By In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree.
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), whose members are known as “Lefebvrians,” rejected the recent excommunications decreed by the Vatican after consecrating four bishops without papal authorization on July 1 and asserted that the sanctions imposed are “objectively unjust and invalid.”
In a letter addressed to Pope Leo XIV, released on July 3, Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX, justified the episcopal consecrations that prompted the Vatican’s decree declaring the group to be in schism as “an extreme measure to save souls, amid the doctrinal and moral confusion in which the Church finds itself.”
“We in no way intend to replace the Church, and our sole purpose is to remain faithful to her,” wrote Pagliarani, who leads the group founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who died in 1991.
The group founded by Lefebvre aims to preserve the traditional liturgy as it existed prior to the reforms implemented after the Second Vatican Council while maintaining its opposition to aspects of the council’s teachings on ecumenism, religious freedom, and collegiality.
Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining, without the permission of Pope John Paul II, four bishops: Alfonso de Galarreta of Spain, Bernard Fellay of Switzerland, Richard Williamson of England, and Bernard Tissier de Mallerais of France.
Amid attempts to build bridges of dialogue with the SSPX, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009 against the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.
Tissier de Mallerais and Williamson died in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Galarreta and Fellay, on the other hand, participated in the recent consecration of four new bishops on July 1, for which they were excommunicated once again.
‘We had asked for bread’
Using as the central theme of his argument the passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke (11:11–13), in which Jesus reminds his disciples that “if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him,” Pagliarani asserted that “we had asked for bread — that is, a little understanding in the face of a sincere case of conscience, a gesture of fatherly compassion.”
“Unfortunately, we have received a stone,” he continued, noting that, instead of “fish” — that is, “the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests … unfortunately, we have received a snake.”
“We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible,” he added. He affirmed that “the holy tradition we preserve in our souls belongs to the Church, our Mother” but “unfortunately, we have received a scorpion.”
The superior of the SSPX assured Leo XIV that the society does not accept the Vatican’s sanctions “in a spirit of bitterness or rebellion” but rather feel encouraged “to love the holy Church even more and to attend to her needs more than ever with all our strength.”
“We are certain that one day you yourself or one of your successors will wish to embrace the program of St. Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,’” he said, noting that “on that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and deep consolation, authentically Catholic souls — souls whose bond with the Church was never founded on the shifting sands of ambiguous dialogue but on the rock of Peter’s faith.”
‘Turn back!’: Leo XIV’s plea the SSPX ignored
In his letter, Pagliarani makes no mention of the Catholic Church’s repeated calls for dialogue, which date back to the pontificate of St. John Paul II with the creation of the Ecclesia Dei Commission and which reached one of their highest points in Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunications of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre.
Pope Francis also reached out to the SSPX with decisions such as allowing sacramental confessions with its priests to be valid and lawful during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 — a decision he later extended beyond that year.
Pagliarani also did not address Pope Leo XIV’s direct plea to the Society of St. Pius X, asking the group not to commit “a schismatic act.”
“In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I implore and ask you with all my heart: Turn back!” the Holy Father wrote to them on June 30.
“I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you would carry out would deprive them of the lawful — and in some cases, even valid — reception of the sacraments that they love and seek for their own sanctification,” the pope stated.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Pagliarani is one of the most manipulative and coercive people I have ever seen. There is evil behind his insincere smile.
What kind of evil or insincerity could come from a desire to hold fast to The Tradition Of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic Church which is not a schismatic act, although not affirming The Tradition of The Catholic Church would be.
Hmm, let’s see. The evil of pride? Their insincerity of pretending to recognize Pope Leo’s authority, despite rejecting it by consecrating four priests to the episcopate without his approval?
You can’t hold fast to tradition and the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and simultaneously support/adhere to a schismatic group and/or action.
“Pagliarani is one of the most manipulative and coercive people I have ever seen. There is evil behind his insincere smile.”
You mispelled “Fernández. Interesting that the creator of the “clown mass” is the point man in dealing with the SSPX.
The SSPX may be theologically incorrect, but the fact that he hasn’t been excommunicated, but instead was made a Cardinal is a scandal. The smoke of Satan that Benedict warned about is in plain sight.
Given that Cardinal Muller confirmed that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had a file containing these theological concerns about Fernández at that time In July 2023, only for Francis named Archbishop Fernández prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 1, 2023, and to be made a cardinal in the consistory of September 30, 2023.
We know Popes have at times been malicious and mendacious. I suspect that if sanity ever prevails, the Borgia Popes will seem like petty thieves next to Bergoglio. I’d rather he made a nephew or an illegitimate son a Cardinal.
The SSPX may be wrong, but from what I can see they are sincere. I would never apply that term to the pornographer Cardinal. He should be checked for the fissilingual feature.
I didn’t misspell Fernández’s name because I didn’t write his name to begin with. I do not like Cardinal Fernández either. He is a bad example and the wrong person to be in charge of the DDF.
One day, he may be excommunicated too. This isn’t about Fernández though. It’s about the SSPX’s insincerity about recognizing Pope Leo’s legitimate authority. They obviously reject it by doing what they just did.
“He is a bad example and the wrong person to be in charge of the DDF.”
You write that as though he’s exceptional in those regards. He was picked for the very reasons he is the “wrong person”- Francis clearly coveted the Papacy-going for it a second time and if you are going to debase the Church as septuagenarian with health issues into “just another NGO” that’s going to embrace the revolution and sexual libertinism, then you need brazen men, not particularly concerned about procedure.
