Outside the Walls

Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau has defended the Church’s teaching on surrogacy after German politician Jens Spahn announced he had become a father through a surrogate mother in the United States, arguing that the practice violates human dignity and places the desires of adults above the rights of children Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau has issued a defence of the Church’s teaching on surrogacy after Christian Democrat politician Jens Spahn, who is openly homosexual, announced he had become a parent through a surrogate mother in the United States. The bishop argued in a video statement that surrogacy fundamentally violates human dignity and places the desires of adults above the rights of children. Without questioning the dignity of the child, Bishop Oster said the means by which the child had come into the world represented a serious moral and anthropological problem which Catholics could not accept. “There are good reasons why surrogacy is prohibited in our country,” the bishop said. “In my view, the most fundamental reason is that it violates human dignity.” Bishop Oster argued that the birth of a child should always be received as a gift rather than something obtained through a commercial arrangement. “As Christians, we believe that children are a gift from God and that their dignity as persons comes from God,” the bishop of Passau said. “But people also see it as a gift because children generally arise from the loving relationship between their parents, and because the experience of love itself is a gift that I cannot buy.” Contrasting the Christian understanding of love with commercial surrogacy arrangements, the Bishop of Passau continued, “So-called ‘love for sale’ is therefore the exact opposite of love – namely, a business transaction.” A significant part of the bishop’s intervention focused on the relationship between a mother and her unborn child. He argued that the bond formed during pregnancy is irreplaceable and forms the foundation of a child’s earliest human development. “Every person is unique and develops through unique relationships,” Bishop Oster said. “A child’s development begins in the womb. The unique relationship between mother and child has a profound impact on the child and also lays the foundation for the life ahead.” The bishop added that an unborn child experiences the mother’s voice, emotions and care even before birth, gradually encountering the world through the woman carrying the child. Drawing on Catholic teaching about marriage and family life, Bishop Oster described the union of husband and wife as “a uterus spiritualis, a kind of spiritual womb,” through which a child naturally comes to know both mother and father. “It is the unique child of this very mother and this very father,” Bishop Oster said. “By nature, it has a unique, irreplaceable, and irretrievable role in the new family structure.” Referring directly to the child acquired through surrogacy by Spahn and his partner, Daniel Funke, Bishop Oster expressed concern over the publicity surrounding the case. “This child of Jens Spahn and Daniel Funke is named Georg, and he is already a public figure – and, as such, is essentially a commodity,” the bishop said. “What a burden this will one day be for him to bear, even though he has no idea of it yet.” The bishop argued that every child possesses a prior claim to be raised, where possible, by his or her natural parents. “I am completely convinced, my dear friends, that above all other rights, every child has a right to its natural parents – and this right far outweighs any right potential parents might have to acquire a child, have one created, or even buy one.” Also, while acknowledging that some children are born into circumstances where alternative care becomes necessary, Bishop Oster maintained that such exceptional situations should not be confused with intentionally separating a child from his or her biological parents from the outset. He said that “a child’s natural circumstances can be so terrible that any other solution for their upbringing might be better than the ones they were originally given,” but argued that “under normal circumstances, the circumstances originally provided by nature are, by their very nature, the best possible.” Furthermore, the bishop reserved his strongest criticism for Spahn’s decision to use surrogacy while publicly identifying as a Catholic and belonging to a political party which officially opposes the practice. “So when a prominent CDU politician, to fulfil his own desires, uses surrogacy, deliberately violates the laws of his own country and the fundamental principles of his own party on this issue – which is so crucial to our view of humanity – and, on top of that, actively advocates for surrogacy, I consider that a genuine scandal,” Bishop Oster said. The bishop ended by saying, “This is especially true given that this politician has publicly professed his affiliation with the Catholic Church. In my view, he has thereby taken a step that we, as a faith community, will never be able to follow, even in the future.” The intervention came after Spahn announced last week that he had become a father through a surrogacy arrangement in the United States. The announcement led to criticism in Germany, not only because both commercial and altruistic surrogacy remains prohibited under German law, but also because Spahn has previously opposed efforts to legalise the practice. The Christian Democratic Union continues to maintain official opposition to surrogacy. The controversy rapidly developed into a political crisis for the former federal health minister. Spahn subsequently resigned as leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag after facing growing pressure, including calls within his own party for him