Vatican excommunicates traditionalist clerics: Bishops appointed without papal approval
The Vatican announced that six clerics from the Society of Saint Pius X were excommunicated after bishops were appointed without the approval of Pope Leo XIV.
A long-running dispute between the Vatican and the traditionalist Lefebvrian movement has turned into an excommunication crisis. Six clerics were formally excommunicated after the Society of Saint Pius X appointed four bishops despite warnings from Pope Leo XIV.
Pope had called on them to “return”
The Society of Saint Pius X, based in Switzerland’s Valais canton, appointed four bishops without papal authorization.
Pope Leo XIV had sent a letter to the group’s leader, Davide Pagliarani, on June 30, calling on the community to step back from the move.
Six names excommunicated
The decision was signed by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The Vatican said Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta acted against the will of the Pope and carried out a “schismatic act.”
Those excommunicated were Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier.
Who are the Lefebvrians?
The Lefebvrian movement was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The group opposes the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and is known for its strict attachment to the Latin Mass.
It had previously appointed bishops without papal approval in 1988, prompting the Vatican to excommunicate Lefebvre and the bishops involved. Those excommunications were later lifted in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI.
