Well, that escalated quickly. Pope Leo XIV and the Vatican have dropped the hammer on the Society of St. Pius X, excommunicating the traditionalist group's six bishops after they went ahead and consecrated four new bishops in Econe, Switzerland, without papal approval. As The American Tribune reported, the Vatican also warned lay people who "formally adhere" to the SSPX that they too could find themselves on the outside looking in.
Nothing says "we love you" quite like telling hundreds of thousands of your most devout followers to hit the bricks.
The Vatican did issue a clarification, because apparently even excommunication notices need a FAQ section these days. Not every person who walks into an SSPX church on Sunday is automatically excommunicated. The penalty applies specifically to those who "habitually participate" in SSPX celebrations and "formally share its doctrinal positions." So if you just popped in once because you were curious about the Latin, you can probably relax. The Vatican also extended an olive branch of sorts, saying those who leave the group would be welcomed back "with sincere affection," according to a report from Trending Politics News.
Here is the part that makes this whole situation fascinating. Many Catholics within the SSPX movement point out that the doctrines they are clinging to were the standard doctrines of the Catholic Church right up until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. So essentially, they are being excommunicated for refusing to stop doing what the Church told them to do for centuries. You have to admire the consistency, even if Rome does not.
The SSPX was founded in 1970 specifically in opposition to Vatican II reforms, which included ditching Latin for local languages at Mass and pushing for more dialogue with other faiths. At an SSPX Mass, priests face the altar, communion is received on the tongue while kneeling, and most women wear head coverings. It is basically the Catholic Church's version of refusing to update your software.
Rita Reid, a 76 year old SSPX member from Jersey in the Channel Islands, is not exactly trembling at the news. "It actually makes me feel quite strong. Before the consecrations yesterday I said to my husband, 'Do you know what? Even if they excommunicate us, go ahead, bring it on, it's not going to make one bit of difference,'" Reid said. She called the standard Novus Ordo Mass "weak and wishy-washy" and noted that traditional teachings like no sex before marriage are not discussed as much in mainstream parishes anymore. "I think a lot of young people now that go to Novus Ordo [the standard liturgy] think 'oh well, it's all right, we can do these things,'" she added.
Excommunication is one of the harshest penalties the Catholic Church can impose. It means a baptized Catholic is considered out of communion with the Church and cannot receive sacraments, including Communion, marriage, or confession. So basically, the Vatican just told the people who were doing the most Catholic stuff possible that they are no longer Catholic enough. You really cannot make this up.
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