to step aside. He remains a member of both the Bundestag and the CDU. The bishop of Passau has long been one of the country’s most prominent critics of the German Synodal Way and has consistently argued that proposed reforms concerning sexual morality, ordained ministry and ecclesial governance depart from Catholic teaching. Alongside Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg and Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstätt, Bishop Oster has stood among the small group of German diocesan bishops who declined to participate in the Synodal Committee and related permanent structures, arguing that they are incompatible with the Church’s sacramental constitution and fail to heed repeated warnings from the Vatican. Following the sixth and final assembly of the Synodal Way in Stuttgart earlier this year, Bishop Oster wrote that he remained convinced “that the problematic ramifications of the Synodal Way for the Church in Germany and worldwide clearly outweigh its positive aspects.” Reflecting on the process, he argued that many of its reform proposals touched “a very central core of the Church” and warned that implementing them would lead “very fundamentally” towards “a different kind of Church.” Bishop Oster has also criticised what he sees as increasing polarisation within German Catholicism, warning that implementation of many Synodal Way proposals would widen divisions between those advocating doctrinal change and those seeking to preserve the Church’s existing teaching. Although he has indicated a willingness to participate in future synodal structures conducted in agreement with the universal Church, he has consistently maintained that fidelity to Catholic doctrine and communion with Rome remain essential conditions for authentic reform. Surrogacy is prohibited in much of Europe. Although the European Union has no single law banning commercial surrogacy in every member state, Article 3 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits “making the human body and its parts as such a source of financial gain”. Individual countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, prohibit or severely restrict surrogacy. In the United States, there is no federal law governing surrogacy. Instead, each state sets its own rules, with states such as California, Nevada, Illinois, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Oregon expressly permitting and regulating gestational surrogacy. A German resident can therefore travel to a US state where surrogacy is permitted and enter into an arrangement there. German law does not generally criminalise intended parents merely for pursuing surrogacy abroad, but considerable legal difficulties can arise when they attempt to bring the child home. Under German law, the woman who gives birth is ordinarily regarded as the legal mother, and a US birth certificate or parentage order may not automatically be recognised. The child may also face difficulties obtaining German citizenship or a passport, particularly where neither intended parent is legally or biologically recognised as a parent. Spahn is not the biological father of the child in question, his partner is. His decision to use surrogacy after previously being critical of the practice has been received badly across the political spectrum. His decision to resign as leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the BundestagGerman was described by Chancellor Friedrich Merz “the right one” and “unavoidable.” Spahn intensifies as a Catholic, but has said that he questions parts of the Church’s teaching on sexual morality.

The trial of Bishop Christopher Saunders has begun in Western Australia. The retired Bishop of Broome, 76, has pleaded not guilty to 26 charges relating to the alleged sexual abuse of three young Aboriginal males between 2008 and 2017 Bishop Christopher Saunders, the retired Bishop of Broome, has gone on trial in Western Australia charged with 26 offences relating to the alleged sexual abuse of three young Aboriginal males between 2008 and 2017. Bishop Saunders, 76, has pleaded not guilty to all charges before the District Court. The allegations concern the period during which he served as Bishop of Broome, a position he held from 1995 until his resignation in 2021 after the allegations first became public. Opening the prosecution’s case, prosecutor Adam Ebell told the jury that the State would argue Bishop Saunders cultivated relationships with vulnerable Aboriginal youths through gatherings where alcohol and cigarettes were freely supplied before allegedly committing sexual offences. “During that time, it is the State’s case that the accused sexually offended against multiple young Aboriginal males in different ways at different locations across the Kimberley,” Mr Ebell said. According to the prosecution, the gatherings became a means of obtaining access to young Aboriginal men. “These parties provided the accused with access to young Aboriginal men,” Mr Ebell told the court. Jurors heard that the gatherings allegedly followed particular routines, with attendees frequently instructed to remove most of their clothing and remain in boxer shorts. Those who did not have boxer shorts were allegedly provided with new pairs by Bishop Saunders. The prosecution further alleged that boxing matches and wrestling were encouraged during these gatherings, allowing Bishop Saunders to grapple with and touch those present. The court also heard allegations that Bishop Saunders at times indecently touched alleged victims using his feet. Mr Ebell argued that Bishop Saunders exploited both his status as bishop and the trust associated with his office. “The State says the accused, who took a vow of celibacy in 1975, had a sexual interest in young men and had a propensity to act when the opportunity presented itself,” the prosecutor