On July 1, 2026, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X ordained four bishops without papal authorization in Écône, Switzerland, prompting the Vatican to label the act as schismatic. Pope Leo XIV had previously requested the fraternity to desist, but Superior General Davide Pagliarini defended the decision to ensure the order's pastoral future.
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) consecrated four new bishops in Switzerland without authorization from Pope Leo XIV, in an act the Vatican labeled "schismatic." The Lefebvrist faithful reject the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and defend the traditional Latin Mass, maintaining a tension with Rome that dates back to 1970.
Pope Leo XIV confronts his first major crisis as pontiff. The Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX), a traditionalist Catholic group, announced plans to ordain four bishops without papal authorization on July 1, 2026, in Switzerland. The Vatican warned this would constitute a schismatic act resulting in automatic excommunication.
El Papa León XIV atraviesa su primera gran crisis pontificia tras advertir que la Fraternidad Sacerdotal San Pío X planea ordenar cuatro obispos sin aprobación papal el 1° de julio en Écône, Suiza. El Vaticano advierte que esto constituiría un acto cismático con excomunión automática.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
