A breakaway Catholic group dedicated to preserving the traditional Latin Mass has ordained four new bishops in Switzerland, despite a direct appeal from Pope Leo XIV to halt the ceremony.
Top Vatican Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the forbidden ceremony, expected to cause the excommunication of the priests involved, had "deeply wounded" the unity of the 1.4-billion-member Church.
"This is in itself a schismatic act," Parolin told journalists in Rome, using a term to indicate a severe rupture in the Catholic community.
Thousands of supporters gathered in the Alpine village of Écône on Wednesday to witness the consecrations carried out by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), an ultra-traditionalist movement that has remained at odds with the Vatican for decades.
The ordinations went ahead just two days after Pope Leo wrote a personal letter to the society's Superior General, Davide Pagliarani, urging the group to reconsider.
"I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back!" the Pope wrote, describing the planned ceremony as a "schismatic act".
Under Catholic Church law, only the Pope can authorise the consecration of bishops, a safeguard intended to preserve the Church's apostolic succession, which traces bishops back to Jesus's twelve apostles.
The Vatican warned that proceeding without papal approval would result in automatic excommunication for both the bishops being ordained and the bishop performing the consecrations. The ceremony was broadcast live on social media.
Founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Society of St. Pius X rejects key reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council, including changes to the liturgy and aspects of the Church's engagement with the modern world. The society says it has 733 priests serving worldwide.
Relations between the Vatican and the SSPX have long been strained. Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated in 1988 after ordaining four bishops without the approval of Pope John Paul II. His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, later lifted the remaining excommunications in an effort to encourage reconciliation.
The society announced earlier this year that it intended to appoint new bishops, arguing that additional leadership was needed to oversee its growing global membership.
China used this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to deepen ties across Central Asia, turning a largely symbolic multilateral gat...
Pakistan has taken over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, with Prime Minister Shehbaz ...
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the group marks 25 years since its creation.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
China used this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to deepen ties across Central Asia, turning a largely symbolic multilateral gathering into a series of bilateral agreements and modest progress toward a long-discussed SCO Development Bank.
Russian air attacks have killed at least 12 people and injured several others in Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Tuesday, marking the sixth consecutive day of strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
Türkiye has drawn up a plan to restore safe grain shipments through the Black Sea and is discussing the proposal with both Moscow and Kyiv, its foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, with China, Russia, Pakistan, the United States and the United Nations among the key partners on Uzbekistan’s agenda.
The death toll from last week's catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet surpassed 1000 on Tuesday, with about 4,000 people, including 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries, still missing, as fresh rainfall pushed up river levels and forced rescuers to move to higher ground.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment