Vatican excommunicates six Lefebvrian bishops after unauthorized consecration

The Vatican excommunicated six bishops of the ultraconservative Fraternidad Sacerdotal San Pío X (FSSPX) on July 2, 2026, after they consecrated four new bishops without papal approval, declaring the act a "cisma" Source: elnacionalve Source: clarin. The decree by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the consecration constituted an "act of a schismatic nature" and that the participants incurred automatic excommunication Source: lavanguardia.

The consecration

On July 1, the FSSPX held a five-hour ceremony in Écône, Switzerland, consecrating four priests as bishops: Pascal Schreiber (Swiss), Michael Goldade (American), Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier (both French) Source: hoydo. The ceremony was presided over by Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta and co-consecrated by Bernard Fellay, both already excommunicated in 1988 and later pardoned by Benedict XVI Source: elmundoes. Approximately 15,000–16,500 faithful attended, and the event was livestreamed Source: lavozar Source: hoydo.

Vatican's response

Pope Leo XIV had personally urged the group to cancel the ordination, warning it would be a "sin of extreme gravity" Source: excelsiormx. After the ceremony, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree confirming excommunication for the six bishops and declaring that all priests of the FSSPX are considered schismatic, thus losing their faculties to validly administer sacraments like confession and marriage Source: abces. The Vatican also warned that lay faithful who formally adhere to the FSSPX risk the same penalty Source: elcolombiano.

Reactions and implications

The FSSPX spokesperson called the sanctions "unjust" and "brutal" Source: lavozar. In contrast, conservative Cardinal Gerhard Müller criticized the group, comparing them to Luther Source: elcaribedr. The movement, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970, rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and has around 600,000 followers worldwide Source: clarin. The excommunication marks a formal schism, but the Vatican left the door open for reconciliation Source: lavanguardia.