THE Vatican has excommunicated the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), an ultra-traditionalist Catholic group.
The Catholic Church announced the excommunication on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
The decision comes after the group ordained four new bishops in Switzerland on Wednesday without the pope’s approval.
It was not the first time the group defied the pope. In 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre ordained four bishops without the approval of then-pope John Paul II and excommunicated them.
Following the announcement, Fr. Michel Rion of the SSPX — the main organizer of the bishop consecrations in Switzerland — said they are “hurt and sad.”
Addressing the pope, Rion said, “I really pray, and I hope that the Pope takes the time to know these parishioners, to know these many souls around the world who just go to the society and to the priests to sell their souls, to receive the sacraments like the Church always gave these sacraments.”
“The general superior of the Catholic congregation is not received and cannot even talk to the Pope. So that’s something that lots of parishioners are hurting to hear, and they really hope that one day, the Pope will welcome and say, well, I’m happy to listen to my children, I know they are my children, and I’m sure you will see that they love him, they love the Church, they love their faith,” he said.
The Vatican had warned Catholics against going to SSPX Masses, stating that “those who adhere formally” to the society are also schismatic and excommunicated.
The Catholic Encyclopedia defines excommunication as “a medicinal, spiritual penalty that deprives the guilty Christian of all participation in the common blessings of ecclesiastical society.”
“Being a penalty, it supposes guilt; and being the most serious penalty that the Church can inflict, it naturally supposes a very grave offense.”
The SSPX has a church in the Philippines, the Our Lady of Victories Church in Quezon City. It claims to have between 3,000 and 4,000 parishioners and faithful.
The Manila Times sought comment from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and the Our Lady of Victories Church but has not received a response.
The group, founded in 1970, has been known to reject reforms that sought to modernize the Catholic Church.
