A group of conservative Catholics known as the Society of St. Pius X, established in 1970 and headquartered in Switzerland, has faced excommunication after ordaining four bishops without papal approval. This event took place on July 1, 2026, at the International Seminary of Saint Pius X in Econe, Switzerland, during a ceremony featuring newly consecrated bishops Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier.
The organization has a history of falling out with the Vatican. In the late 1980s, founder Marcel Lefebvre consecrated bishops without the approval of Pope John Paul II, leading to their excommunication. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication in a bid to unify the Church.
Despite being excommunicated again, a priest from the group, Georg Kopf, expressed optimism at a recent mass in Wil, Switzerland. He stated, “There will one day be another pope who opens the door and welcomes us back. Just like Pope Benedict.” The Society of St. Pius X criticizes the Church for departing from its traditional teachings and practices the old Latin Mass without engaging in formal dialogue with non-Catholics.
The Vatican had attempted dialogue with the group before the schism occurred. It emphasized the gravity of ordaining bishops without approval, resulting in automatic excommunication. Kopf defended the ordinations, stating they were carried out out of love for the Church and its followers, not to create a separate entity or openly defy Rome.
Kopf remarked, “Nothing that happened on July 1 was intended to establish a parallel church or to break with Rome. It was precisely out of love for the Church and the pope.”
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