Vatican Excommunicates Six Bishops of the Pius Brotherhood – Rome Calls It a Schismatic Act

Rome – 02.07.2026: The Holy See announced on 2 July 2026 the excommunication of six bishops of the Priesterbruderschaft St. Pius X (Fraternité Saint-Pie X, FSSPX). The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the consecration of four new bishops without the pope’s mandate was a schismatic act and, according to canon law, entails the penalty of excommunication. According to Vatican information, the bishops who served as principal consecrators, Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, as well as the newly consecrated clergy Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier, are affected.

The statement refers to repeated warnings from Rome to refrain from the planned consecrations and to talks the Holy See has offered the fraternity for months. The fraternity, founded in 1970 by the French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in Ecône, Switzerland, rejects central decisions of the Second Vatican Council and has been in a conflictual relationship with the Roman Catholic Church for decades. In 1988 Rome already imposed sanctions after unauthorized episcopal consecrations; parts of them were later relaxed, but the canonical status of the community remained unclear.

With the current decision the Vatican issues a renewed clarification: excommunication applies to those who knowingly and willingly participated in the unauthorized consecration act. At the same time Rome emphasizes a fundamental willingness to engage in talks about unresolved doctrinal questions. The measure directly affects the named bishops; the statement also says that persons who formally support structures that evade ecclesiastical authority in certain constellations may risk canonical consequences. No specific individual cases were named.

The FSSPX had carried out the consecrations in early July despite objections from Rome. Observers place the step in a phase of increased tensions between traditionalist milieus and the church leadership. Practical consequences may arise, for example, for the exercise of ordaining powers and the recognition of acts of ministry that, according to Catholic understanding, may be valid but illicit. For pastoral care this means, in many places, legal and pastoral demarcations between the fraternity’s offerings and diocesan structures.

Reactions from national bishops’ conferences and from representatives of the fraternity were not initially comprehensive in the evening. In Rome the decision is seen as an attempt to preserve church unity and legal order while keeping the framework for possible further talks open. The Vatican announced it would closely monitor developments and inform about next steps.