Catholic bishops across the United States are calling on the faithful to separate themselves from the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) following the Vatican’s declaration that the group’s unauthorized episcopal consecrations constituted a schismatic act. While encouraging Catholics to avoid participation in SSPX ministries and sacraments, the bishops are also extending a pastoral invitation to members of the society to return to full communion with the Catholic Church.
According to EWTN News, the Holy See declared on July 2 that six bishops involved in the SSPX’s July 1 episcopal consecrations incurred automatic excommunication after proceeding without a pontifical mandate. The Vatican stated that the consecrations represented an act of open disobedience to the authority of the pope.
In response, bishops in several U.S. dioceses have issued pastoral letters and decrees explaining what the Vatican’s decision means for Catholics and urging anyone involved with the SSPX to return to parish life within the Church.
Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington instructed Catholics to “avoid participating in the activities of the SSPX,” according to a July 8 letter cited by EWTN News.
He explained that “as a result of the SSPX’s schismatic act, any celebrations of the sacraments of confession and matrimony by the SSPX are invalid, and the administration of other sacraments is illicit.”
Bishop John Iffert of the Diocese of Covington further clarified the meaning of the term “illicit,” explaining that “This means that the celebrations are not permitted by the law of the Church and the cleric offering the sacrament commits the canonical and moral fault of disobedience in each instance.”
He also offered a strong warning regarding participation in SSPX liturgies.
“The Masses these priests celebrate are an abuse of the Eucharist, insofar as they make the sacrament of unity into an occasion of division within the Church, and so they should be firmly rejected and avoided by all the Catholic faithful,” Iffert said, according to EWTN News.
At the same time, Bishop Burbidge emphasized that not every Catholic who has attended SSPX liturgies is automatically considered to be in schism.
According to EWTN News, he explained that lay faithful “who do not reject the magisterium of the authority of the Roman pontiff” and who participated with the SSPX solely for liturgical or spiritual reasons are not automatically excommunicated. Instead, he said such individuals “must simply resolve not to continue to participate in future SSPX sacramental worship or pastoral ministries.”
Burbidge also encouraged those seeking the Traditional Latin Mass to participate in one of the approved locations within the Diocese of Arlington where the extraordinary form is celebrated in full communion with the Church.
The pastoral guidance has also extended to Catholic education.
According to EWTN News, Bishop Iffert instructed Catholic parents not to enroll their children in two SSPX-affiliated schools within the Diocese of Covington.
“Because Assumption Academy and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy are associated with the SSPX, Catholic parents should not enroll their children in these schools,” he said. “To do so is to entrust the religious formation of children to those who participate in schism against the Roman Catholic Church.”
He encouraged families to contact the diocesan Catholic schools office for placement in schools operating in full communion with the Church.
Similarly, Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez of the Diocese of Palm Beach issued a decree reaffirming the Vatican’s declaration and outlining the steps for Catholics wishing to leave the SSPX and return to full communion with the Catholic Church, according to EWTN News.
Despite the seriousness of the Vatican’s action, the bishops repeatedly stressed that their desire is not condemnation but reconciliation.
“I pledge to pray for the bishops and priests of the SSPX and for their faithful return to regular order in the Catholic Church,” Iffert said. “I also assure the lay faithful who have been attached to the SSPX of my prayer for their good and for the restoration of unity in the Church.”
Bishop Burbidge likewise addressed SSPX clergy directly, saying, “To my brother priests in the SSPX, please know of my prayers for you and my heartfelt desire for your return to full communion with the Church.”
Both bishops concluded by asking Catholics to pray for healing and unity within the Church, expressing hope that those separated by the schism will one day be fully reconciled with the successor of St. Peter and the Catholic faithful throughout the world.
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