The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X—known in short as SSPX—has made headlines with a newly released statement.
In it, they declare they will proceed to appoint new bishops this coming July without the prior approval of the Holy See.
The statement reveals there is a “state of grave pastoral necessity” due to a shortage of SSPX bishops. This concern was raised with the Vatican, but the response they received was unsatisfactory. After “long and prayerful reflection,” the Superior General of the group has announced the decision to move forward and ordain new bishops, on his own authority, later this year on July 1.
This is not the first time an episode of this nature has occurred: in 1988, the founder of the Fraternity, Archbishop Lefebvre, also carried out episcopal ordinations without a pontifical mandate.
Because of this, Pope St. John Paul II excommunicated the founder and the four bishops he had appointed. This excommunication was then lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Lefebvre had already passed away. In any case, the relationship between SSPX and the Vatican remains fraught.
AT/JRB
Trans. JPO
