The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has formally responded to the Vatican’s declaration that its recent episcopal consecrations constituted a schismatic act, insisting that the penalties imposed by the Holy See are invalid while pledging to continue its mission without change.
According to LifeSiteNews, SSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV on July 3 following the Vatican’s July 2 decree issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The decree declared the Society’s four newly consecrated bishops and the two bishops who performed the consecrations to be excommunicated for carrying out episcopal consecrations without papal mandate. The Vatican also identified SSPX priests as schismatic and warned that formal adherence to the declared schism could itself incur excommunication.
In his letter, Pagliarani argued that the Society’s actions were motivated by concern for the salvation of souls rather than opposition to the Church.
“It appears to us that this decision once more brings to light the profoundly tragic context in which the universal Church finds herself,” he wrote. “What the Society of Saint Pius X has done, and will continue to do, is nothing other than an extraordinary initiative for the salvation of souls, amidst the doctrinal and moral confusion into which the Church is plunged.”
According to LifeSiteNews, Pagliarani emphasized that the Society does not seek to replace the Church or establish a parallel authority.
“We in no way claim to substitute ourselves for the Church, and we have no ambition other than to remain faithful to her,” he wrote, adding that the decision to consecrate bishops without papal approval was made out of conscience because the Society believed it could not “evade the moral duty we owe to souls.”
The letter uses imagery from St. Luke’s Gospel to describe the Society’s disappointment with the Vatican’s response to its requests.
“We had asked for bread, that is to say, a measure of understanding for a sincere case of conscience… unfortunately, we received a stone,” Pagliarani wrote. He continued by saying the Society had requested “the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests,” but “received a serpent,” and that after asking to preserve and eventually return the Church’s sacred Tradition, “we received a scorpion.”
Pagliarani also lamented the Vatican’s judgment, writing, “We had asked to be instructed and confirmed in the faith of all time; instead, we have been declared schismatic a second time.”
Despite rejecting the Holy See’s conclusions, the Society stated that it does not intend to respond with hostility.
According to LifeSiteNews, Pagliarani described the Vatican’s penalties as “objectively unjust and invalid,” but added that “the Society of Saint Pius X promises You today that it will not receive these new sanctions… with bitterness or revolt.”
The letter reiterates the Society’s commitment to preserving Catholic Tradition, priestly formation, and religious life while expressing hope that a future pope will one day embrace its work.
“We are certain that one day You yourself, or one of Your successors, will wish to adopt the program of Saint Pius X: ‘To restore all things in Christ,'” Pagliarani wrote. He added that the Society believes a future pope will discover “a small army of loyal sons, ready to do anything to sustain Him in the restoration of all things in Our Lord.”
The letter concludes with an appeal for the Pope’s blessing despite the sanctions.
“For us, nothing has changed, and nothing ever will change,” Pagliarani wrote.
The exchange marks the Society’s first formal public response to the Vatican’s declaration following the July 1 episcopal consecrations, underscoring the continuing division between the Holy See and the traditionalist priestly society over questions of ecclesial authority, obedience, and the preservation of Catholic Tradition.
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