MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
There is a schism in the Catholic Church. Today, the Vatican excommunicated bishops from a conservative group that ordained new bishops against Pope Leo's wishes. The Vatican says members, quote, "who adhere formally" to the group are also excommunicated. Claire Giangrave of Religion News Service has more from Rome.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing in non-English language).
CLAIRE GIANGRAVE: Beneath the misty Alps, at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, the Society of St. Pius X consecrated four new bishops, even though Pope Leo XIV had explicitly asked them not to do it. The conservative society framed its defiance as a defense of Catholic tradition. Ornate vestments and Gregorian chants marked the ceremony in front of a crowd of thousands, who had gathered in a field before a large tent with rows of priests and nuns and black habits. During the ceremony, the Reverend Davide Pagliarani, head of the Society of St. Pius X, called the consecrations an act of service, not rebellion. Here's him speaking on Wednesday in French, with a translation provided by the Society of St. Pius X.
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DAVIDE PAGLIARANI: (Through interpreter) We have to be ready to pay whatever the price to serve the church, and whatever the sacrifices God asks of us, even if it means we are treated as rebels.
GIANGRAVE: Founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the society celebrates the traditional Latin Mass and rejects church dialogues with other faiths and other modern reforms. Before the consecrations, the Vatican had tried to convince the society not to go forward. Pope Leo XIV made a final appeal in an open letter on Tuesday, writing, quote, "turn back."
Under canon law, the four new bishops and the bishop who consecrated them were automatically excommunicated. In Catholicism, bishops appointed without the pope's approval are considered invalid. Two of the men excommunicated today teach in United States, where membership has been growing, according to the society. David Gibson, director of the Center of Religion and Culture at Fordham University, said the conflict provides a critical test for Pope Leo's young papacy.
DAVID GIBSON: This is a real challenge for Pope Leo. His central theme is unity. And here you have a schism a little over a year into his pontificate. So for him, it's really a heartache.
GIANGRAVE: On Thursday, the Vatican formalized the excommunications and declared that the society had entered schism, breaking communion with the pope and the Catholic Church. It also warned Catholics not to take part in the society's ceremonies or sacraments.
For NPR News, I'm Claire Giangrave. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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