02 Jul 2026
Source: vatican.va
DDL decree: 6 SSPX bishops excommunicated; priests/lay who adhere to SSPX excommunicated. Explanatory note: sacraments of confession, marriage invalid. DDL provides procedures/forms for clergy/lay to leave SSPX.
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DDF Prefect Cardinal Fernández | 6 SSPX Bishops & Superior Fr. Pagliarani
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Below are copies (algorithmic translations as needed) of:
Pope Leo Final Appeal ("to tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity")
Fr. Pagliarani Response to Pope Leo ("our very duty to do everything possible to mend Christ's seamless garment")
SSPX Statement Following Episcopal Consecrations ("great grace for the Society itself and for the whole Church")
Excommunication Decree (6 SSPX bishops excommunicated; priests/lay who adhere to SSPX excommunicated)
Explanatory Note (Sacraments of confession, marriage invalid)
DDL Procedures for the Reconciliation of Priests/Lay Leaving SSPX
SSPX Response to Excommunication Decree ("these new sanctions—objectively unjust and invalid")
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Final Appeal of Pope Leo
LETTER OF POPE LEO XIV
TO THE SUPERIOR GENERAL
OF THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF SAINT PIUS X
To The Reverend
Davide Pagliarani
Superior General
of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X
With a paternal heart, and aware of the responsibility entrusted to me by the Lord as the Successor of the Apostle Peter, I address you and, through you, the bishops, priests, seminarians and faithful connected to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
The Church recognizes the devotion to liturgical life, commitment to priestly formation, apostolic zeal and desire for fidelity to Tradition that characterize many people and communities connected to your Fraternity. This has motivated the attentive and generous attitude that my Predecessors have consistently shown to you.
In this spirit, and filled with Christian affection, I plead with you and ask you with all my heart: please turn back! I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification.
The Church is open to a path of dialogue and understanding that the Holy Spirit can make possible and fruitful.
I pray for you, because to tear the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity. May the Lord enlighten your consciences and awaken your hearts. With a sorrowful yet hopeful heart, I feel it is my duty, through the authority received from Christ, to ask you to desist from your intended act. I entrust these intentions to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Good Counsel.
From the Vatican, 29 June 2026
Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
LEO PP. XIV
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Fr. Pagliarani Response to Pope Leo
The Superior General
To His Holiness
Pope Leo XIV
Ecône, 30 June 2026
Most Holy Father,
Thank you very much for the letter that Your Holiness so kindly addressed to me.
I have been deeply touched by Your paternal solicitude.
For a long time, I had hoped to have the opportunity of meeting You in person, in order to express to You directly our sincere desire to serve the Church. Unfortunately, that opportunity has not presented itself.
I ask only that You consider the sincerity of this intention, which is in no way feigned. Paradoxically, in the present circumstances, we believe it to be our very duty to do everything possible to mend Christ's seamless garment, torn by forces and pressures incompatible with a truly Catholic spirit. I ask only that You consider the authenticity of this intention before making a decision concerning the Society of Saint Pius X. It is not yet too late.
Far be it from us to separate ourselves from the Roman Church. We desire, on the contrary, to serve her by means that are extraordinary, as one would assist a mother in distress who requires particular help, even if such help is not understood by everyone. Yet I am certain that the Holy Father could understand it.
The Holy See has shown itself capable of understanding very complex situations and of allowing time for discernment.
May I therefore filially ask Your Holiness to take the time necessary for that discernment.
If my own words are not sufficient, I would ask You to reflect upon two very simple facts. First, in 1988 the Society was already declared schismatic, for reasons and in circumstances entirely analogous to those of today. Yet, after so many years, we are speaking together as a father and his son. Your Holiness is paternally urging me to avoid a schism which, theoretically, has already taken place. Does not Your very attitude—whose paternal concern I deeply appreciate—constitute proof that the Society is neither schismatic nor hostile to the Church?
