A conservative Catholic group is preparing to defy Pope Leo XIV by ordaining new bishops without his approval, a move that could trigger a serious confrontation with the Vatican and lead to another split within the Catholic Church.
The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a Switzerland-based traditionalist group with about 600,000 followers worldwide, announced that it plans to ordain new bishops on July 1, despite clear warnings from Rome. The group says talks with the Vatican have failed to resolve the dispute.
Under Catholic law, ordaining bishops without the pope’s permission leads to automatic excommunication, meaning those involved are formally expelled from the Church.
Long-running dispute over tradition
The SSPX has been at odds with the Vatican for decades. Founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the group strongly opposes reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. These reforms modernised the Church and reduced the use of the Latin Tridentine Mass, a traditional ceremony still practised by SSPX priests.
The group refused to abandon the old Latin mass, which is led by a priest facing away from the congregation and includes incense and Gregorian chants. As a result, the Vatican removed the group’s official authority in 1975.
Tensions peaked in 1988, when Lefebvre ordained four bishops without Vatican approval, leading to their immediate excommunication.
Risk of a new schism
Although relations improved slightly under later popes — with Pope Benedict XVI lifting excommunications in 2009 and Pope Francis allowing limited recognition of SSPX priests — tensions have risen again since Pope Leo XIV was elected in May 2025.
Church experts say SSPX leaders have openly criticised the new pope and see his leadership as a threat to traditional practices.
“This action would be schismatic in spirit,” said Martin Dumont, a religion expert at Sorbonne University. “It directly challenges the authority of the pope and the unity of the Church.”
Why the group wants new bishops
The SSPX currently has 720 priests but only two bishops, which it says is not enough to serve its growing global following, particularly in France, Germany, and the United States.
The group argues that without more bishops, its long-term survival is at risk.
Vatican seeks dialogue
Pope Leo XIV has shown signs of trying to ease tensions. He has allowed the Tridentine Mass to be celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica and has encouraged dialogue with traditionalist groups.
The Vatican’s top doctrinal official, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, has offered to meet SSPX leaders in Rome on February 12 in an effort to avoid a crisis.
However, church lawyers warn that the issue goes beyond bishops. At the heart of the conflict, they say, is SSPX’s refusal to fully accept the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.
What comes next
If the SSPX goes ahead with the ordinations, Vatican law is clear: those involved will be automatically excommunicated. Such a move would deepen divisions within the Catholic Church and undo years of efforts to heal the rift.
For now, the Vatican is urging dialogue — but the risk of a historic split remains real.
