A far-right Catholic sect’s plan to ordain its own bishops on the first day of July has placed it on a collision course with the Vatican – posing a possible crisis for Pope Leo a little over a year into his papacy, and straining the Roman Catholic church’s already fraught relationship with rightwing and traditionalist Catholics in the US and elsewhere.
Founded in Switzerland in 1970 to oppose liberalizing reforms in the Catholic church, the Society of St Pius X (SSPX) has gained significant followings in the US, France, Argentina and other countries. The order, which has a large base of operations in Kansas, claims that more than half a million people worldwide attend its masses, though these numbers are difficult to verify. It counts nearly 1,500 priests, seminarians and other vocational members among its members.
Pope Leo told journalists in Rome last week that he was “considering making another appeal to say: ‘Do not do this, let us try to live in communion within the church.’” But it was the SSPX’s “choice”, he said, whether to continue on a trajectory that threatens schism.
“If they make that choice,” Leo added, “I am sorry, but we must move forward.” » | J Oliver Conroy | Thursday, June 25, 2026
Why is America the source of all evil iand destructive deas? The mere mention of far-right bishops seems to be tantamount to a contradiction of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ eschewed greed and espoused radical charity. There is nothing far-right about that! — © Mark Alexander