Secondly, some years ago, the Holy See entrusted two bishops of the Church with the task of engaging in dialogue with the Society of Saint Pius X: Bishop Vitus Huonder, then Bishop of Chur, now deceased, and Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of Astana. Both, after taking the necessary time for discernment, recognised the profoundly Catholic spirit of the Society and bore public witness to it.
Above all, however, I venture to address Your Holiness in the name of the thousands of souls who have rediscovered the Catholic faith and the practice of religion through the apostolate of the Society. This is a fact of which Your predecessors themselves took note. These souls have but one desire: to attain salvation through this instrument which Divine Providence has placed at their disposal. They have suffered, and they are sincere. I am confident that Your paternal heart as universal Shepherd will be moved by this very particular situation. One day, all the difficulties between the Holy See and the Society will be resolved. A gesture of understanding on Your part, far from harming unity, could only manifest before the world and before all Christians Your concern for unity and Your goodness as a father.
I leave all this to Your consideration. I renew my prayers for Your Holiness.
For a long time, even before Your election, I have been praying to Saint Rita for the present situation. I saw in the election of an Augustinian Pope a sign of hope. I am certain that the Saint will intercede. It is never too late.
Please give us Your blessing.
I take this opportunity to remain, with the deepest devotion in Our Lord,
Don Davide Pagliarani
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General House Statement Following the Episcopal Consecrations, 1 July 2026
On 1 July 2026, the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, at the Seminary of Saint Pius X in Écône, Switzerland, in the presence of Fr. Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, and a very great gathering of priests, religious, and faithful, His Excellency Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, assisted by His Excellency Bishop Bernard Fellay, conferred episcopal consecration upon Bishop Pascal Schreiber, Bishop Michael Goldade, Bishop Michel Poinsinet de Sivry, and Bishop Marc Hanappier, to serve as auxiliary bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X, without jurisdiction.
The Society sincerely regrets that, owing to exceptional circumstances, these consecrations had to be conferred without the authorization of the Holy Father. It regrets in particular that the Superior General of the Society was not afforded the opportunity to meet personally with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in order to set before him filially the grave reasons which rendered this ceremony necessary.
The profound joy inspired by these episcopal consecrations cannot, however, be overshadowed. By securing the means necessary for the preservation of the sacred heritage of Tradition, the gift of these four new bishops constitutes truly a very great grace for the Society itself and for the whole Church.
The Society of Saint Pius X rejoices deeply in this and raises to God a fervent act of thanksgiving, thanking in particular the Most Blessed Virgin Mary for having permitted this transmission of the fullness of the priesthood, for the greater glory of God, the honour of Holy Church, and the salvation of souls.
Écône, 1 July 2026
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DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Prot. N. 99/2009
DECREE
Despite the warnings addressed to the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, having committed an act of a schismatic nature through the episcopal consecration of four priests, without a pontifical mandate and against the will of the Supreme Pontiff, has ipso facto incurred the penalties provided for by canon 1387 and canon 1364 § 1 CIC 2021.
I therefore declare for all legal purposes that both the aforementioned Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta and Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier have incurred ipso facto the latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.
I further declare that Bishop Bernard Fellay, having directly participated in the liturgical celebration as a co-consecrator, thus publicly adhering to the schismatic act, has incurred the latae sententiae excommunication provided for by canon 1364 § 1 CIC 2021.
Clerics and lay faithful are warned not to adhere to the schism of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, because they would ipso facto incur the penalty of latae sententiae excommunication .
