Vatican declares Society of St Pius X in schism and excommunicates bishops

The Vatican formally declared the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) to be in schism and excommunicated bishops the traditionalist group ordained without papal authorization. The declaration follows the unauthorized consecrations, which the Church treats as a direct challenge to papal authority.

The SSPX, founded by dissident Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has long occupied an irregular status — neither fully in communion with Rome nor entirely severed from it. Successive popes had sought to bring the society back into the fold. The formal declaration of schism ends that ambiguity, drawing a clear canonical line between the group and the Catholic Church.

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