Pope warns SSPX ordinations risk deepening schism

Pope Leo XIV has cautioned that the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) risks deepening a schism within the Catholic Church if it proceeds with plans to consecrate four priests as bishops on July 1 without papal permission. According to EWTN News, the Pope made the warning during a daylong stay at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence outside Rome, before returning to the capital. The SSPX, a traditionalist group that has existed in a state of partial communion with Rome since its founding in 1970, has announced the ordinations unilaterally.

The Pope's intervention reflects the Vatican's long-standing tension with the SSPX over doctrine, authority and liturgical practice. EWTN reported that Leo XIV's caution was issued as the society prepared to move forward with its plan, signalling Rome's concern that the ordinations would constitute a formal breach. The society's defiance of papal authority on such a fundamental matter—the appointment of bishops—represents a direct challenge to the Vatican's ecclesiastical governance.