Vatican expels six SSPX bishops and warns of measures against the group’s official supporters

The Holy See has made public its decision to expel from the Church six bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), after the movement consecrated four new bishops in Geneva without the authorization of Pope Leo XIV.

The decree announced by the Vatican also states that laypeople who formally join this group and support its doctrinal positions will also be considered in schism with the Catholic Church, thus losing their membership in the ecclesiastical community.

The Vatican later clarified that this decision does not automatically include all believers who attend SSPX Masses, but only those who regularly take part in the group’s activities and officially identify with its doctrine.

It was also announced that people who break away from the Society will be readmitted to the Church.

The Society of Saint Pius X was founded in 1970 in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

This organization rejects the liturgical changes of the Catholic Church, continuing with Mass in Latin, with the priest turned away from the altar during the celebration and with traditional methods of distributing Communion.

The group also opposes the contemporary Church’s approach to dialogue with other religions and holds more conservative positions on social issues.

According to estimates, the Society has around 600,000 followers worldwide, with the largest concentration in the United States and France, while it also holds Mass in 26 locations in the United Kingdom.