38-Year Revolt Returns—Rome Strikes

St Peters Basilica with surrounding cityscape at sunset

A traditionalist Catholic group has now defied two popes — 38 years apart — by ordaining bishops without permission, and the Vatican says it amounts to the same crime of schism both times.

Story Snapshot

The Society of Saint Pius X ordained four bishops in 2026 without Pope Leo XIV’s approval, repeating the exact act that got founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre excommunicated in 1988.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith declared both the 1988 and 2026 consecrations constituted schism — a formal break from the Catholic Church.
Lefebvre founded the Society of Saint Pius X in 1970 to preserve the traditional Latin Mass and reject reforms from the Second Vatican Council.
Under Catholic canon law, ordaining bishops without a papal mandate triggers automatic excommunication — a penalty the Church calls “medicinal,” meant to bring the offender back.

The 1988 Break That Started It All

On June 30, 1988, French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre walked into his traditionalist seminary in Switzerland and consecrated four bishops — directly against the orders of Pope John Paul II. The Vatican responded the same day. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree stating the consecrations were performed “against the expressed will of the Supreme Pontiff” and “configured the crime of schism.” Lefebvre and all four new bishops were immediately excommunicated.

Lefebvre had founded the Society of Saint Pius X in 1970 after the Second Vatican Council overhauled Catholic worship and doctrine. He believed the reforms — especially the new Mass — were a betrayal of tradition. Pope Pius XII had already warned in 1958 that bishop consecrations without a papal mandate were “serious offenses against the discipline and unity of the Church.” Lefebvre pressed forward anyway. His defiance sparked what Britannica called “the first schism in the Roman Catholic Church since 1870.”

History Repeats — 38 Years Later

In 2026, the Society of Saint Pius X did it again. The group ordained four new bishops without the approval of Pope Leo XIV — the first major challenge to the new pope’s authority. Vatican News editorial director Andrea Tornielli wrote bluntly that “Lefebvre’s schism” had been “repeated 38 years later.” On July 1, 2026, the Vatican confirmed that all participating bishops incurred automatic excommunication under what canon law calls a “latae sententiae” penalty — meaning it takes effect instantly, without a formal trial.

The Society of Saint Pius X has since filed an appeal with the Vatican against the decree. But the group’s canonical standing was already weak. Pope Benedict XVI had previously explained that the Society has no canonical status in the Catholic Church for doctrinal reasons, and that its ministers “do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.” The 2026 consecrations deepened that divide rather than closing it.

What “Schism” Actually Means — and Why It Matters

The word “schism” gets thrown around loosely, but in Catholic canon law it has a precise meaning. It refers to a deliberate break from the authority of the pope and the unity of the Church. Under the 1983 Code of Canon Law, a schismatic act — like an unauthorized bishop consecration — automatically brings excommunication. The Church calls this penalty “medicinal,” meaning its goal is to bring the person back, not simply punish them.

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has filed an appeal with the Vatican against the decree that declared the traditionalist group in schism with the Catholic Church for consecrating four bishops without papal authorization.

According to a statement from the society — whose members… pic.twitter.com/q4LSCdjC28

— EWTN News (@EWTNews) July 14, 2026

The Society of Saint Pius X has long argued it acted out of necessity — that the post-Vatican II Church had drifted so far from tradition that emergency measures were justified. But the Vatican’s position has been consistent across multiple popes: no priest or bishop may claim that kind of authority on his own. The pattern is clear. When individuals or groups consecrate bishops outside papal authority, the Church has always responded the same way — with a schism declaration and excommunication. That was true in 1988, and it remains true in 2026.