02/07/2026 04:38 - Internacionales
On July 1, 2026, the small Swiss town of Écône, nestled at the foot of the Alps, became the stage for a high-impact religious conflict. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX)—an ultraconservative Catholic group known as "Lefebvrists"—proceeded to consecrate four new bishops without the consent of Pope Leo XIV.
The new prelates are Swiss Pascal Schreiber, American Michael Goldade, and Frenchmen Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier. The ceremony was presided over by the FSSPX Superior General, Davide Pagliarini, before a crowd of approximately 15,000 people.
The Vatican labeled the act as "schismatic", which could lead to the excommunication of those involved—the most severe sanction under canon law. The Code of Canon Law states in Article 377 that only the Pope can appoint bishops.
Before the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV sent a personal letter to the Lefebvrist superior, urging them to desist. "I beg and ask you from my heart: turn back!" wrote the Pontiff, warning that "tearing Christ's seamless garment is a sin of extreme gravity".
Pagliarini responded that their goal is not to separate from the Church, but to serve it through "extraordinary means." "They consider us rebels, but we only want to serve the Church, like a mother in difficulty", he declared during the ceremony.
After the consecrations, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin expressed the Holy See's "deep sorrow" and voiced hope that dialogue could resume.
Full name: Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
Founded: 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Members: Approximately 720 priests and 500,000 faithful worldwide.
Latin American presence: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Honduras.
Main characteristic: They reject the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and celebrate the traditional Latin Mass ("Tridentine Mass").
The dispute traces back to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), an assembly of Catholic leaders that approved profound reforms. Among the most significant changes was allowing Mass to be celebrated in local languages instead of mandatory Latin, and greater openness toward other religious denominations.
These changes were rejected by conservative sectors, led by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who founded the FSSPX in 1970 to preserve what he considered "pure" Catholic tradition. Lefebvre was suspended in 1976 by Pope Paul VI and declared schismatic in 1988 by John Paul II after ordaining bishops without papal authorization.
Relations with the Vatican have had ups and downs: Pope Benedict XVI lifted excommunications in 2009 and permitted the Latin Mass, but Pope Francis restricted it again in 2021, reigniting tensions.
A schism is the rupture of unity within a religious organization. In Catholicism, it implies that a group separates from the Pope's authority. The most famous example is the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, led by Martin Luther (curiously, from the same Augustinian order to which Pope Leo XIV belongs).
The Vatican requires the FSSPX to fully accept the reforms of the Second Vatican Council for full reconciliation—something Pagliarini has ruled out, claiming Church authorities act "against holy tradition". This new ordination of bishops distances the possibility of a near settlement and could mean the group's faithful remain even further from the official ecclesiastical structure.
BBC News Mundo: Quiénes son los lefebvrianos, el grupo ultraconservador que desafió al papa León XIV
Alfredo S. Quiroga
