In today’s Bollettino there is “Declaration” from the one named as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Statement by His Eminence Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 13.05.2026
Regarding the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, we reiterate what has already been communicated. The episcopal ordinations announced by the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X do not have the corresponding pontifical mandate. This gesture will constitute “a schismatic act” (John Paul II, Ecclesia Dei, n. 3), and “formal adherence to the schism constitutes a grave offense against God and entails the excommunication established by Church law” (ibid., 5c; cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Explanatory Note, August 24, 1996).
The Holy Father continues in his prayers to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the leaders of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X so that they retrace their steps regarding the very serious decision they have taken.
From the Vatican, May 13, 2026
A couple of points of Holy Writ pop into my mind. But here is one we recently heard in church on Sunday from the Letter of James 1:
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.
26 If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
The “doer” goes to visit the orphans and widows.
As for “unstained”… what is that Synod Report but precisely a “stain”, which calls millennially settled moral teaching “emerging”, which seeks to wipe out the entirety of what the Church has held “everywhere, always, and by all”.
The 2nd Sunday after Easter in the Vetus Ordo is “Good Shepherd Sunday” and our minds go to John 10 but also the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18 and Luke 15. The shepherd goes to the sheep. In John 10 the shepherd knows his sheep.
Were Leo to call the leadership of the SSPX to come to meet with him, they would come, though perhaps the pattern might be closer to the Biblical ideal were he to extend himself to them.
In this time of the greatest novena from Ascension to Pentecost, we can ask the Holy Spirit concretely in this case of the Holy Father and the leadership of the SSPX to do what we pray for by singing the Pentecost Sequence:
Flecte quod est rigidum,
fove quod est frigidum,
rege quod est devium.
Bend what is inflexible,
warm what is chilled,
correct what has gone astray.
Fr. Z. Help me here. Fernandez is bring in Ecclesia Dei. Would it be correct to point out that Benedict ruled the ex-communication was not valid, therefore can we assume the application of Ecclesia Dei would be invalid under similar circumstances?
If so it would seem this is a case of brining an 1/2 truth and omitting other facts to spin a deception.
PatS: Help me here. I’m trying to figure out what you wrote.
Can you give that another try, please?
The angle of my forehead prohibits my working out the deeper issues here, so I’ll simply pray that the Spirit moves the Holy Father to meet with the SSPX to see whether this apparent looming disaster can be averted.
It’s just so disheartening to see the abandonment that’s taken place, and the absolute vitriol coming from those who should be acting as our compassionate shepherds, even when (no, especially when) we go astray. It seems all charity has been snuffed out. Suffocated under the weight of administrative and legalistic process, of which integrity to either is dependent solely upon whom is at the receiving end.
The actions from our church’s leaders feel colder than ice. Saints from the past showed more dignity and compassion to their own violent persecutors actively killing them, than our own leadership shows towards traditionalists. All for the crime of just simply wanting to worship God in a manner consistent with the Saints of old, rather than cozy up to this abominable and disgusting world.
Cardinal Fernandes is not only “the one named as Prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith”.
He actually is.
Whether we like that fact or him is quite immaterial.
One year later, TLMs are still suppressed in diocese all over the world. One year later, and Baptisms and Confirmations and even Extreme Unction is forbidden in the traditional form in many places. One year later, and Catholics are still stuck in school gymnasiums, being forbidden from using altar rails, or kicked out of their parishes on Sunday per month. And all because they hold dear the liturgical tradition of the Church.
First it was the downgrading of Mary’s traditional and theologically defensible titles; now it is a slap at the SSPX directly and on the anniversary of the first Fatima apparition. I think Cdl. Fernandez has a problem with Our Lady. I am extremely disappointed with the Holy Father: he meets with almost anyone…as long as they are not traditional. Even Pope Francis treated the SSPX with a modicum of respect.
Ego sum rigidus
Given the Cardinal’s bibliography and the sodomitical synod’s latest hijnx, it makes you ask what the sspx is separating itself from?
To be excommunicated from the Ape of the Catholic Church? Hmm, doesn’t really sting, does it? After Report No. 9 I think the SSPX, very definitely part of the Catholic Church, is the only way to maintain the traditional faith. Personally, I’ll be making that switch as soon as the excommunication is issued.