told the jury. Most of the charges relate to one alleged victim who was said to have been around 16 years old when the alleged abuse began. According to the prosecution, the offending continued over several years into the complainant’s twenties. Among the incidents described in court was an allegation that Bishop Saunders supplied alcohol to the teenager before repeatedly sexually abusing him while the pair were camping. Another allegation concerns an incident at the bishop’s residence after the two had showered together. The prosecution also alleged that investigators later discovered a photograph of the semi-naked complainant on Bishop Saunders’ mobile telephone. The court further heard allegations that alcohol purchased using Church funds was transported into a dry Aboriginal community for young men to consume. The trial is the latest stage in a controversy that has surrounded the former bishop for several years. The allegations first emerged publicly following a lengthy investigation by 7NEWS Australia, which began reporting in 2020 that Western Australia Police had been investigating historical allegations involving Bishop Saunders under “Operation White Plane”. Bishop Saunders voluntarily stood aside from his position while inquiries continued. Although the initial police investigation concluded without criminal charges, the Holy See subsequently authorised a canonical investigation under the provisions of Vos estis lux mundi , Pope Francis’s framework establishing procedures for investigating allegations against bishops. The Vatican inquiry produced an independent report of approximately 200 pages, completed in 2023. Although intended to remain confidential, details were later leaked to Australian media. According to those reports, the canonical investigation concluded that Bishop Saunders had “likely sexually assaulted four youths while potentially grooming another 67”. The report further stated, “The bishop has been variously described by witnesses as … a sexual predator that seeks to prey upon vulnerable Aboriginal men and boys.” It also alleged that vulnerable young Aboriginal males had been groomed through gifts including alcohol, cash, mobile telephones, phone credit, accommodation and travel and that thousands of dollars were spent each month on alcohol for the young men. Publication of details from the Vatican-commissioned report in September 2023 reignited public debate over the handling of the allegations. Western Australian Premier Roger Cook publicly urged the Vatican to release the report to investigators, saying, “We want the Vatican to give the information they have to WA police so they can take their inquiries forward.” Within days, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, confirmed that the Church had complied with a police request. “Following yesterday’s request from the Western Australia Police, the Church is taking immediate steps to provide them a copy of the Vatican-initiated report into Bishop Christopher Saunders,” Archbishop Costelloe said. The bishops’ conference later clarified that the Church immediately agreed to police access to the report and delivered it to Western Australia Police within two days of the request. “At no point did the Church oppose the provision of the report to WA Police. To portray the discussions as in any way adversarial is false,” the conference said in a subsequent statement. The statement also explained that the canonical investigation examined alleged offences under Vos estis lux mundi together with possible breaches of the Church’s Integrity in Ministry protocols. The bishops’ conference further disclosed that Bishop Saunders had declined to cooperate with the Church’s investigation. “The Church can confirm that Bishop Saunders refused to leave the Diocese and chose not to participate in the Church’s investigation within the deadline of six months initially stipulated by the Vatican.” The conference also maintained that mandatory reporting obligations relating to minors had been observed and that no alleged victims identified during the canonical inquiry had at that stage been confirmed as being under the age of 18. The subsequent criminal proceedings, however, include allegations concerning a complainant who was allegedly 16 when the offending began. Following publication of the canonical report in September 2023, Archbishop Costelloe described the allegations as “very serious and deeply distressing, especially for those making the allegations.” “The Catholic Church’s investigation into allegations against Bishop Saunders could not commence until the Western Australia Police Force concluded its inquiries,” Archbishop Costelloe said at the time. The archbishop explained that the investigation had been established by the Holy See, overseen by Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane and entrusted to an independent specialist investigations organisation. The Archbishop added that Bishop Saunders, “who has maintained his innocence, is able to respond to the report by communicating directly with the Holy See”, while expressing hope that “after what has been a long and painful process for so many, it is important that a just and authoritative finding be made.” When Bishop Saunders was formally charged in February 2024, Archbishop Costelloe again stressed the seriousness of the allegations. “Allegations against the former Bishop of Broome, Christopher Saunders, are very serious and deeply distressing, especially for those making those allegations,” the Archbishop of Perth said. The president of the conference added, “It is right and proper, and indeed necessary, that all such allegations be thoroughly investigated.” Bishop Saunders, who continues to deny all allegations, resigned as Bishop of Broome in 2021 after leading the diocese for more than a quarter of a century.

