Outside the Walls

The SSPX has announced the names of four priests who will be consecrated bishops at Écône on July 1, saying the move is intended to preserve the traditional sacraments during what it described as an “unprecedented crisis of the Faith” The Society of Saint Pius X has announced the names of the priests who will be consecrated bishops at Écône on July 1. In a communiqué issued from the SSPX General House in Menzingen on May 26, Father Davide Pagliarani, the Superior General of the society, said the names of the four priests had been presented to Pope Leo XIV “together with certain explanations necessary for a proper understanding of this step”. The statement said the episcopal consecrations would take place “in a spirit of respect towards the supreme authority of the universal Church” and insisted that the move did not represent “a denial of, refusal of, or challenge to the supreme, full, and immediate power of jurisdiction of the Vicar of Christ over the universal Church”. “The ceremony of July 1st will have no other purpose than to ensure the continued administration of the sacraments of Holy Orders and Confirmation, together with those sacramentals reserved to bishops, according to the traditional rite of the Holy Roman Church and the immemorial Faith,” the communiqué said. It added: “The episcopacy to be received by these priests is therefore conceived solely as a service rendered to souls and to the Church during this unprecedented crisis of the Faith.” The four priests named for consecration are Father Pascal Schreiber, rector of the SSPX seminary in Zaitzkofen, Germany; Father Michael Goldade, rector of St Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia; Father Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, Superior of the Benelux District; and Father Marc Hanappier, professor of theology at the society’s American seminary. Father Schreiber, 53, was born in Switzerland and ordained in 1998 after studies at the seminaries of Zaitzkofen and Écône. After assignments in Germany and Switzerland, he spent more than a decade directing SSPX schools before becoming Swiss District Superior in 2016. Since 2020 he has served as rector of the German seminary. Father Goldade, 45, comes from St Marys, Kansas, one of the principal centres of the SSPX in the United States. Ordained in 2004, he worked in Michigan and Connecticut before becoming prior of the large Kansas City apostolate. He was appointed rector of St Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Virginia in 2023. Father Poinsinet de Sivry, 42, was ordained in 2008 and worked in schools and apostolates in France before being appointed head of the Benelux District in 2022. The communiqué noted his work at Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris, the church occupied by traditionalists since 1977. The youngest of the four, Father Hanappier, 36, was ordained in 2013 and currently teaches metaphysics and dogmatic theology in Virginia. Before joining the seminary faculty he worked in schools in France and spent a year in Scotland improving his English while assisting in parish ministry. The SSPX was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Lefebvre, the former Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, after disputes over the reforms which followed the Second Vatican Council. Tensions with Rome escalated throughout the 1970s and 1980s, culminating in the consecration of four bishops at Écône on June 30, 1988. Pope John Paul II declared at the time that the consecrations constituted “a schismatic act”, and Lefebvre and the four bishops incurred automatic excommunication. Archbishop Lefebvre defended his actions by arguing that extraordinary measures were necessary to preserve the traditional priesthood and sacraments. Relations between Rome and the SSPX improved under Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who lifted the excommunications of the surviving bishops in 2009 and opened doctrinal talks with the society. Pope Francis later granted SSPX priests faculties to validly hear confessions and allowed local bishops to delegate them to witness marriages under certain conditions. Image: The four priests to be ordained bishop by the Society of St Pius X. From left to right: Father Marc Hanappier, Father Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, Father Michael Goldade and Father Pascal Schreiber. Image: The four priests to be consecrated bishops by the Society of Saint Pius X. From left to right: Father Marc Hanappier, Father Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, Father Michael Goldade and Father Pascal Schreiber.

