If the Lefebvrians go ahead with the ordination of new bishops, they will incur a charge of schism. The dialogue between the Vatican and the so-called Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X has reached a point of rupture that is hardly reversible
Read more The day actor José Lamuño stopped choosing the shortest path (and discovered something unexpected)
The group, founded by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and turned into the main reference of Catholic traditionalism opposed to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, has announced its intention to proceed with new consecrations next July. This aggravates a crisis whose roots go back to the post-conciliar period and whose authority its followers have never fully accepted, placing themselves once again on the brink of excommunication.
The ultimatum came this Wednesday through a statement from the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the former Holy Office, Cardinal Manuel “Tucho” Fernández: “The episcopal ordinations announced by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X do not have the corresponding pontifical mandate. This gesture will constitute a schismatic act and formal adherence to the schism constitutes a grave offense to God and entails the excommunication established by Church law.” The cardinal speaks, obviously, on behalf of the Pope, who “continues praying that those responsible for the Fraternity reconsider their decision.”
The last attempt to resolve the crisis took place on February 12, when David Pagliarani, superior general of the Lefebvrians, was received by Fernández at the Palace of the Holy Office, where Leo XIV then resided. “Our ordinations,” Pagliarani said then, “respond to the spiritual need in which souls find themselves” and, therefore, to the Fraternity’s requirement to “ensure the continuity of the ministry of its bishops.” A threat that, evidently, the Vatican took seriously.
Read more Ulama, the 3,400-year-old Mexican ball game that withstands the test of time
The story does not start today. There was already another crisis of this magnitude in 1988, the great trauma of the post-conciliar Church, when Lefebvre ordained four bishops without the authorization of John Paul II. The Holy See considered that gesture a “schismatic act” and excommunicated those involved.
According to data released by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, the movement is present in 77 countries, with five seminaries, 184 houses, and 94 schools, of which 54 are in France. The Fraternity has 733 priests and 264 seminarians, figures that make it the main reference of organized Catholic traditionalism.
