Vatican Expels Ultra-Conservative Bishops After Ignoring Warning

The Vatican has officially confirmed the excommunication of six members of the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X following unauthorized episcopal consecrations that defied direct papal authority. The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that four newly consecrated bishops and two additional bishops have been expelled from the Church, stripping them of all ecclesiastical offices and dignities.

According to Nius, the consecrations carried out against the explicit will of Pope Leo XIV constitute an act of schismatic nature, meaning conduct that leads toward the splitting of the Catholic Church. The Vatican has issued warnings to both clergy and faithful within the community not to join the schism.

Those affected by the excommunication include Spanish Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who performed the consecrations, along with four newly consecrated bishops: Pascal Schreiber from Switzerland, Michael Goldade from the United States, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier, both from France, as well as Bernard Fellay of Switzerland.

Defiance of Direct Vatican Warning

The Priestly Society of Saint Pius X proceeded with the consecration of four new bishops on Wednesday in Écône, Switzerland, despite an explicit warning from the Vatican. Church authorities had made clear beforehand that such a step without papal consent would automatically trigger excommunication.

The Society of Saint Pius X rejects key reforms of the Second Vatican Council. In 1988, the organization’s founder Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops against the will of Pope John Paul II and was subsequently excommunicated. Pope Benedict XVI lifted the ecclesiastical penalty in 2009 as a gesture of reconciliation, though that decision drew worldwide criticism at the time due to Holocaust denier Richard Williamson being among those affected.

Schism Deepens Under Pope Leo XIV

The Vatican decree characterizes the unauthorized consecrations as an action running counter to Catholic unity. By proceeding with the ceremony despite papal prohibition, the traditionalist group has now formalized a break that had been developing for decades over theological and liturgical disagreements stemming from Vatican II reforms.

The excommunication represents one of the most severe penalties the Catholic Church can impose, effectively severing the individuals from full communion with Rome and barring them from receiving sacraments or exercising any official church functions.

With information from Nius