SSPX risks new schism by defying the Vatican with unauthorized bishop ordinations

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) is considering the ordination of new bishops without the approval of the new pope. Such a move would break canon law and risk severing decades of progress in reconciling with Rome. The group's potential action echoes a 1988 schism that led to excommunication for its then-leader and four bishops under the reign of Pope St. John Paul II.

The SSPX was established in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who opposed changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council. His decision to consecrate four bishops in 1988 without the permission of Pope Francis resulted in immediate excommunication under Canon 1387. Pope Francis declared the act schismatic, cutting formal ties with the Holy See.

Efforts to heal the rift began in 2009 when Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications as a gesture of mercy. Pope Francis later expanded the SSPX's sacramental permissions, allowing its priests to validly hear confessions, celebrate marriages, and administer baptisms. Dialogues continued under the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, later absorbed by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

An unauthorised ordination today would be valid but illicit, triggering automatic excommunication for all involved. It would also reset relations with Rome to the 1988 schism, undoing years of negotiation. Canon law links such acts to the sin of schism, further complicating any future reconciliation with the new pope.

The SSPX's possible ordinations would violate church law and halt ongoing reconciliation efforts. Any new bishops would face immediate excommunication, while the society's sacramental privileges could be revoked. The move would return the group to the isolated position it held before 2009.