When a priest of the Catholic Church is being consecrated as a bishop, the prelate elevating him is required to ask for the Apostolic Mandate — the formal approval of the pope for his new office — to be read aloud by a notary for all those in attendance.But when the Society of St. Pius X defied the Holy See and consecrated four new bishops in a meadow of Écône, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta’s notary didn’t have an Apostolic Mandate to read. Instead, observers listened to a bizarre and mealy-mouthed statement about the “necessity” of the occasion, despite unambiguous orders from Pope Leo XIV not to proceed.“It is the Catholic and Roman church, always faithful to the traditions received from the apostles, who in entirely exceptional circumstances demands that we provide for the upholding of these traditions, that is the deposit of faith and that we take the means necessary to transmit them faithfully to all men for the salvation of their souls,” the consecrating bishop’s notary said in place of an actual mandate. “From Vatican Council II up to the present day, the authorities in the Church have been animated by a spirit that is contrary to that of the faith and have been acting against holy tradition. They will no longer endure sound doctrine, turning their hearing away from the truth and turning toward fables.”