A breakaway Catholic group, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), ordained four new bishops in Écône, Switzerland, on Wednesday despite a direct appeal from Pope Leo XIV to halt the ceremony. Thousands of supporters gathered to witness the ordination, which the Vatican had warned would be considered a schismatic act. In a letter sent earlier this week, the Pope urged the group’s leadership to reconsider, describing the move as a serious breach of Church unity.

According to Catholic Church law, only the Pope can authorize the consecration of bishops to preserve apostolic succession. The Vatican stated that the unauthorized ordinations automatically result in excommunication for both the newly ordained bishops and the bishop who performed the ceremony. The event was also streamed live on social media.

The Society of St. Pius X, known for its opposition to the reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, has had a strained relationship with the Vatican for decades. Its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was excommunicated in 1988 after carrying out similar unauthorized ordinations. Although some penalties were later lifted during Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy, the group’s current leadership proceeded with the new ordinations, saying additional bishops were needed to oversee its growing global community.

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