Here’s a few names for you: Bernardin McCarrick, Wuerl, Weakland, Law, Timlin (my former Bishop, who defied an order from Bishop Bambera) Mahony (who defied an order from Archbishop Gomez) the episcopacy is filled with people who take the offerings of widows and misuse them. When they can’t get enough money through their noxious “appeals”, they turn into tax collectors.
People who’ve been in charge of anything learn a couple of things.
First, authority must be exercised as little as possible. Severity isn’t firmness or fairness. Consistency must be a part of your exercise of authority.
Authority isn’t power.
Formal authority isn’t moral authority.
Your ability to govern depends far more on eliciting voluntary compliance than your available sanctions.
If you issue any sort of direction as a command (any variation of because I’m your boss and I told you), you’ve already eroded your power. If on the other hand, your directions are followed because you were gracious and understanding, then your power has increased.
Leo was originally ordained by the odious Thomas Gumbleton the proto-gay rights activists. If anybody thinks he’s not another Francis 2.0, without the morbid obesity, the turkey waddle and the incessantly dour disposition, think again.
Leo just expended a part of his capital, whether he knows it or not and being that people are arguing about the propriety of it, it wasn’t a wise use of it.
I understand your frustrations at those liberal bishops and cardinals. If they were to willfully enter schism and incurr automatic excommunication, my views on them would be no different than what the SSPX did. For me, it’s not liberal vs conservative. Rather, it’s just adhering to the Catholic Church’s teaching on the papacy and Canon law. As for the likes of McCarrick and Mahony, their day will come. But their pathetic behavior does not excuse the SSPX for what they did.
We can agree on several things, obviously: Conservative, pro-life, pro-family, and traditional Catholic teaching. But you will never convince me that what the schismatic SSPX did was out of good faith and a necessary endeavor. Even if you sat me in a chair for the rest of my life.
Sincerity in error is still sin.
Error is not a sin. Never heard of full consent of the will?
I will no longer refer to them as SSPX. They are Lefevbrists. The “society” has no ecclesiastical right or juridical identity. They are like Feeneyites.
Most of the Feeneyites eventually found their way back into the fold.
I pray that the SSPX do, too.
The response would be laughable if it were not so wicked. I would tremble to be in Fr. P’s shoes on Judgement Day.
“Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements. Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to Catholic unity.” (paragraph 819 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church).
I think SSPX has less to worry about than Leo, whose main job is to extend the faith and to increase unity. Here Leo has lost it.
The Holy Father’s job is to be the Vicar of Christ on earth. He isn’t responsible for those who choose not to follow their duly appointed shepherd.
Hirelings do not chase lost sheep. The Good Shepherd does. Which do you think Pope Leo ought to be like?
Amazing how hard-hearted you are
Having been fortunate enough to have been to Mass in at least 10 countries around the world over the last 30 years, I have to say that I don’t care what language it is said in, as long as it is reverent. Whether we agree or disagree with what the SSPX has done, I think the Vatican has been disingenuous in the way it has dealt with the issue. Firstly, it has allowed the CCP to effectively ordain bishops in China without a comment. Why is there a different rule for them? Secondly, the Catholic Church has as its raison d’etre the salvation of souls. That can only be achieved by solid Catholic teaching and piety, from holy bishops, priests and laity. Instead of condemning them for consecrating bishops, they should be assisting them to foster more priestly vocations. Thirdly, since 2013, the Vatican has not been renowned for its adherence to the Faith handed down from the apostles. Numerous documents, statements, and actions by those in positions of power and authority have caused serious concern to practising Catholics. This makes it very hard to take decree from the modern Vatican seriously.
It’s not just about catachesis. A consistant and devoted prayer life, founded on vocal prayer but including contemplation, is a necessity, not a tack-on for “churchy people” or those inclined to mysticism.
I predict that the number of laity affiliating with the SSPX will now grow exponentially. Unfortunately, this matter is NOT about the Extraordinary Form of the Mass or any rejection of Vatican Council II but about Rome’s playing footloise and fancy free with the deposit of Faith.
No, it’s about the SSPX’s refusal to accept Vatican II and Pope Leo’s authority. They deliberately and willfully broke Canon law and consecrated these priests to the episcopate without his approval.
DTS: I understand full well the nature of the actions they took and don’t condone them. However, you refuse to look squarely on the conditions in the Church that provoked their reaction in the first place.
Schismatic actions, no matter how bad or rough the conditions in Christ’s Church may be, are NEVER justified. The Catholic Church definitely has some bad bishops and some problems, but that is no reason for them to excommunicate themselves from the Church itself. The Church as a whole is indefectible, and the Holy Spirit guides it at all times.
It’s like crooked politicians. Just because some idiots may be happening to run the country doesn’t mean you leave it. We must remain faithful to Christ and in communion with the Pope of Rome. That is imperative.
Very biblical: a stone, a scorpion…but also this:
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 Jn 2:19).
It seems as though they are trying to prove how schismatic they are. Otherwise, one of my favorite sayings seems to apply here: “If you want to get yourself out of a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.”
Diogenes Redux above (4:48 a.m.)
Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell. The laity may well be the decisive party.
Cleo: in this case, past performance is predictive of future success. We’ll see,
This unfolding story of the SSPX saddens all, I expect. A vibrant, growing congregation of followers of Jesus Christ, but are at loggerheads with the Pontiff. I am at a loss with the only consolation found in prayer. Prayer for the Holy Father, who to me appears to judge groups differently. Prayer for the SSPX that they pursue reconciliation with the Church of Jesus Christ.
I desire unity with all followers of Jesus Christ, but the unity desired is built solely on the Truth that is found in and through Jesus Christ.
DTS write above about the SSPX and bishops like McCarrickand McElroy: “But their pathetic behavior does not excuse the SSPX for what they did.”
But it certainly does help to explain its underlying causes.