Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio has announced that John Mary Foster has been excommunicated and dismissed from the clerical state after a Church tribunal found him guilty of schism for refusing submission to the Roman pontiff.
The disciplinary action follows a lengthy dispute involving Foster, the Mission of Divine Mercy in Canyon Lake, Texas, and alleged prophetic messages that challenged the legitimacy of both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV.
According to EWTN News, Foster was incardinated into the Archdiocese of San Antonio in 2009 and led the Mission of Divine Mercy, an apostolate he had founded several years earlier. The group later published messages allegedly received from God, Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin Mary by one of its members.
The messages became a source of serious conflict with archdiocesan authorities.
According to the National Catholic Reporter, Archbishop García-Siller had asked the Mission of Divine Mercy “to refrain from publishing any alleged prophetic message until they were reviewed to ensure they were not harmful to the people of God,” warning that the messages contained “many scandalous claims and false teachings.”
Despite that request, the group began publishing the alleged messages online in February 2024.
One message published in March 2024 addressed Catholic bishops and declared: “You have not only let the smoke of Satan infiltrate into My Sanctuary; but you have allowed a whole army of demons to take your places. And you have allowed the usurper to sit on the chair of My Peter,” according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Foster subsequently referred publicly to Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV as “usurpers,” according to Archbishop García-Siller’s statement cited by both EWTN News and the National Catholic Reporter.
The archbishop removed Foster’s faculties for public ministry and suppressed the Mission of Divine Mercy’s status as an approved Catholic apostolate in 2024. The dispute nevertheless continued.
According to EWTN News, Foster continued celebrating Mass and intentionally omitted the name of the reigning pope from the Eucharistic Prayer, first Pope Francis and later Pope Leo XIV.
A judicial process authorized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith began on April 10, 2025. According to EWTN News, a tribunal of independent canon lawyers spent more than a year examining Foster’s statements, actions, homilies, and teachings and hearing testimony from witnesses.
On April 20, 2026, the tribunal found Foster guilty of schism because of his refusal of submission to the Roman pontiff. Foster incurred a latae sententiae excommunication and was dismissed from the clerical state. According to EWTN News, he did not exercise his right to appeal.
“Mr. Foster has chosen to reject the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church by his words and actions,” García-Siller wrote in announcing the sentence, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
The archbishop emphasized that communion with the successor of St. Peter is fundamental to Catholic identity.
“To be Catholic is to be in communion with the pope, the bishop of Rome and the successor of Saint Peter, and with the college of bishops in communion with him,” García-Siller wrote, according to EWTN News.
The archbishop also said Foster had been repeatedly given opportunities to change course.
“Despite being offered countless opportunities to repent and to cease his schismatic actions and teachings, Mr. Foster has chosen the path of disobedience,” García-Siller said, according to the National Catholic Reporter. “I have prohibited him from publicly celebrating Mass, yet he continues to do so.”
Following the tribunal’s decision, Foster no longer possesses the ordinary faculties of a Catholic priest to celebrate the sacraments, apart from limited circumstances provided for under canon law.
García-Siller has also prohibited Catholics from attending Masses, liturgical activities, or events conducted by Foster or held under the auspices of the Mission of Divine Mercy in Canyon Lake.
According to the National Catholic Reporter, the archbishop warned that participating in such activities “is a formal act of disobedience.” He has also urged Catholics to stop providing financial support to Foster and the Mission of Divine Mercy.
Despite the severity of the disciplinary action, García-Siller concluded his appeal to Catholics by calling for prayer rather than abandonment of Foster.
He asked the faithful to pray that Foster “will repent and seek reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church and be able to once again receive the sacraments of the Church,” according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Your support brings the truth to the world.
Catholic Online News exists because of donors like you. We are 100% funded by people who believe the world deserves real, uncensored news rooted in faith and truth — not corporate agendas. Your gift ensures millions can continue to access the news they can trust — stories that defend life, faith, family, and freedom.
When truth is silenced, your support speaks louder.
