3.2.2026
A break away Catholic group attached to the traditional Latin Mass is set to confront Pope Leo XIV as they plan to consecrate their own Bishops without papal approval.
The group Society of St. Pius X based with headquarters in Switzerland have over the years challenged the Vatican over a number of issues most especially its opposition to reforms of the Vatican council of 1960.
This development will potentially test the leadership of Pope Leo XIV who has acknowledged the tensions, and he is seeking to pacify the debate by expressing openness to dialogue.
SSPX operates schools, chapels, and seminaries globally. In 1988, the group’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without papal approval, asserting it was vital for the preservation of the church’s tradition. The Vatican swiftly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four bishops, and the SSPX continues to hold no legal status within the Catholic Church.
The Vatican had previously sought reconciliation with the SSPX, fearing the emergence of a parallel church. Pope Benedict XVI, in 2009, lifted the excommunications of the surviving bishops and eased restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass as an overture to all Catholics attached to the ancient rite.
Vatican spokesman Matto Bruni suggested on Tuesday that negotiations remained open. “Contacts between the Society of Saint Pius X and the Holy See continue, with the aim of avoiding rifts or unilateral solutions to the issues that have arisen,” Bruni said in a statement.