A breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics directly defied Pope Leo XIV by consecrating four bishops without his consent Wednesday, dismissing the resulting excommunications by declaring it was a “sacred duty” to defend the Catholic faith.
The Society of St. Pius X, which opposes the modernising reforms of the Catholic Church, went ahead with the consecrations at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland despite a last-ditch appeal by Leo to call it off.
The American pope warned in a letter Tuesday that consecrating bishops without his approval amounted to a “sin of extreme gravity” that will actually harm their faithful.
And yet bells tolled through the misty Alpine mountain valley as hundreds of priests processed two-by-two to the altar under a tent at the start of the service, which was attended by thousands of faithful Catholics who prefer the traditional Latin Mass over modern liturgies.
The Mass, rich in velvet and gold-trimmed vestments, chant and incense, was livestreamed on the society's YouTube channel, with simultaneous translation in several languages.