From the Dicastery Building, 2 July 2026
Víctor M. Card. Fernández
Prefect
John J. Kennedy
Titular Archbishop of Ossero
Secretary for the Disciplinary Section
Monsignor Armando Matteo
Secretary for the Doctrinal Section
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DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Prot. N. 99/2009
EXPLANATORY NOTE
From the time of Saint Paul VI until the most recent discussions held at this Dicastery, multiple attempts to bring the members of the movement initiated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre back into full communion with the Catholic Church have proven futile. This situation has been further aggravated by recent episcopal consecrations celebrated without papal mandate, against the will of the Holy Father, in open violation of canon law. Therefore, this Dicastery, in the faithful exercise of the functions entrusted to it, deems it necessary to note that this act constituted the crime of schism, with canonical consequences for the sacred ministers and lay faithful involved. Indeed, as already declared in 1988, "such disobedience—which entails a practical rejection of the Roman Primacy—constitutes a schismatic act" (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Ecclesia De i , 3).
In this regard, from now on:
1. The sacred ministers belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X are in schism and must therefore be considered schismatic (cf. Ecclesia De , 5 c; Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Explanatory Note on the excommunication for schism incurred by the adherents of the movement of Bishop Marcel Lefebvre , 24.08.1996, 5-6), resulting in them being subject to the excommunication provided for by law (can. 1364 § 1 CJC).
2. As regards the lay faithful, those who formally adhere to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X under the conditions established in the Explanatory Note of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts of 1996 (cf. ibid ., 7), still in force, which this Dicastery adopts, are to be considered schismatic and excommunicated.
3. Finally, the holy People of God are warned that the sacred ministers of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly and that the sacrament of penance administered by them and the marriage assisted by them are invalid.
The Church, as a caring mother, will welcome with sincere affection and deep concern all those who wish to return to full communion. The Apostolic Nuncios will have access to the procedures that Ordinaries may use in various cases.
Finally, all the faithful are exhorted to remain firm in communion with the Roman Pontiff, with the Bishops in communion with him and with the whole Church (cf. Lumen Gentium , 22; can. 751 CIC ), and to abstain from participating in the celebrations and activities promoted by the aforementioned Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
From the Dicastery Building, 2 July 2026
Víctor M. Card. Fernández
Prefect
Monsignor Armando Matteo
Secretary for the Doctrinal Section
John J. Kennedy
Titular Archbishop of Ossero
Secretary for the Disciplinary Section
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DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONCILIATION
OF PRIESTS COMING
FROM THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF SAINT PIUS X
The procedure followed by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, effective July 1, 2026,
stipulates that a priest who has decided to leave the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X—and
who is willing to accept the Second Vatican Council and the legitimacy of the *novus ordo
Missae*, even while remaining attached to the *usus antiquior*—must:
1) Find an Ordinary (diocesan Bishop, Major Superior of clerical religious institutes of
pontifical right, of clerical societies of apostolic life of pontifical right, etc.) willing
to accept him *ad experimentum*.
2) Write a letter in his own hand to the Holy Father, introducing himself and requesting
the remission of censures incurred either due to having received ordination from an
excommunicated or irregular Bishop, or—having been validly and legitimately
ordained—due to having subsequently joined the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
3) Attach the certificate of priestly ordination.
4) Attach the *Professio fidei* and the *Formula adhaesionis*, dated and signed (cf.
attachments A-B).
5) Have the three aforementioned documents sent to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of
the Faith by the Ordinary, who shall indicate in the accompanying letter his
willingness to accept the priest *ad experimentum* into his Diocese or Institute.
Upon receipt of the three documents from the Ordinary, the Dicastery shall draft the
Rescript for the remission of censures, which will be signed by the Prefect and the
Secretary of the Doctrinal Section. The Dicastery will send the said Rescript to the Ordinary, accompanied by a letter authorizing the acceptance of the requesting priest for a probationary period of at least one year and no more than three years, at the end of which his incardination may proceed.
It has recently been decided that, should the established probationary period prove unsuccessful, the Ordinary shall return the Rescript to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, enclosing a report detailing the reasons why incardination did not take place.
PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONCILIATION
OF CERTAIN LAY PERSONS COMING
FROM THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF SAINT PIUS X
This procedure concerns the question of imputability—or the degree of subjective responsibility—
of lay faithful who have formally joined or who attend the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius
X and who seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.