Politicians, bishops and technology leaders across the United States, Britain and Canada have begun responding to Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas The first international reactions to Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural encyclical have begun to emerge less than 24 hours after its publication, with bishops, politicians and technology figures across the United States, Britain and Canada welcoming the document’s warnings about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence. The encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, was released by the Vatican on 25 May and is already being compared to Pope Leo XIII’s landmark 1891 social encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution. Pope Leo XIV deliberately dated the text 15 May to coincide with the 135th anniversary of the earlier document. One of the strongest official political reactions came from the United States ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch, who praised the Vatican’s intervention in the growing global debate surrounding AI. “We welcome the Holy See’s important contribution to the subject of artificial intelligence,” Burch said. “The Vatican’s moral leadership on technology and human dignity contributes meaningfully to the global conversation on AI.” Burch said the United States shared the Holy See’s commitment to ensuring that artificial intelligence “serves humanity and upholds fundamental values”, while also defending the Trump administration’s emphasis on innovation and American leadership in the sector. “The United States is likewise committed to exporting American AI technologies built on principles of transparency, security and human flourishing, ensuring the world benefits from AI systems that reflect democratic values rather than authoritarian control,” he said. David Sacks, the technology investor and former White House AI adviser, also responded publicly to the encyclical, agreeing with the Pope’s argument that AI should remain a tool at the service of humanity rather than become an instrument of “domination or exclusion”. Writing on X, however, Sacks questioned how governments could be trusted with increased regulatory authority over artificial intelligence. “If we hand governments sweeping power over AI development in the name of safety, how do we prevent it from being used to censor, surveil and control citizens, as Orwell foretold in 1984?” he wrote. “This is the real alignment problem. The oldest questions of human nature and authority don’t disappear in the AI age. They become newly relevant.” The encyclical also drew praise from Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who said Pope Leo XIV had articulated growing concerns about the social and moral effects of artificial intelligence. “AI threatens to undermine the basic building blocks of humanity as it seeks to replace our most basic functions, like creativity, friendship and critical thinking,” Murphy wrote, describing the Pope’s warning against monopolisation of AI technologies by powerful corporations as “really important”. Catholic bishops throughout the English-speaking world moved quickly to welcome the document, presenting it as a major contribution to Catholic social teaching at a moment of rapid technological change. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the Church in the United States received the encyclical “with gratitude and praise”. “It is a powerful reminder that no technology can replace a child of God, and all technology should be placed at the service of helping humanity thrive,” he said. Drawing parallels with Rerum Novarum, Archbishop Coakley said Pope Leo XIV had shone “the light of the Gospel and the tradition of the Church” on the opportunities and dangers created by artificial intelligence. “The Pope calls us to never lose sight of the inherent dignity of all human life and the moral imperative for technology to support peace and the common good rather than the limited interests of a few,” he said. The Archbishop also revealed that the US bishops’ conference had already tasked its doctrine committee with coordinating the Church’s response to developments in artificial intelligence. In England and Wales, Archbishop Richard Moth, president of the bishops’ conference, and the Archbishop of Westminster described the encyclical as “an important contribution to integral human development during a time of considerable change”. “One of the first interventions of Pope Leo since he was elected Pope was to draw attention to the profound challenges AI will bring to humanity,” Archbishop Moth said. The Archbishop of Westminster noted that the Church’s social teaching tradition since Rerum Novarum offered substantial guidance for navigating technological and economic upheaval. “We must respond to these, placing the centrality of humanity above all else, most especially the solidarity that is needed if we are to seek peace among peoples,” he said. “Pope Leo reminds us that ‘more powerful does not necessarily mean better.’” Archbishop Moth warned that technology “must not be used to embed unjust economic systems and abuses of power, but must always be at the service of human development”. He also disclosed that the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales had established a working group to study the encyclical and examine the ethical issues generated by artificial intelligence. Other American bishops issued similar statements within hours of publication. Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington said the encyclical was especially welcome “in this time of tremendous social and technological change”. “I encourage all to join me over the coming days in reading Magnifica Humanitas in its entirety and prayerfully considering all that the Holy Father shares,” Bishop Burbidge said. Archbishop Richard Henning of Boston described the document as “timely and important”, while Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia encouraged Catholics to reflect on its “vital message” concerning the protection of human dignity during rapid technological development. Bishop William Koenig of Wilmington, Delaware, said the encyclical drew upon the wisdom of Catholic social teaching to ensure that technological progress remained directed towards “human flourishing”. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops also welcomed the document, saying it offered guidance for protecting the human person during “a profound epochal shift”. The bishops highlighted the encyclical’s call for “a civilization of love founded on justice, dialogue and shared responsibility” as an alternative to what the Vatican described as “the culture of power and war”. However, a more critical reaction came from the Bishop Emeritus of Tyler, Bishop Joseph Strickland, who published a lengthy critique arguing that Magnifica Humanitas risked placing excessive emphasis on social structures and human flourishing at the expense of sin, repentance and salvation. While acknowledging the encyclical’s “strong and important” rejection of transhumanism and its warnings about “AI warfare, exploitation, digital manipulation and technological domination”, Bishop Strickland said the document devoted comparatively little attention to “original sin, concupiscence, personal repentance, moral culpability, judgment, hell, penance, or the eternal destiny of the soul”. Bishop Strickland argued that “the roots of evil begin to appear primarily structural rather than spiritual” and warned that the encyclical’s repeated calls for a “civilization of love” risked sounding “less like the fruit of conversion to Christ and more like a global humanitarian project centred on fraternity, solidarity, inclusion and peace”. The former Bishop of Tyler said many Catholics would find the document “deeply unsettling” because “the entire framework is subtly shifting: from God-centredness to man-centredness, from salvation to human flourishing, from sin to systems”. He concluded by warning against “religious humanism” and insisting that “the answer remains what it has always been: Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Pope Leo XIV has warned that Europe’s demographic crisis has been driven by the abandonment of the Christian principles that shaped the post-war European project, telling lawmakers in Rome that the continent faces a “time of drastic sterility” marked by abortion. The Pope made the remarks on Monday morning during an audience with members of […] Pope Leo XIV has warned that Europe’s demographic crisis has been driven by the abandonment of the Christian principles that shaped the post-war European project, telling lawmakers in Rome that the continent faces a “time of drastic sterility” marked by abortion. The Pope made the remarks on Monday morning during an audience with members of the European Parliament’s Demography Intergroup in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. The meeting brought together MEPs alongside senior European and Italian officials attending a conference on family and demographics, including the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, the Italian Minister for Family, Natality and Equal Opportunities, and the OSCE Special Representative on Demographic Change and Security. Addressing delegates, the Pontiff described Europe’s falling birth rates and ageing populations as an “urgent challenge with practical implications for millions of people and their families” across the continent. Referring to remarks frequently made by Pope Francis, Pope Leo said Europe was becoming the “‘old continent’ – no longer because of its glorious history, but because of its advancing age”. Official figures for 2024 show that the EU’s total fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.34 live births per woman, with just 3.55 million babies born across the bloc. No European country currently reaches the replacement level of around 2.1 children per woman required to maintain a stable population without imigration. The Pope said the crisis extended far beyond economics and population statistics, warning that it pointed to a deeper collapse in intergenerational solidarity and cultural confidence. “Demographic data are not merely statistics, but speak of fatherhood, motherhood and children,” His Holiness said. “And children are the future.” Pope Leo said Europe had failed to equip younger generations with both the material stability and cultural