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Excommunication after Écône rites
The Vatican decreed “ipso facto” latae sententiae excommunication for the Lefebvrite episcopal ordinations carried out in Écône, Switzerland, after a ceremony on the morning of July 1, 2026.
“The decision came twenty-four hours after the solemn ceremony celebrated in Écône, Switzerland”
The decree said the bishops of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X—Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, and the newly consecrated bishops Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier—incurred the penalty reserved to the Apostolic See for “an act of a schismatic nature.”
It described the act as “the ‘episcopal consecration of four presbyters, without pontifical mandate and against the will of the Supreme Pontiff,’” and said the decision came twenty-four hours after the solemn ceremony in Écône.
The Vatican’s decree also said the excommunication “newly separates the bishops and priests of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X from the Church of Rome,” and that those who formally adhere are to be considered excommunicated.
The decree was released on July 2 and signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and countersigned by the two Secretaries of the same Dicastery.
Pope Leo’s appeal and response
The Vatican’s response followed the Society of St. Pius X consecrating four new bishops on Wednesday during a ritual-filled, five-hour Mass at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, in direct defiance of Pope Leo XIV.
The Associated Press reported that Pope Leo XIV had urged the group to hold off for the sake of church unity, and it quoted the pope’s letter as “a sin of extreme gravity.”
AP also said the Vatican excommunicated the four new bishops and the two bishops who participated in the ceremony, declaring the consecrations a “schismatic act” and extending sanctions to SSPX priests and the faithful who “adhere formally.”
In the Vatican’s own explanatory note, the Dicastery said the situation had been “further aggravated by the recent episcopal consecrations celebrated without pontifical mandate, against the will of the Holy Father, and in open violation of canon law.”
The note warned that “the sacred ministers of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly,” and that “the sacrament of penance” administered by them and “marriages assisted by them are invalid.”
Who is affected next
The Vatican’s decree and explanatory note framed the consequences as affecting both sacred ministers and lay faithful, stating that those who formally adhere to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X are to be considered excommunicated.
“SSPX priests — who number about 750 — to be schismatic, and therefore excommunicated”
The Associated Press said the sanctions could potentially involve the excommunications of thousands of rank-and-file SSPX faithful, after the Vatican declared SSPX priests—who “number about 750”—to be schismatic and excommunicated.
In a separate report, CBS News said the Holy See revoked the faculties previously granted to SSPX priests to validly celebrate the sacraments of confession and marriage, meaning those sacraments are no longer recognized as valid when administered by SSPX clergy.
The Vatican’s explanatory note also said the holy People of God are warned to refrain from taking part in celebrations and activities promoted by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
At the same time, the note said the Church “will welcome with sincere affection and lively solicitude all those who wish to return to full communion,” with Apostolic Nuncios to arrange procedures that Ordinaries may use in the various cases.
