectfully ask the Pope for an audience and for his permission to consecrate a few bishops whose only role is to Confirm people and ordain the priests of their society, having absolutely no jurisdiction and no desire to set up any parallel Church? With all due respect, Pope Leo didn’t show any sign of being a caring father to the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the SSPX for Sacraments. He abandoned them, and then it seems he has thrown them out of his house, without a backward glance, saying “we must continue to move forward.”
There is also the supreme law of the Church which says the salvation of souls is most important.
Also, there is the Canon that gives permission to break a law in times of crisis or emergency, EVEN if that crisis is only in the acting person’s head! So we know for a fact the SSPX believes there is a crisis and they acted in necessity, which means the penalty cannot apply.
While the Holy Father has by this excommunication and declaration of schism rejected his paternity and a part of his flock, there is no doubt those same clergy and lay people will continue to acknowledge him as their Father, and pray for him and remember him and their diocesan bishops in their Masses.
Let us pray for everyone involved in these decisions, that true peace may come and that God’s Church is purified of schism, charity reins, and when the world finally is “One”, everyone will be members of the one True, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church!
That escalated fast…
Vatican News has an unsigned post of “02 July 2026, 09:00” entitled “Excommunication decreed for Lefebvrian episcopal ordinations” which also has a photographic reproduction of the Italian “Decreto” and “Nota Explicativo” – saying “Further details are contained in an ‘Explanatory Note,’ published by the Dicastery at the same time as the decree of excommunication, which is reproduced in full below” in English – but no translation of the “Decreto” or indication where any translations are to be found.
Yes I agree, a very sad day. Such draconian measures that seemingly go beyond what happened in ‘88 (eg including all the clergy as well).
Have they not, Father, stated the confessions are also invalid in saying “the sacrament of penance administered by them and the marriages they assist at are invalid.”?
Father, when time permits, can you advise in terms of Mass attendance, as the letter exhorts the faithful to “refrain from participating in the celebrations and activities promoted by the aforementioned Society of Saint Pius X”, but not necessarily forbids? It’s not as if they’ve ever “encouraged” such a thing! As someone who doesn’t have a schismatic bone in his body, and frequents the SSPX for weekday Masses, is that something I can continue? Thank you Father, and may God bless you.
I think I respect Pagliarani’s assessment of the situation over that of Fernandez.
Is there a particular reason that your headline says “confessions illicit”? Its pretty clear that their confession are now invalid except for the obvious situation of one hearing a confession of a Catholic who is on the verge of death.