inheritance necessary to build families and face the future confidently. “Over recent decades, we can see that a rejection of the Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the EU institutions has led to a time of drastic sterility,” the Pope said, adding that this had occurred “not only because too many have been deprived of the right to be born, but also because there has been a failure to pass on the material and cultural tools that young people need to face the future”. Across Europe, the abortion rate stands at approximately 29 per 1,000 women aged 15–44. In several countries, hundreds of thousands of abortions continue to be performed each year, even as birth rates remain at historic lows. Unsurprisingly, there has also been a rejection of traditional social norms. The EU crude marriage rate has fallen by more than half since the mid-1960s, standing at 3.9 marriages per 1,000 people in 2024. Regrettably, the fall reduction in Catholic marriages has been even greater. The Pontiff criticised what he described as contradictory social policies, which publicly claim to support families while simultaneously undermining motherhood and promoting abortion. He said Europe was increasingly confronted by “purportedly family-friendly policies” that “promote discrimination against motherhood, exalt abortion as a right, and undermine the very foundation of the desire to start a family”. The Pope also linked demographic decline to what he called the “pandemic of loneliness”, describing it as one of the many social consequences flowing from shrinking and ageing populations. He told lawmakers that Europe’s demographic problems demanded coordinated action from political institutions, governments, academics and wider civil society, saying the issue represented “a crucial juncture for the anthropological, social and economic future of Europe”. Pope Leo urged European leaders to place the family at the centre of policymaking and reaffirmed the Church’s teaching that the family is rooted in marriage between a man and a woman. Citing Pope St John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio, he said the family remained “the first and irreplaceable school of social life” and described it as “founded on marriage between a man and a woman, a reality that unites the personal and public dimensions”. The Pontiff said lawmakers had a responsibility to encourage the “shared responsibility and active role of families in social, political and cultural life”, while also safeguarding the principle of subsidiarity. “For only by respecting and promoting this central place of the family, and applying the principle of subsidiarity, is it possible to avoid the two extremes of excessive State intervention and individualism,” His Holiness said. Throughout the address, Pope Leo framed demographic decline not simply as a policy challenge but as a question touching the future identity and stability of Europe itself. He called for cooperation between European institutions and Christian organisations, pointing to the work of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe and the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union as examples of how civil society groups could contribute to political debate and practical reform. “This is the impetus Christians are bringing to the European project,” he said, “so that policies look to human persons in their entirety and always promote the dignity of human beings.” The Pope insisted the Church was not proposing a return to older political or social arrangements, but rather the recovery of enduring principles capable of guiding modern societies through cultural and demographic decline. “This approach is not a matter of returning to social models of the past,” he said, but of offering “unchanging principles” capable of answering fundamental questions about “the meaning and value of human life”, authentic human society and the kind of world future generations will inherit. The Pope concluded by calling for what he described as “a fresh springtide for the family” to reverse “the winter chill of our ageing populations”. Pope St John Paul II made opposition to abortion and the defence of the family defining themes of his pontificate, particularly in Evangelium Vitae, his 1995 encyclical condemning abortion and euthanasia. Pope Leo’s address continues that emphasis while placing demographic decline at the centre of wider debates over Europe’s future direction. “What kind of world do we want to hand on to future generations?” the Pope asked delegates gathered in the Apostolic Palace. The question hung over the audience as European lawmakers departed the Vatican. In his comments, the Pontiff added his voice to some of the existential questions facing the continent, which can at present only accurately be described as being in a state of decline.

Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi has accused the makers of a controversial documentary on development projects in Papua of producing “one-sided” propaganda Archbishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi has accused the makers of a controversial documentary about development projects in Papua of producing “one-sided” propaganda as tensions deepen between Indonesians and Indigenous Papuans. The Archbishop of Merauke criticised the film Pig Feast: Colonialism of Our Time for excluding the perspective of clergy in his archdiocese while amplifying accusations that the Church had aligned itself with companies linked to deforestation and the Indonesian government’s National Strategic Project. “Why did they not come to ask the bishop or the priests who live here?” Archbishop Mandagi said in comments released by the archdiocese on May 21. “They only took opinions from those who share the film’s purpose.” The documentary examines the expansion of food estate and bioenergy projects across South Papua and alleges that vast areas of indigenous land are being converted into industrial plantations. It includes criticism from Bishop Bernardus Bofitwos Baru, who has repeatedly warned of the environmental and social consequences of large-scale development in the region. Archbishop Mandagi questioned why the filmmakers had interviewed bishops from outside Merauke while overlooking the local hierarchy. He also rejected claims that his archdiocese had endorsed the destruction of forests or cooperated with companies involved in the projects. He described the allegations as “a major slander”. The Archbishop also objected to the documentary’s use of the pig feast ceremony as a political symbol, arguing that the tradition held deep spiritual significance among Papuan communities. “The pig feast is sacred. It strengthens brotherhood and connects people with God,” he said. “If it is used as a political tool, it becomes an insult to Papuans.” The controversy continues a bitter dispute between Archbishop Mandagi and sections of the Catholic laity of Papuan origin, where protests against the National Strategic Project have continued for months. The National Strategic Project is Indonesia’s large-scale infrastructure and economic programme designated by the government to drive economic growth, improve public welfare and accelerate regional development. However, for many indigenous Papuans, the project is centred on the massive Merauke food, sugarcane and bioethanol estate in South Papua, which they say has resulted in widespread human rights violations, severe environmental degradation and systematic displacement. The Voice of the Papuan Catholic Laity, a movement of indigenous Catholics which has organised demonstrations outside churches since 2024, accuses the Archbishop of siding with state authorities and corporate interests against local communities. Relations deteriorated further after Archbishop Mandagi warned during a homily in April that protesters disrupting churches would “perish”, remarks which triggered fresh demonstrations and renewed calls for his resignation. Soleman Itlay, a leading figure in the lay movement, said the Archbishop’s latest intervention came only after public criticism intensified. “Why didn’t he speak before?” he said while disputing the Archbishop’s denial of support for the National Strategic Project. “He has previously made public statements endorsing these projects. He has received company executives and military officials at the diocesan office, while closing the door to us, the indigenous Papuans.” The lay movement formally demanded Archbishop Mandagi’s resignation earlier this month in a nine-point open letter which accused the 78-year-old prelate of harming the archdiocese and alienating indigenous Catholics. The letter alleged that Archbishop Mandagi had “manipulated the pulpit” against priests and members of the congregation and accused him of fostering “anger, resentment, hatred and anxiety” within the Church. The Archbishop was also accused of maintaining close relations with corporations involved in the strategic development projects and of supporting programmes which indigenous Papuans say threaten forests, livelihoods and ancestral land. Archbishop Mandagi has consistently denied backing environmental destruction and has defended his cautious public approach to the projects. “Silence is also a way of resisting,” he said in the recent interview. “If I speak, my words will be twisted and may divide the Church.” He also criticised what he described as selective outrage over development in South Papua. “There are big eyes on South Papua, but no eyes on destruction elsewhere,” he said in an apparent reference to mining operations in other parts of Papua. Criticism of the National Strategic Project has also increased among environmental campaigners and human rights advocates, who say the programme risks transforming large areas of rainforest and wetland into industrial estates. Reports cited by activists claim concessions covering more than 560,000 hectares have already been granted to companies linked to sugarcane plantations, while wider plans envision the conversion of millions of hectares of forest, swamp and savanna into agricultural land. Archbishop Mandagi, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, previously served as Bishop of Amboina before being appointed Apostolic Administrator of Merauke in 2019 and Archbishop the following year. The Archdiocese of Merauke is home to around 100,000 Catholics, many of them indigenous Papuans living in impoverished rural communities.