Reports from Nigeria indicate that attacks on Christian communities are once again increasing. At least 121 people were reportedly killed in Plateau State between May and 11 July, while further attacks in Plateau and Benue states have been reported in recent days It appears that violence against Christians has once again taken grip in Nigeria. Testimonies are appearing online of a recent spate of attacks against Christians led by Fulani Militias. Reports from Plateau State, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, are detailing that at least 121 people were killed between May and July 11, 2026. The Berom Youth Moulders Association, who combilled the data said that the state had seen 62 deaths in May, 43 in June and another 16 during the first 11 days of July. The association describes the deaths as being caused by a “fresh wave of coordinated attacks.” Furthermore in Plateau State On July 12, it is believed that 9 members of a single family were killed in Kum village and Jol District was subject to repeated raids between July 14 to 17. In one video circulating online, a Christian missionary explains how 30 people were killed in the Chrisitian village of Kubat, also Plateau State. When he and some other Christians tried to reach the village, there was another attack and multiple other Christian villages were targeted. He describes the incidents as “well-cordinated” with the terrorists having “achieved” their goals. Other videos have circulated showing Fulani militias surrounding the remains of what appears to be Chrisitan houses and shouting “allahu akbar”. In Otukpo-Nobi, Benue State, also on July 12 16 were killed in what local media have described as a “suspected herdsmen attack.” The attack is said to have target the residents of the village whilst they were asleep and most of the victims were women and children. On July 14th, another resident of Otukpo Local Government Area, in the neighbouring village of Ondo-Ugboju was killed. The attacks are thought to be at least in part reprisals for the June 26th murder of Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammad, the Benue State chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN). Risku’s position meant that much of his job was to represent the Fulani cattle breeders in Nigeria. According to Open Doors international, Nigeria is the 7th most dangerous country in the world to be Christian. In northern Nigeria, 12 states have implemented Islamic law which has created a system where Christians live as second-class citizens, and conversion from Islam can be severely punished. Here, groups such as Boko Haram, have launched a regime of terror against Christians living in the region. . In the middle belt of the country the violence is prodomently carried out by Islamic militants among the Fulani people, who disproportionately attack Christian communities with horrific violence. In 2024 Nigeria was the country with the highest number of Christians killed for their faith, with 3,100 Christians killed and 2,830 kidnapped that year.

Pope Leo XIV made an unannounced pilgrimage to the Abbey of Monte Cassino to pray at the tomb of St Benedict and join the Benedictine community for Sext and lunch before returning to Castel Gandolfo Pope Leo XIV made an unannounced private pilgrimage to the Abbey of Monte Cassino and spent several hours with the Benedictine community in prayer. The journey was kept confidential until after the Pope had departed. The Holy See later confirmed that the Pontiff had prayed at the tomb of St Benedict, patron saint of Europe and entrusted the Saint with a “plea for peace in those regions of the world marked by bloodshed and conflict”. The visit came while Pope Leo is spending a period of summer rest at Castel Gandolfo, from where Monte Cassino is within easy travelling distance. The Pope joined the monks for prayer and lunch before returning to the papal residence later in the afternoon. According to the Holy See Press Office, the central moment of the visit was the Pope’s prayer before the tomb of St Benedict. In choosing Monte Cassino, the monastery founded by St Benedict in 529 and regarded as the cradle of Western monasticism, Pope Leo returned to one of the most significant spiritual sites in the Catholic Church. The Pope arrived at the monastery shortly before midday and was welcomed by Abbot Dom Luca Fallica, Prior Jordi Augustí Piqué, Archbishop Emeritus of Gaeta Bernardo D’Onorio and members of the Benedictine community. The visit remained deliberately low-profile, with the monastery having been instructed to maintain strict confidentiality until the Pope’s departure. During his time at the abbey, Pope Leo toured several of its most historically significant sites. Passing through the cloisters, he paused on the Loggia del Paradiso to look across the Liri Valley before continuing into the museum, where he spent time in the section recounting the destruction of Monte Cassino during the Second World War. He also visited the abbey archives and library before entering the basilica, where he prayed at the tombs of St Benedict and his sister, St Scholastica. The Pope later joined the monks for the praying of Sext in the Chapter Hall, sharing in the daily rhythm of Benedictine life before remaining for lunch with the community. As a lasting reminder of the visit, Pope Leo presented the monks with a chalice. Although the pilgrimage had been organised in private, word gradually spread among visitors already present at the abbey. Groups gathered to welcome