Jakarta, ThedailyID — A traditionalist Catholic group in the United States has openly defied Pope Leo XIV by proceeding with the ordination of a bishop without papal approval, escalating tensions between the Vatican and one of the Church’s most prominent conservative movements.
The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) rejected the pope’s final appeal to halt the ceremony. Pope Leo XIV warned that the ordination would constitute a serious act of schism and violate Church law.
In a letter addressed to the group, the pope urged its leaders to reconsider their decision. He described the planned ordination as a grave offense against the unity of the Catholic Church.
“I beg you with all my heart: please stop,” Pope Leo XIV wrote. He also warned that bishops ordained without papal approval would face excommunication, formally cutting them off from the Church’s sacraments.
Communion between bishops and the pope remains a fundamental principle of Catholic unity. As a result, the Vatican considers unauthorized episcopal ordinations among the most serious breaches of canon law.
The dispute presents one of the biggest challenges of Pope Leo XIV’s first year as pontiff. Since taking office, he has emphasized Church unity while continuing efforts to strengthen reforms introduced by the Vatican over recent decades.
The SSPX, however, has consistently opposed many of those reforms. The group advocates a traditional interpretation of Catholic doctrine and rejects several changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council during the 1960s.
The organization has its largest presence in the United States, with headquarters in Missouri and a seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia. One of the priests scheduled for ordination is Father Michael Goldade, who currently leads the seminary.
The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in Switzerland in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Church authorities dissolved the organization five years later.
Tensions reached a breaking point in 1988 when Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal approval. The Vatican responded by excommunicating those bishops, marking one of the most significant divisions within the modern Catholic Church.
The SSPX continues to reject key teachings of the Second Vatican Council, including positions on religious freedom, ecumenism, and reforms to Catholic liturgy. Those long-standing disagreements remain at the center of the group’s conflict with the Vatican.
