VATICAN CITY, July 2 (Reuters) – The Vatican said on Thursday that priests and lay Catholics who are part of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) were in schism with the wider Church and excommunicated, after the group ordained four bishops without Pope Leo’s approval.
Here are some key facts about the group.
WHAT IS THE SSPX?
The Society of St. Pius X is a traditionalist Catholic priestly fraternity founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 in Switzerland.
Lefebvre (1905-1991) was a French missionary bishop who spent years in Africa and later served as the Vatican’s apostolic delegate to French-speaking Africa.
The group is named after Pope Pius X (1903-1914), who was known for his opposition to theological modernism. The movement was established in response to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), a landmark gathering of bishops, also known as Vatican II, that agreed wide-ranging reforms for the Church.
SSPX’s headquarters are in Menzingen, Switzerland. Its main seminary is at Econe in the Swiss Alps, where the latest bishop ordinations took place.
HOW BIG IS THE GROUP?
The SSPX says on its website that as of November 1, 2025, it had 1,482 formal members, including 733 priests and 264 seminarians from some 50 nations. It says 254 of the priests are French and 143 come from the United States.
The group operates seminaries, schools, retreat centres and chapels in dozens of countries.
WHY IS THE GROUP CONTROVERSIAL?
The SSPX rejects key teachings and reforms of Vatican II.
In particular it opposes a decision to let the Mass be celebrated in local languages, strongly preferring the pre-conciliar Tridentine Latin Mass, which it says maintains a sense of mystery and formality around the service.
The group has also been highly critical of Vatican II’s embrace of dialogue with other churches and faiths, including improved relations with Judaism.
The SSPX argues that Church reforms weakened Catholic identity and diluted traditional doctrine and worship.
THE 1988 BREAK WITH ROME
Tensions with the Vatican culminated on June 30, 1988, when Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without the approval of Pope John Paul II. The Vatican declared the act schismatic and excommunicated Lefebvre and the four bishops.
The showdown was the biggest rupture in the Catholic Church since the split caused by opponents of the doctrine of papal infallibility in the late 19th century.
The group did not ordain any further bishops until this week.
ATTEMPTS AT RECONCILIATION
John Paul’s successor, Pope Benedict, made reconciliation with traditionalists a priority for his papacy. In 2007 he liberalised celebration of the old Latin Mass and in 2009 he lifted the excommunications of the four surviving SSPX bishops. But full reconciliation was never achieved because of continuing disagreements over Vatican II.
Pope Francis, who widely sought to limit celebration of the Latin Mass, made some symbolic gestures toward the SSPX and reauthorized them to hear confessions on behalf of the Church.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer and Dave Graham; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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