the Pope with applause as he greeted and blessed those assembled before leaving shortly before 3 p.m. “It was an absolutely unexpected gift,” Abbot Fallica said. “The visit was strictly private and therefore we had been asked to maintain the utmost confidentiality. In fact, it was only confirmed yesterday, so I was able to notify the community only a few hours before the Holy Father’s arrival, and so it was truly all marked by great simplicity and familiarity.” The Abbot added, “I believe the Pope was pleased to be able to visit this place, which he had only been to many years ago when, he told me, he was still a student in Rome.” Monte Cassino was founded by St Benedict in the sixth century. The abbey became the mother house of the Benedictine Order. Its most devastating chapter came during the Second World War, when it was almost completely destroyed during the Battle of Monte Cassino in February 1944 after Allied commanders mistakenly believed German forces were using the monastery as a military position. Following the war, the monastery was rebuilt with support from the Italian state before being rededicated by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

Bishop Hugh Gilbert has expanded Sunday provision for the Traditional Latin Mass in the Diocese of Aberdeen by appointing former Papa Stronsay priests to the apostolate, while continuing to oppose the community’s planned episcopal consecration without papal mandate and urging Catholics not to attend Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB of Aberdeen has expanded provision for the Traditional Latin Mass across his diocese while simultaneously strengthening his opposition to the planned episcopal consecration of the founder of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer. The decision means the Traditional Latin Mass will now be celebrated every Sunday at the Church of Our Lady of the Garioch and St John the Evangelist in Fetternear, Aberdeenshire, replacing the previous monthly schedule. The liturgies will be offered by Fr Yousef Marie, F.SS.R., and Fr Peter Mary, F.SS.R., priests of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer who have dissociated themselves from the direction taken by the leadership based on Papa Stronsay over the planned episcopal consecration without papal mandate. The Masses had previously been celebrated by members of the Papa Stronsay community. However, after its leadership began issuing statements rejecting recent papal documents and asserting that the popes elected since the Second Vatican Council were illegitimate, Bishop Gilbert removed responsibility for the apostolate from the community, initially asking the diocesan priest Fr Bruno Murphy to continue celebrating the liturgy before approving the new arrangement. The expansion of the Traditional Latin Mass comes less than a week before Fr Michael Mary, F.SS.R., the 72-year-old founder and Superior General of the community, is due to receive episcopal consecration on Papa Stronsay. The ceremony, scheduled for 25 July, is expected to be carried out by three sedevacantist bishops with Canadian sedevacantist bishop Pierre Roy as the principal consecrator. Ahead of the planned consecration, Bishop Gilbert instructed priests throughout the Diocese of Aberdeen to celebrate Masses using the Roman Missal’s prayers “For the Unity of the Church”. In a pastoral letter read in parishes over the weekend of 18–19 July, the bishop said the forthcoming ceremony represented a direct rupture with the Catholic Church. “Recently, the Society of St Pius X chose to ordain four new bishops without the permission (or mandate) of the pope. This constitutes an act of schism,” Bishop Gilbert wrote. “Next Saturday, July 25, something similar is scheduled to occur in Orkney when the Superior of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer intends to be ordained bishop by three unauthorised bishops from the Americas. This likewise constitutes an act of schism and will place those engaged in it outside the Catholic Church.” The bishop noted that both developments had particular significance for his own diocese. “Both of these actions, and especially the latter, touch our own Diocese of Aberdeen, and not in a good way,” he wrote. “Objectively, we are dealing with a break from the unity of the Church.” The bishop’s pastoral letter followed an earlier diocesan statement issued after news of the planned consecration emerged. Because the ceremony is expected to take place within the geographical boundaries of the Diocese of Aberdeen, Bishop Gilbert said he was obliged to make the Church’s position unmistakably clear. “This ordination would be celebrated without a papal mandate, by a group of bishops who deny that Our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV is actually the pope,” the bishop said. Bishop Gilbert added: “Since this consecration is due to take place within the geographical boundaries of the Diocese of Aberdeen, I am obliged to make clear to the faithful of the diocese that any such episcopal ordination would be unlawful and a grave act of disobedience, separating those taking part from communion with the Catholic Church.” The bishop also urged Catholics not to attend the ceremony, saying: “No member of the faithful should attend. This action is not ‘for the good of the Catholic Church’ as is falsely claimed.” The Benedictine bishop also launched an erudite defence of the papacy. “It is not by chance that every Catholic Mass throughout the world names the current