The imposition of a penalty on lay persons belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X
cannot be presumed automatically but must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Since imputability requires full awareness and deliberate consent, examples of
proven imputability may include:
1. Lay persons belonging to the Third Order of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X;
2. Lay persons who habitually participate in the celebrations of the Priestly Fraternity
of Saint Pius X, formally sharing its doctrinal positions.
Conversely, the following are not to be considered imputable:
3. Lay persons who have attended the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X solely for
liturgical or spiritual reasons;
4. Lay persons who, despite being aware of the tensions with the Holy See, do not reject
the Magisterium or the authority of the Roman Pontiff.
The procedure to be followed for lay persons belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint
Pius X—upon whom a penalty has been imposed and who seek to enter into full communion
with the Catholic Church—entails a formal act of full adherence to the doctrine and obedience
to the Catholic hierarchy, under the jurisdiction of the local Ordinary, who is the guarantor
of the unity of the particular Church.
Therefore, a lay faithful person, as referred to in nos. 1-2, who has decided to leave the Priestly Fraternity
of Saint Pius X, must:
? Present to the local Ordinary the *Professio fidei* and the *Formula adhaesionis*, dated
and signed (cf. attachments A-B).
Once the documentation has been obtained, the local Ordinary will proceed to welcome the
lay faithful at the time and in the manner he deems most appropriate—for example, by
using the Rite of Admission to Full Communion with the Catholic Church for those already
validly baptized, duly adapted.
As for the lay faithful referred to in nos. 3-4, it will suffice for them to approach a priest
in full communion, with the decision not to frequent the Priestly Fraternity of
Saint Pius X in the future.
PROFESSION OF FAITH
I _______________________________________________________________
I firmly believe and profess all and each of the things contained in the Creed,
namely:
I believe in one God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were made,
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit, of the Virgin Mary, and became man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried; and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end; and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified together, who spoke through the Prophets; and one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
I also believe with firm faith all that is contained in the Word of God, written or handed down, and proposed by the Church, whether by solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal Magisterium, as divinely revealed to be believed.
I also firmly embrace and retain each and every thing that is definitively taught by the same concerning doctrine concerning faith or morals.
Moreover, I adhere with religious obedience of will and intellect to the doctrines which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise the authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim them in a definitive act.
In place_______________________ On _______________________
__________________________________
ATTACHMENT B
FORM OF ADHESION
I _______________________________________________________________
I promise fidelity to the Catholic Church and to the Roman Pontiff,
Supreme Pastor of the Church, Vicar of Christ, Successor of Blessed Peter in his
Primacy and Head of the College of Bishops, abstaining from any public declaration
that is contrary to the same person or the Magisterium (cf. cann. 1373 and 1365 CJC).
I accept the doctrine taught in n° 25 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium
of the Second Vatican Council on the Magisterium of the Church and on the adherence due to it. Regarding certain doctrines taught by the Second Vatican Council, or regarding later restorations of either the Liturgy or Canon Law, which some find difficult to reconcile with the previous declarations of the Magisterium, I undertake to follow a positive line in interpreting the doctrine under the guidance of the Magisterium, lest anyone disassociate it from the rest of the sacred patrimony of the Church's doctrine. I also declare that I accept the validity of the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments celebrated with the intention of doing what the Church does, and according to the rites that are found in the typical editions of the Roman Missal and the Rituals published by the Supreme Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II. I promise, in conclusion, to adhere to the common discipline of the Church and its laws, especially those contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II. All of which I have signed with my own hand, In place _______________________ On _______________________ ___________________________________
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SSPX Response to Excommunication Decree
The Superior General
To His Holiness
Pope Leo XIV
Ecône, 3 July 2026
Among yourselves, if a father is asked by his son for bread, will he give him a stone? Or for a fish, will he give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he is asked for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? Why then, if you, evil as you are, know well enough how to give your children what is good for them, is not your Father much more ready to give, from heaven, his gracious Spirit to those who ask him? (Lk XI, 11-13)
Most Holy Father,
The notification of the decision taken by the Holy See regarding the Society of Saint Pius X, signed by His Eminence Cardinal Fernández, has reached us and is now a matter of public knowledge.
