ECONE, Switzerland: Decades after triggering a rift with the Vatican by consecrating bishops in 1988, the Society of Saint Pius X was doing it again on Wednesday — in defiance of Pope Leo XIV. The ultra-traditionalist breakaway group, which has around 600,000 followers worldwide, intends to appoint four bishops: two French, one American and one Swiss.

The Society of Saint Pius X, a traditionalist Catholic community, plans to ordain its own bishops on Wednesday without Vatican approval, raising the risk of schism within the…

Pope Leo XIV is begging a breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics to call off its planned consecrations of new bishops without his consent.