I wonder if Fernandez even wrote that. It makes no mention of kissing and other similar activities. It’s all so strange.
“Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.” -Matthew 5:37
The last 64 years have been marked by ambiguity by those who should be speaking with clarity. It seems that this might be this moment that we see the return to clarity. We’ve had enough with the “partial communion” some speak of regarding the SSPX. At a precise moment, they will be clearly in schism and we will have a definitive statement from the Vatican declaring it so. Do not neglect to see this as a blessing. Yes will mean yes. No will mean no.
I support the Holy See in this, but I hope they have considered one alternative:
Reduce the penalty to suspension or personal interdict – just for the SSPX (nobody else can do ordinations without excommunication), and just for ordaining a certain number of bishops, like maybe allow them to have no more than 4 at a given time. If they go above that number, excommunication applies.
Reason: I think everyone was dissatisfied with the 1988 excommunications and enjoys the new status quo better (quasi-schism with some faculties). Obviously the SSPX feels pressure from the aging of their bishops – if they don’t ordain they will disappear. Obviously full communion is difficult right now given the current attitude of the SSPX. Obviously the question of suitability of candidates creates a huge liability for the Holy See (viz. Williamson). But ordaining willy-nilly (Thuc-style) would be a different matter.
[There is no such thing as “quasi-schism” and “communion” is like pregnancy, you are or you aren’t.]
@C
“suitability of candidates” / “creates a huge liability” – have you not been paying attention to all the men made cardinals over the last 10 years? Somehow, you think the SSPX are bigger liabilities than “heal me with your mouth” erotic-book writing Tucho? Or McElroy?
@Bev – continued ambiguity on Church teaching about heresy, sodomy, “synodality”, the Eucharist, and everything else is okay, but we should be thankful that the Vatican is unambiguously punishing a group trying to preserve the Deposit of Faith and Sacred Tradition as it existed before the 1960s . . . . doesn’t seem like a great reason to celebrate to me.
I’m doubtful that the SSPX would meet with the Pope. They are the ones that chose to end communications with the Vatican and move forward with their wayward plans for consecrations.
Here’s my recollection of the timeline. The SSPX publicly announce their intention to consecrate bishops without papal mandate, fully aware that it’s a schismatic action. The Pope was then forced to address their announcement and tried to gauge their willingness for compromise and communication by putting forward a small but important request which was to put off the consecrations. The SSPX rejected the Pope’s request and effectively ended communication with the Vatican. Then they send a pamphlet to Italian(?) bishops and proceed to ask why the Pope won’t meet with them. I’ve got a good guess why he isn’t meeting with them. He is respecting their God-given free will and simply won’t beg them to stop their wayward plans. He’s already had his authority undermined in a big way after the first exchange. What more could happen?
I believe the Vatican would have continued communications if the SSPX had simply agreed to put off their consecrations. I saw it like a small little test of goodwill, the Pope wanted to know: does this group have the ability to be led by rightful authority? Will they honor this important request from the highest representative of Christ in the Church? The SSPX did not like the request and without further discussion they went their own way firming up plans to produce their own bishops. It’s unbelievable really. Not much else can be done with this type of disregard for another’s request and their God-given authority. The Catholic Church is not some thrown together institution, it has laws and processes that need to be followed.
When I see a house on the market with the rooms in disarray and junk all over the place my first question is: do they want to sell their house or not? I find myself asking a similar question here: does the SSPX want to be within the structure of the Church or not? Each member of that society all has a free choice. No one will beg or force anyone to be a part of Christ’s Church. It’s free for the joining, but we can’t force anyone. We can only pray and wait patiently for those who have strayed to return through the sacraments of the Church. Sometimes we wait a long time.
The SSPX ought to reconsider their future plans. They currently have nothing to lose by publicly announcing that they are changing gears and putting off the consecrations. After that, they should humbly and sincerely reach out to the Pope. This new gesture would show their goodwill to work with others. They are the ones seeking something after all and they are the ones who have been in a precarious situation all these years. When do they plan to fix that, by the way? They need to go the extra mile here, return with courage and humility to the Pope and then see what happens.
It seems that they have nothing to lose. They are facing being expelled from the Church. That awful prospect ought to move someone to try a wholly different approach than what they’ve been doing up until now.
What the sin-nod-all vatican excommunicates now can and most likely will be undone by a future Roman Catholic Vatican.