The Holy See has formally declared that all six bishops of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) are excommunicated, following the episcopal consecration ceremony held on July 1, 2026, in Écône, Switzerland, against the express wishes of Pope Leo XIV, who had warned them repeatedly not to persist.
The following day, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) issued a decree stating that the two consecrating bishops, Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, as well as the four newly consecrated bishops, Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Marc Hanappier, have incurred excommunication latae sententiae for carrying out “an act of schismatic nature,” namely, “the episcopal consecration of four presbyters, without pontifical mandate and against the will of the Supreme Pontiff.”
In a complementary explanatory note, the DDF urged the lay faithful “to remain steadfast in communion with the Roman Pontiff, with the Bishops in communion with him, and with the whole Church.” It also warns them that “the sacred ministers belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X are in schism and must therefore be considered schismatics” and that said ministers “administer the sacraments illicitly, and that the sacrament of penance administered by them and marriages assisted by them are invalid.” The note ends with encouraging words to those who wish to return to full communion.
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