It appears to us that this decision once more brings to light the profoundly tragic context in which the universal Church finds herself. 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. We in no way claim to substitute ourselves for the Church, and we have no ambition other than to remain faithful to her.
In conscience, we did not believe we could evade the moral duty we owe to souls, as we have already explained, both privately and publicly, to Your Holiness.
We had asked for bread, that is to say, a measure of understanding for a sincere case of conscience—an act of fatherhood directed not so much toward the Society of Saint Pius X as toward souls, promising You to form them into true sons of the Roman Church; unfortunately, we received a stone.
We had asked for a fish, that is to say, the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests, so that they might pursue their mission of making Our Lord known to souls; unfortunately, we received a serpent.
We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible. Indeed, the holy Tradition that we preserve within souls belongs to the Church, our Mother—and not to the Society of Saint Pius X—and we are certain that one day a Pope will wish to employ it for the good of the universal Church; unfortunately, we received a scorpion.
We had asked to be instructed and confirmed in the faith of all time; instead, we have been declared schismatic a second time.
Despite the sanctions levelled against us, the Society of Saint Pius X sincerely renews the promise it has already expressed to Your Holiness. Allow me, in this regard, to freely reiterate what I have previously stated:
“The Society promises You […] to devote all its energies to preserving Tradition and placing it at the service of the Church. In doing so, the Society of Saint Pius X does not merely maintain ancient customs; it fosters and preserves priestly vocations, religious vocations, and large, deeply Christian families—in a word, everything that manifests the vitality of the Church, of grace, and of the Catholic faith. Our intention is not to offer the Church a museum of antiquities, but rather the entirety of Tradition: fruitful, a source of spiritual life, embodied and lived out within souls.
[...] I am certain that one day You yourself, or one of Your successors, will be able and willing to utilise this service, the offering of which, within the Church and for the Church, constitutes our sole reason for being.” (Personal letter addressed to His Holiness on 21 November 2025)
But above all, the Society of Saint Pius X promises You today that it will not receive these new sanctions—objectively unjust and invalid—with bitterness or revolt.
These recent condemnations, like those of the past, strike at what we hold most dear: our attachment to our Mother, the Roman Church. Yet, even in this trial, all things must work together for the good of souls and of the Church herself. Therefore, these condemnations compel us to love Holy Church even more, and to provide for her needs with all our strength, now more than ever. For this very reason, the Society of Saint Pius X willingly offers up the suffering caused by these new sanctions for the good of the universal Church and of Your Holiness.
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,” Instaurare omnia in Christo. On that day, the
Holy Father will discover in the Society of Saint Pius X not a nest of serpents and scorpions, but a small army of loyal sons, ready to do anything to sustain Him in the restoration of all things in Our Lord, and to vindicate before all mankind the imprescriptible rights of Christ the King over all souls and over all nations.
On that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and profound consolation, authentically Catholic souls whose bond with the Church was never founded upon the shifting sands of an ambiguous dialogue, but upon the rock of the faith of Peter.
We ask the Most Holy Virgin Mary to hasten the dawning of that day, and we pray, above all, that Your Holiness may experience this joy and consolation as soon as possible.
In the meantime, if You are able, despite Your recent decision, bless us as Your sons. For us, nothing has changed, and nothing ever will change.
Trusting in Divine Providence, from which nothing is hidden and which reads into the depths of every man's heart,
I remain, Most Holy Father, your most devoted son in the Lord.
Don Davide Pagliarani
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