Pope Leo XIV calls for a halt to ordinations without the Holy See’s permission

Pope Leo XIV called on the leaders and members of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to abandon their plan to ordain four new bishops without a papal mandate, warning that such a step would constitute a schismatic act against the Catholic Church.

The Pope’s message was sent shortly before the ceremony scheduled to take place in Écône, Switzerland. In the letter addressed to the Fraternity’s superior general, Bishop Davide Pagliarani, he said he was speaking with a “fatherly heart” not only to its leaders, but also to the priests, seminarians and faithful who belong to this community.

According to the Holy Father, the Church appreciates their apostolic zeal and their desire to remain faithful to Tradition. He recalled that these are precisely the reasons why previous popes have always maintained a careful and benevolent approach toward the Fraternity. Nevertheless, Leo XIV urged them to reconsider their decision.

I beg you and ask you with all my heart: abandon this path, he wrote, urging them to reflect on the consequences such an action would have on the spiritual life of the faithful.

According to the Pope, the ordination of bishops without the approval of the Holy See would leave the faithful without the possibility of legitimately receiving the sacraments necessary for their Christian life, including in some cases confession and marriage.