The Lefebvrists ordain four bishops without the Pope's permission and provoke a new schism

RomeThe Swiss city of Écône was the scene this Wednesday of a new schism in the Catholic Church. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, known as the Lefebvrians, has defied the Vatican and ordained four bishops without the authorization of the Pope, who has exclusive competence to do so, meaning all four will be excommunicated. Swiss Pascal Schreiber, American Michael Goldade, and Frenchmen Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier are the four members of this ultratraditionalist congregation who have been appointed bishops, despite Pope Leo XIV's express request that they not do so.

Some 15,000 people followed the ceremony live, which was shown on large screens installed around Écône and also broadcast on social networks in various languages. The celebration was presided over by Spaniard Alfonso de Galarreta and Swiss Bernard Fellay, the only bishops of the Fraternity remaining from those consecrated in 1988. It is precisely by alleging the "state of necessity" for the survival of the organization that, despite repeated warnings from the Vatican, the ordination has ended up taking place.

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 by French bishop Marcel Lefebvre, who died in 1991, and brings together faithful who adhere to a strict interpretation of the liturgical and doctrinal tradition of the Catholic religion. It rejects the Church's reforms since the Second Vatican Council, follows the Tridentine rite, which is characterized by the use of Latin and a highly codified liturgy that even leads the priest to pronounce the consecration with his back to the faithful, facing the altar.

The religious community, which has more than 700 priests and about 250 seminarians in 77 countries, had not consecrated new bishops since 1988, when the fraternity's founder initiated a schism by ordaining four bishops without Rome's approval, which led Pope John Paul II to automatically excommunicate them all. Later, Benedict XVI forgave them and lifted the excommunication of the prelates, who had since then remained in a discreet background. Faced with the announcement of four more consecrations, the Pope and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith repeatedly warned them that they would carry out a "schismatic act" that would involve the excommunication of those involved.

Thus, the lefebvrian announcement has been received in Rome as a challenge to Leo XIV. Faced with the pope's threats, Davide Pagliariani, the fraternity's superior general, replied that they were willing to pay any price to serve the Church: "They accuse us of not loving the Pope, of not respecting him, but because we love the Pope, we do not want to see him humiliated when he is placed on the same level as false shepherds, false religions, as we have seen in various situations".

This Wednesday, the Fraternity also regretted not being able to explain to the pontiff "the serious reasons that made the ceremony necessary" and explained that the circumstances of the act were "exceptional". "However, the deep joy that these episcopal consecrations inspire cannot be tarnished. By guaranteeing the necessary means to preserve the sacred legacy of Tradition, the gift of these four new bishops constitutes an immense grace for the fraternity itself and for the entire Church", adds the statement.

This Monday, the Pope sent a letter to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X. "I urge you to carefully consider the spiritual good of the faithful, as the schismatic act they would commit 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", wrote Leo XIV. "In this spirit, and full of Christian affection – the pontiff continues – I pray and ask you with all my heart: turn back!"

But the controversy has been going on for months. In May, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Argentine cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, also reiterated in writing that these episcopal ordinations "do not have the corresponding pontifical mandate" and constitute a "grave offense".

The third woman at the head of a Vatican ministry

Amidst this crisis, the pontiff on Tuesday appointed Alessandra Smerilli, a Salesian nun and economist, to head the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, where she had served as secretary since 2021. Smerilli, 51, thus becomes the third woman in history to head a Vatican ministry.

The others are Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, and Mexican Montse Alvarado, who from November will become the first laywoman to direct Vatican communications as prefect of the Dicastery for Communication. The rise of all of them is part of a strategy promoted by Pope Francis, with which women have been incorporated into positions of responsibility in the Vatican in recent years. However, both Brambilla and Smerilli exercise their positions accompanied by two men as pro-prefects.