After Écône: The SSPX Reaches Out, Rome Remains Silent

Context

On July 1, 2026, the Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four new bishops in Écône, without a pontifical mandate. The act is canonically serious: canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law provides for the latae sententiae excommunication of the consecrating bishop and the consecrated bishops. Leo XIV had issued a final solemn appeal, which remained unanswered. We had analyzed the stakes in our previous issue; the consecrations have now been carried out.

The Facts

The SSPX's response was not long in coming. In an official statement, Superior General Don Davide Pagliarani affirmed during his homily in Écône: "We want the faith of the Church to remain in the Church. And we want the Church through faith and in faith." The formula is crucial: the Society positions itself as being within the Church, not in rupture with it. The statement published by Zenit is even more direct: "Far from us the idea of separating from the Roman Church."

On the Roman side, the reaction has been measured. Cardinal Víctor Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that he hoped "that in the future, dialogue may be possible." Cardinal Gerhard Müller, for his part, took the opportunity to call for the full restoration of the traditional Mass, arguing that the 2021 Traditionis Custodes"has had no positive effect."

Doctrinal Analysis

The canonical situation is clear in principle, complex in its effects. Episcopal consecration without a pontifical mandate constitutes a schismatic act under canon 751—not by a formal intention to leave the Church, but by the usurpation of an act reserved for the Successor of Peter. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear: "Schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him" (CCC 2089).

Yet, the precedents of 1988 show that Rome distinguishes between the illegitimacy of the act and the formal excommunication of the persons. John Paul II had pronounced the excommunications in 1988; Benedict XVI had lifted them in 2009—a sign that separation is never definitive in the Roman mindset.

Cardinal Müller’s request deserves attention: if Leo XIV were to relax Traditionis Custodes, he would remove one of the Society’s main grievances, without thereby validating the illicit consecrations.

Stakes for the Church and the Faithful

For the faithful who attend SSPX chapels, the situation is pastorally delicate. The Society maintains that it is not schismatic; Rome maintains that the consecrations are illicit. The ordinary faithful are caught between two divergent canonical interpretations.

The institutions, schools, and communities linked to the SSPX represent a considerable pastoral reality in France, Switzerland, and Latin America. A formal excommunication pronounced by decree would have concrete effects on their status.

Critical Reading and Blind Spots

The SSPX’s declaration is skillful: it affirms belonging to the Church while carrying out an act that the Church deems illicit. This is the logic of the 1988 consecrations applied to 2026: a serious act, but an outstretched hand. Rome’s silence in the 48 hours following the consecrations is itself an act—it leaves the door open for dialogue without conceding anything on the substance.

Müller’s request, if heard, would constitute an honorable way out. But it would place Leo XIV in the delicate position of relaxing his own discipline under pressure from an illicit act.

To Reflect and Act

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph 4:4-5). The unity of the Church is not a disciplinary option: it is constitutive of its nature. Let us pray that the coming days may see the emergence of sincere dialogue, without capitulation on the essentials on either side.