By The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer in May announced their rejection of the Second Vatican Council and the popes that have come since.
A sedevacantist group of monks in Scotland hosted an illicit consecration of a “bishop” on July 25 in spite of repeated warnings that doing so would constitute a schismatic act and a break from the Catholic Church.
The Transalpine Redemptorists, or the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, livestreamed the counterfeit ceremony from their monastery on Papa Stronsay, an island that forms part of the Orkney archipelago in Scotland.
Aberdeen Bishop Hugh Gilbert had warned in a pastoral letter on July 18 that the consecration would constitute an “act of schism” that would “place those engaged in it outside the Catholic Church.”
The ceremony was performed by Bishops Rodrigo Ribeiro da Silva, Fernando Altamira and Pierre Roy. Gilbert referred to the three as “unauthorized bishops from the Americas.” The ersatz consecration was done on Father Michael Mary, a priest of the order and its rector.
The Transalpine Redemptorists earlier in 2026 publicly denied the legitimacy of the modern papacy. In May they released a sedevacantist statement declaring that they would give “no juridical recognition” to Pope Leo XIV and other popes who have “departed” from the faith in the decades since the Second Vatican Council.
The three bishops that performed the nominal consecration are reportedly sedevacantist as well.
Bishop Gilbert had previously warned of the consecration ceremony in June, noting that the event “would be celebrated without a papal mandate” and would be “unlawful and a grave act of disobedience.”
Even before the several controversies in 2026, the Transalpine Redemptorists had been involved in disputes regarding canonical violations.
In August 2025 the Vatican allowed the Diocese of Christchurch to ban the order from public ministry in that diocese amid allegations of unauthorized exorcisms.
Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen had said in July 2024 that the community had been subject to an apostolic visitation by Australian Bishop Robert McGuckin.
The bishop had removed the ministry faculties of the members after the Vatican’s recommendation and also asked the group “to leave the Christchurch Diocese.”
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I don’t know why these groups don’t ask for the same deal the CCP got.
Okay, definitely a schismatic act… But why the scare quotes around bishop and the word ersatz? While very illicit, the consecration was presumably valid.
I will predict that candidates for admission to this monastery will now greatly increase.
As predicted, the SSPX are expanding their mission in and around the diocese of Charlotte NC to serve Catholic Faithful there.
DR, are you endorsing sedevacantistism and schismatic actions? That doesn’t sound very Catholic to me in the least.
Dear Didn’tThinkSo: To point out the reality of the situation does not imply support for it. Do you advocate ignoring reality in the hope that what we disagree with will just go away? There are reasons why the SSPX came into existence and has increased over the years. Let’s open our eyes and observe what’s been going on in the Church since the close of Vatican II. The problems in the Church won’t go away by ignoring their effects. For the record: I do not support schism or sedevacantism. That said, I will simply point out that Church leadership is causing the problem.
There are definitely issues in the Church, there always has been, and there always will be.
Like you, I reject sedevacantistism and schism entirely and completely.
However, the Church leadership is not to blame for those actions. The fault lies with the people who reject Church leadership and ultimately end up becoming sedevacantistists and schismatics. You can’t blame something you don’t like (such as Vatican II) over someone else’s actions. We all have free will to choose right or wrong.
DTS: Go back and read what I wrote. I referred to the state of the Catholic Church SINCE VATICAN II! I did not say BECAUSE OF VATICAN II!!! In fact, I think that the changes in the Church had NOTHING TO DO WITH VATICAN II!!!! The changes had EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE CHURCH MIMICKING THE CULTURAL MILIEU OF THE 60’S AND THEREAFTER.
DR, there’s no need to shout at me. I think we can agree on a couple things here. We both reject sedevacantistism and schism. I believe those actions are never justified, no matter the circumstances. Do you?
The Church has never stopped moving forward in its 2000 year history. I understand that some people want to see the Latin Mass preserved. However, groups such as the SSPX didn’t come into existence in order to safeguard the old form. They came into existence to use the old Mass to as a means defy Vatican II (Which is something that you think didn’t have anything to do with the changes in the Church). New saints have been canonized since 1962, and Fulton Sheen will be beatified soon. Those saints, along with Divine Mercy Sunday are not observed in the Latin Mass, because they’re stuck in 1962.
I don’t believe that the Church mimicked the cultural changes in the sixties. I do believe the boomer hippie culture tried to warp the Church. In some instances they had success, but that generation is slowly dying off. The younger priests are very orthodox, and some of them will one day be our bishops. All it takes is time and patience. The Holy Spirit guides the Church, it knows better than you or I.
Stay close to Christ, God bless ☦️
I’d be interested to see a debate between members of The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer and the SSPX concerning which of the two is the true remnant of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ.
Didn’t these folks in Scotland break away from the SSPX and return to the fold at one point?
It’s very sad. What a wonderful resource that island monastery could be. A more orthodox Iona perhaps.
Prayers for the monks and for unity in the Body of Christ. 🙏
That would be a worthy cage match! Perhaps Trump would like to host it on the White House lawn?
DTS: You say that SSPX came about out of a desire to defy Vatican II. Can you demonstrate proof of that? Or, was it because elements in the post-Vatican II Church hijacked Vatican II and used it to advance their own political objectives and it was this that Lefebvre reacted to?
I do not doubt for a second that the Holy Spirit abides in the Church, protects Her from error and continues to bless Her. Yet, I also recognize that sinful human persons work to undermine the Spirit and use the Church to advance their own political and ideological objectives. This is especially the case among those charged with governing the Church. As an example (and there are many others) the worship of idols like Pachamama at the Vatican and the kissing of the book of the Koran.
I looked up the SSPX and why it was formed. It originally seemed to be to preserve the older form, and maybe not necessarily to reject Rome. But the ultimate intention could very well have been in his heart, and just didn’t manifest until later, because by 1975, Lefebvre began to defy his bishop when ordered to suppress the seminary; his bishop saw that there was something more happening there than just preserving the old Mass. He also rejected the apostolic visitations, which could point to something he may have been hiding.
There always have been and always will be folks who defy Christ and His Church. Jesus’ followers (sometimes called “Christians”) should not give them any thought. Justice will be the Lord’s as he told us.