Germany’s bishops are continuing to press Rome on women deacons. Bishop Franz Jung has said that Pope Leo XIV received a “very clear vote in favour” from the country’s episcopal conference following the Katholikentag gathering in Würzburg The German bishops have renewed pressure on Rome to permit women to be ordained as deacons, with Bishop Franz Jung of Würzburg declaring that the country’s episcopal conference had given Pope Leo XIV a “very clear vote in favour of the female diaconate”. Speaking after the conclusion of the Katholikentag in Würzburg, one of Germany’s largest gatherings of Catholic laity and clergy, Bishop Jung said the question of women deacons remained firmly on the agenda of the Church and would not disappear “any time soon”. “We, as the German Bishops’ Conference, have done everything we can,” he told Mainpost.de. “We have very clearly expressed our support in Rome for the diaconate of women. Now it is up to him how things proceed.” The issue of women deacons has become one of the defining fault lines within the global Church in recent years, particularly since the launch of Germany’s Synodal Way in 2019 where German bishops and lay delegates repeatedly backed calls for expanded roles for women, including access to ordained ministries. Pope Francis established two commissions during his pontificate to study the historical question of female deacons in the early Church, but neither resulted in any definitive change. Shortly before his death, Francis authorised the publication of findings from a Vatican study group examining the subject further, although no conclusions were reached on whether women could sacramentally receive the diaconate. Bishop Jung suggested that the election of Pope Leo XIV had not diminished expectations among German bishops that movement might eventually come from Rome. “The issue is on the agenda,” he said, adding that the bishops were now “eager to see what happens”. His intervention came after a Katholikentag heavily focused on questions of Church reform, political engagement and the role of Catholics in German public life. Held under the slogan “Have courage, stand up!”, the gathering drew senior politicians, clergy and lay activists for five days of debates, liturgies and public events across Würzburg. Jung described the event as a success, praising what he called the “joie de vivre and festive spirit” of participants. He said the motto had resonated strongly because it connected with “personal, religious and socio-political” concerns at a time of growing division in society. The event came under criticism after a video of the event appeared to show a woman holding a chalice and reciting the words of consecration while a priest stood behind her. The bishop also defended the organisers’ decision not to invite representatives of the Alternative für Deutschland party, saying the AfD’s “view of humanity does not correspond to the Christian one”. He also pointed to what he described as the party’s “explicitly anti-church stance”. However, the event included other groups and speakers from outside the Church’s traditional structures. The exclusion of the AfD continued the increasingly overt political tone adopted by sections of the German Church hierarchy in recent years, particularly on migration, nationalism and climate policy. Critics, however, argue that Church events have become excessively politicised and risk alienating ordinary Catholics concerned primarily with faith and worship. Bishop Jung rejected those criticisms, insisting that the Katholikentag maintained a balance between political discussion and spiritual life. “Many people come to the Catholic Congress to recharge their spirits and pray together in a large community,” he said, adding that spiritual events during the gathering had been filled to capacity. Among the highlights of the event, he said, was a discussion with former Green Party leader Ricarda Lang on the conference theme of courage and public witness. He also praised a youth prayer service featuring praise, worship and testimonies of faith, saying the enthusiasm of young Catholics had renewed his energy after an exhausting week. The debate surrounding women deacons nevertheless overshadowed much of the wider discussion, continuing the tensions between the German Church and Rome over the direction of reform. The Vatican has consistently distinguished the question of women deacons from the priesthood, but senior cardinals and theologians remain divided over whether historical evidence supports the existence of sacramental female deacons in the early Church. Germany’s bishops have emerged as some of the strongest advocates for change. During sessions of the Synodal Way, delegates repeatedly approved texts calling for women to be admitted to ordained ministries, same-sex blessings and revisions to Catholic teaching on sexuality. The Vatican responded on several occasions with unusually direct interventions. In 2022, the Holy See warned that the Synodal Way had “no authority” to oblige bishops and faithful to adopt new forms of governance or doctrine. A year later, senior German bishops were summoned to Rome for talks over mounting concern about the trajectory of reforms. Yet despite those warnings, bishops such as Jung continue to present the female diaconate as unfinished business within the universal Church. Asked whether he expected Pope Leo XIV to visit Germany in the near future, Jung said he could not say, but added that Würzburg would “certainly roll out the red carpet for him” should such a visit take place.

