The Holy See has formally declared the bishops of a breakaway traditionalist order to be in schism and excommunicated. Source: Crux.
The declaration came from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, just one day after the group illicitly made four men bishops without papal approval and in defiance of repeated warnings from senior Vatican officials and even the pope himself.
The decree states that the excommunications are “reserved to the Apostolic See”, meaning only the Pope can lift the penalty.
The DDF decree declares that the bishops involved in the illicit consecrations are excommunicated, while an attached explanatory note states that clerics and faithful who “formally adhere” to the SSPX schism have likewise incurred excommunication.
The explanatory note also states that confessions heard by SSPX clerics are invalid, as are marriages at which SSPX clerics officiate.
Pope Francis had given SSPX clerics faculties to hear confessions and officiate at weddings.
In a letter published on Monday, Pope Leo XIV had warned the SSPX leadership that the illicit consecrations would have that consequence.
According to the decree and the explanatory note, all Masses celebrated by SSPX priests and bishops are illicit – clerics under the penalty of excommunication lose their legal rights under Church law to exercise any ministerial power – though SSPX Masses remain valid.
The highly technical language of the Thursday decree from DDF essentially means the ordinations performed on Tuesday at the SSPX seminary facility in Écône, Switzerland, were by law (if not by their very nature) schismatic – a formal and deliberate injury to the unity of the Church.
It also means the men who performed the consecration and received the consecration incurred the canonical penalty of excommunication by virtue of their participation in the very act.
In declaring the excommunications, the decree gives formal legal recognition to a state of affairs that exists in fact, which came about when the illicit consecrations took place.
The body of the decree also contains a stern warning for clerics and lay faithful, who are warned “not to adhere to the schism of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, as they would thereby incur ipso facto the penalty of latae sententiae excommunication.”
The Vatican’s doctrine dicastery also published guidelines yesterday for the reinstatement of clerics and laypersons who formerly adhered to the SSPX.
DDF sent the guidelines to the bishops of the world through the apostolic nuncios, outlining a five-step procedure for the reinstatement of clerics.
FULL STORY
SSPX declared schismatic, clerics excommunicated (By Christopher Altieri, Crux)
DDF issues guidelines for return of SSPX clergy, laity to communion (By Christopher Altieri, Crux)