pope,” the bishop wrote. “It is a sign that every diocese, parish or community is not just a gathering of ‘chums’, but part of something wider and greater.” “The papacy saves us from a Christianity in our own image, a Christianity merely reflecting our own pet ideas or the current cultural ‘take’ on things. The papacy connects our ‘here’ to everywhere the Gospel has taken root and will, and our ‘now’ with the lasting will of Christ for his Church.” The bishop concluded with a warning about the consequences of breaking communion with the Roman Pontiff. “With the papacy we are spared the fate of becoming a merely national Church or a sect, or followers of some self-appointed authority. We are kept open to the fullness of the faith and the full breadth of the call to charity. With Peter the mission flourishes; without him it withers. And to refuse communion with him is spiritual suicide.” The consecration was announced by Bishop Pierre Roy in June. Explaining his decision, the Canadian bishop argued that the community’s growing apostolate required its own bishop, pointing to its houses in Scotland, New Zealand and the United States, and its missionary work elsewhere in Oceania. “The Redemptorists have houses in Scotland, New Zealand, and the United States,” Bishop Roy wrote. “From these houses, they visit Samoa, Australia, and other places.” The sedevacantist bishop argued that it had become increasingly difficult for him to provide episcopal oversight personally and that it was therefore “reasonable and necessary to give the Redemptorists a bishop who could properly care for a flock that already knew the sound of his fatherly voice”. Bishop Roy also acknowledged that the consecration would proceed “in the absence of an apostolic mandate”, maintaining that such authorisation could not be sought because those currently occupying the Holy See were not legitimate popes. The community was founded by Fr Michael Mary in 1988. Distinct from the worldwide Redemptorist congregation founded by St Alphonsus Liguori, the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer established themselves first in Kent, then on the remote island of Papa Stronsay. The election of Pope Benedict XVI opened a path to reconciliation for several traditionalist communities. The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer entered into full communion with the Holy See in 2008, and four years later Bishop Gilbert granted the institute canonical recognition as a clerical religious institute of diocesan right. In October 2025, the community issued an open letter declaring: “We repudiate the Synodal Church as distinct from the Divinely constituted Catholic Church.” The break widened further on 26 May 2026 when the community published a declaration describing the popes elected since the Second Vatican Council as “papal pretenders”. The statement also expressed regret over the community’s reconciliation with Rome, arguing that even after returning to full communion it had remained “forced by faith to resist the Conciliar authorities, although in a different manner.”

The Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X has issued his first direct appeal to the laity since the Vatican declared the Society’s bishops excommunicated. In an internal pastoral letter, Fr Davide Pagliarani tells the faithful to remain steadfast as the SSPX prepares for what it expects will be a lengthy canonical dispute with the Holy See The Society of Saint Pius X Superior General has urged the lay faithful attached to the society to remain steadfast as the society prepares for what is expected to be a prolonged canonical battle with the Holy See. In a pastoral letter, Father Davide Pagliarani thanked supporters for their loyalty following the consecration of four bishops at Écône on 1 July. He also portrayed the Vatican’s response as an unjust humiliation borne for the sake of preserving what the Society describes as the Church’s tradition. The letter is the SSPX leadership’s first direct appeal to the laity since the Holy See declared that the bishops involved had incurred automatic excommunication. Addressing the faithful directly, Father Pagliarani recalled the thousands who attended the consecrations at Écône where weather interrupted the liturgy. Quoting Psalm 17, the Superior General described the storm that swept across the ceremony as a moment that deepened rather than diminished his gratitude. “I was the privileged witness to a liturgy of exceptional beauty,” Father Pagliarani wrote, before turning to what he described as an even more moving sight: “a vast crowd of faithful who remained in their places throughout the storm and prayed to Our Lady for the new bishops, for the Church, and for the Pope.” The letter repeatedly returns to the role of the ordinary faithful, presenting them as the principal reason for the consecrations rather than the bishops themselves. “Ultimately, these consecrations were performed for each of you, dear faithful,” Father Pagliarani wrote. “Your souls are the true treasure entrusted to the Society.” Father Pagliarani’s letter leaves little doubt that the Society rejects both the legal and theological basis of the Vatican’s conclusions. “The consecrations have been condemned, and the severity of the sanctions imposed is unprecedented,” he wrote. While acknowledging that the bishops were the principal target of the decree, the Superior General argued that “even the faithful are affected.” Father Pagliarani called the condemnation “utterly unjust”, and said