SSPX superior: consecrations ‘even more necessary in 2026’ The Society of St Pius X has defended its decision to proceed with episcopal consecrations this summer, with its Superior General warning that any declaration of excommunication or schism against the Society “would be objectively unjust”. In a letter addressed to SSPX priests ahead of the consecrations due to take place at Écône on 1 July, Fr Davide Pagliarani said the “state of necessity” invoked by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 was “even more evident in 2026”. “While the state of necessity could already be invoked in 1988, this state of necessity is, unfortunately, even more evident in 2026,” he wrote. The text, dated 7 March and released publicly by the Society on 21 May, was accompanied by an introduction from the SSPX Secretary General, Fr Foucauld le Roux, who said the purpose of publishing the letter was to help clergy and faithful prepare spiritually for the ceremony. “This text does not revisit the question of the consecrations themselves, but is devoted to recalling the spirit in which they must be prepared for and lived,” Fr le Roux wrote. The publication of the letter comes four months after the SSPX announced that bishops would again be consecrated at its seminary in Switzerland, the site of Archbishop Lefebvre’s consecrations in June 1988. Those consecrations, carried out without papal mandate, led Rome to declare that Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer and the four newly consecrated bishops had incurred automatic excommunication. Although the excommunications of the surviving bishops were lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, the Society remains canonically irregular and without official status in the Church. In his latest letter, Fr Pagliarani repeatedly insisted that the SSPX was acting out of fidelity to the Catholic Church rather than separation from it. “The Society is nothing more than a means of remaining faithful to the Church,” he wrote. “If we are taking exceptional measures today to preserve the faith, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the priesthood, it is because we want the whole Catholic Church – and every soul without distinction – to be able to benefit freely from them one day. All this belongs to the Church, and we are only its guardians.” Fr Pagliarani also directly addressed the prospect of fresh sanctions from Rome, stating that the Society neither desired nor celebrated such a development. “If we come to be declared excommunicated and schismatic, this would not mean that we seek such a sanction or rejoice in it, for it would be objectively unjust,” he wrote. Furthermore, Fr Pagliarani wrote: “It is one thing to rejoice in receiving a new humiliation to offer to God, and it is quite another to rejoice in an evil and an objective injustice that causes scandal to the whole Church.” The SSPX superior urged members to avoid bitterness and resentment during the controversy surrounding the consecrations, warning against triumphalism and hostility towards Church authorities. “We must always show kindness,” he wrote. “When there is no understanding on the other side, when there is not even a willingness to listen to what we have to say and understand our reasons, it is very easy – humanly speaking – to fall into resentment.” He added that members should remain “firm and gentle at the same time”, “especially towards the hierarchy of the Catholic Church”. The letter contains repeated references to charity and suffering, including a lengthy citation from St John’s Gospel. “It is with this same charity that, now more than ever, we must love souls and Holy Mother Church, even if its official representatives were to declare us excommunicated and schismatic once again,” Fr Pagliarani wrote, before quoting John 16:1-4: “They will put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth a service to God.” Fr Pagliarani also rejected accusations that the SSPX had become a “parallel Church”, arguing instead that the Society existed to safeguard Catholic tradition until it could once again flourish throughout the wider Church. “We ask nothing for ourselves,” he wrote. “Our only reward will be to see one day Holy Mother Church reclaim her Traditions.” The Superior General described the debate surrounding the consecrations as “providential”, saying the issue had provoked concern throughout the Catholic Church. “The announcement on 2 February left no one in the Catholic Church indifferent,” he wrote. “Almost everyone feels concern and the need to express their approval or disapproval.” He added: “Sometimes words, opinions, and simple statements are no longer enough. They must be accompanied by meaningful actions that Divine Providence can use to shake consciences – and even the Church herself.” Fr Pagliarani concluded his letter by urging members and faithful to prepare for the consecrations through prayer and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. “It is with these sentiments and this charity that we must prepare for the ceremony on 1 July,” he wrote, “and strive to prepare all the faithful under our care.” The tensions between the Vatican and the SSPX stem from the Second Vatican Council. Relations improved significantly during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, who lifted the excommunications of the SSPX bishops and expanded permission for the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass through Summorum Pontificum in 2007. Under Pope Francis, however, tensions between Rome and traditionalist groups deepened following the publication of Traditionis Custodes in 2021, which imposed major restrictions on the old rite of Mass. Despite those disputes, Pope Francis granted SSPX priests faculties to hear confessions during the Jubilee Year of Mercy before extending them indefinitely, while also allowing local bishops to delegate SSPX priests to witness marriages. Image credit: SSPX