APTOPIX Switzerland Vatican Defiant Traditionalists

Nuns attend a consecration ceremony for four new bishops in a tent set up outside the Society of St. Pius X seminary, in Econe, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

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What to know about the schism by traditionalist Catholics who defied Pope Leo XIV

What to know about the schism by traditionalist Catholics who defied Pope Leo XIV

The Vatican has responded aggressively to the ultratraditionalist Society of St. Pius X after it defied Pope Leo XIV and consecrated four bishops without his consent. The Vatican on Thursday declared the group to be in schism, excommunicated the bishops and priests and warned the faithful they too could incur excommunication. Schism is a willful rupture of unity in the Catholic Church. The Vatican responded a day after the society staged a massive consecration ceremony at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, attended by some 15,500 people and their children.