it represented “an immense humiliation for people whose sole aim is to defend the true faith and work for the salvation of souls.” The Superior General also suggested that the sanctions extend beyond individuals to the wider traditionalist cause itself. “Ultimately, it is Tradition itself, which we cherish above all else, that is excommunicated in all those who embody it,” the letter states. “It is obvious that, before God, such a condemnation cannot be valid.” “If Providence allows a crisis such that the teaching of the faith is mysteriously obscured, that same faith must continue to live in souls,” Father Pagliarani wrote. The Superior General added that “the small candle that each of you received on the day of your baptism must remain lit in your heart and mind until the very last day.” “The Fraternity will never abandon you,” Father Pagliarani concluded. “Your souls will never lose their value and worth in the eyes of its priests.” AdVaticanum understands that the message was read to congregations across SSPX chapels on Sunday and had been circulated internally beforehand as part of an embargoed circular letter sent throughout the Society. According to information obtained by the publication, the accompanying internal circular letter by Fr Le Roux, Secretary General, also sought to prepare superiors and members for the next stage of the dispute following the Society’s preliminary canonical recourse against the Vatican decree, outlining the movement’s intentions as it navigates the post-consecration fallout. Following the 1 July consecrations, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree on 2 July declaring that Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, Bishop Bernard Fellay as co-consecrator, and the four newly consecrated bishops had incurred latae sententiae excommunication under canons 1387 and 1364. The accompanying explanatory note extended well beyond the declaration concerning the bishops. It stated that all sacred ministers of the Society are in schism and subject to the same penalty, described their sacramental ministry as illicit, asserted that confessions heard by SSPX priests and marriages celebrated by them are invalid, and warned clergy and faithful against formal adherence to the movement, citing the criteria established by the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts in 1996. The publication of the letter follows a series of increasingly detailed SSPX responses to the Vatican decree. In in-house SSPX articles published after the sanctions, including Invalid Punishments, Valid Sacraments , followed by Nuclear Excommunication and Hundreds of Thousands of Catholics Purportedly Excommunicated: How Should We See This? , the Society maintained that the penalties are canonically null because a state of necessity excuses any alleged offence. It further argued that neither bishops, priests nor lay faithful had incurred excommunication and insisted that confessions and marriages remain valid through the Church’s principles governing supplied jurisdiction and matrimonial consent. On 11 July, the SSPX General House lodged a preliminary recourse with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. In a communiqué published two days later, the Society stated that the appeal had been submitted under canon 1734 and the following canons, adding that it “has the effect of suspending the execution of the decree, in accordance with canon 1353.” The appeal, the communiqué said, had been presented “in a spirit of respect for ecclesiastical authority and of faithful attachment to justice, truth and the good of the Church.” Whether that legal argument ultimately succeeds appears uncertain. In an interview published by AdVaticanum on 18 July, Archbishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, the former Secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, offered a detailed canonical assessment of the Holy See’s position. Archbishop Arrieta described the decree as “an act owed”, arguing that the dicastery merely declared a penalty that had already been incurred automatically under canon 1387. The former Vatican official nevertheless distinguished between the declaration of excommunication and the faculties previously granted by Pope Francis. Regarding confessions, Archbishop Arrieta stated that the faculty had been granted by a pontifical act and therefore “an act of the same nature is required to revoke it.” Revocation, Archbishop Arrieta said, “requires direct authorisation from the Pope himself.” On marriages, however, Archbishop Arrieta concluded that the present circumstances make it improbable that diocesan bishops could lawfully grant the necessary delegation, meaning marriages celebrated by SSPX clergy would be canonically null for lack of canonical form. In the same article, a priest close to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith told AdVaticanum that the Society’s preliminary recourse was “unlikely to be granted”, arguing that the dicastery had not imposed a penalty but merely declared one already incurred for what was described as a well-known offence. Any lifting of the excommunications, the priest suggested, would require repentance by those involved. With the preliminary recourse now before the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and internal correspondence indicating that the Society is preparing for the next phase of the confrontation, the pastoral appeal suggests that the SSPX expects the dispute to continue well beyond the coming months.