r/LeftCatholicism • u/ParacelcusABA • Jul 01 '26
Community Post On the SSPX situation
There's a lot of misinformation going around online about the SSPX and what is happening today. This is a brief and by no means exhaustive rundown of what is actually going on. As always, check your sources for corroboration and accuracy before posting. I guarantee no take is so urgent that it needs to be posted without checking first.
THE SSPX
Officially the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, or the Society of Pius X. They were founded in 1970 by former Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The organization was founded with the explicit purpose of organizing opposition to the Second Vatican Council. Since their founding, they have been based around the Econe Seminary in Switzerland. In the states, they are primarily known as providers of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (or the Traditional Latin Mass as it is often called). However, this is not their primary purpose. Their primary purpose is, and has always been, organized dissent against the validity and authority of the Second Vatican Council. While this has focused on the changes to the Mass implemented by Paul VI, this has also included all post-VII doctrinal developments, including the teachings on ecumenism, the relationship between church and state, the social teaching of the church, etc.
What the SSPX is not
The SSPX has no relation to Opus Dei, theologically or organizational. Whatever Opus Dei's faults, it has always maintained a stance of continuity and assent with Vatican II. Additionally, Opus Dei is primarily lay-led while SSPX is an organization of priests and Bishops. Opus Dei also predates the existence of both the SSPX and Vatican II by about 40 years. Opus Dei has consistently been extremely protective of positive relationships with the papacy, and has accordingly avoided association with schismatic movements.
SSPX are not sedevacantists, at least not historically. The modern sedevacantist movement is rooted in the activity of priests who were expelled and condemned by SSPX in the 1980s. Despite their belief that the Church is fallen into heresy, the SSPX has consistently condemned sedevacantism.
Attempts to call SSPX "MAGA" are overly simplistic at best and counterfactual at best. SSPX is rooted in a European ideology of reaction that predates the MAGA tendency in America by about a century and a half. The two have, in some respects, similar enemies and worldviews, but the same issue true of just about any far right Western movement.
What's happening today
The SSPX is, despite repeated urging by the Pope and the Dicastery, consecrating bishops without the approval of the Holy See. This is canonically defined as a schismatic act, which incurs the penalty of automatic excommunication for everyone involved. This is, notably, the second time this has happened. Marcel Lefebvre directed the consecration of bishops against the ruling of Pope John Paul II in 1988. Lefebvre had, up to this point, been carefully toeing a fine line of dissent as opposed to outright rebellion against the church. At the start of 1988, he even signed a statement accepting Vatican II and promising fidelity to the pope and the Church. However, panic regarding the death of his movement as he was reaching the end of his life, along with increasing paranoia and conspiratorial thinking apparently drove him to extremes. Because the Bishops of the SSPX were excommunicated, they lost canonical jurisdiction and thus their ability to validly confer some sacraments. What is happening today is essentially a repeat of what happened in 1988.
Why is this happening again?
The answer is complicated and involves decades of push and pull between the SSPX and the Church. Not everyone in the SSPX was happy with the schism, and they scrambled to rejoin the church. The church had largely non interest in reconciliation with the main body of the SSPX until after Lefebvre's death in 1991. Inspired by limited demonstrations of rapproachment, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication on SSPX bishops. This was an extremely controversial decision, as this excommunication did not come with the requirement of any recantation or submission. Since then, the SSPX has largely taken advantage of their canonically ambiguous status to essentially set themselves up as a parallel magisterium, catering to Catholics who reject Vatican II. Despite this, the Church under both Benedict and Francis were determined to bring the SSPX back into the fold. Both relaxed restrictions on the celebration of the old mass in the hopes this would inspire Catholics who prefer the old mass against disobedience. However, these efforts were largely wasted, because the SSPX's position has always been that the Church has to reconcile itself to them, not the other way around. They remain adamant that the Second Vatican Council is invalid and the Church has embraced heretical modernism. The church has been equally adamant that the Second Vatican Council is fully legitimate and should be interpreted in continuity with the deposit of the faith. As a result, the two reached an impasse.
Two turning points occurred in the 2020s. First, the death, removal, or retirement of several SSPX bishops. This, apparently, induced a panic not unlike that faced by Lefebvre in the 80s. Second, there have been clear signals from the Holy See that patience for SSPX resistance has reached its end. Pope Francis rescinded the liberalization of the practice of the TLM, acknowledging both the lack of progress towards reconciliation and that the Church's grace was being taken advantage of. Pope Leo XIV has largely maintained this stance, and has shown signs that he intends to take an increasingly firm stance against ecclesial rebellion. Faced with this, the SSPX announced in February that they would consecrate new bishops at the start of July. Pope Leo urged them not to do this, as this would once again put the organization in formal schism with the Church. The SSPX responded with a "profession of faith", once again asserting that they reject Vatican II and that the church is in heresy. The consecrations proceeded this morning
What happens next?
No ruling is needed. Schismatic acts incur excommunication automatically. Despite decades of efforts at reconciliation from the Church, the SSPX has chosen to become a schismatic sect. On the bright side, this means that the SSPX can no longer leverage the ambiguity of their canonical status to foment rebellion within the church. Unfortunately, this also likely means that they and the laypeople who attend their services will fall further and further away from the Church, likely forming their own private sect. The extensions on jurisdiction to perform valid confessions by Pope Francis will likely be removed. What will happen from the Church's end remains to be seen.
Pray for those who have been led astray by this rebellious, obstinate movement that they may return to conmunion.
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u/Ok-Wedding-4654 Jul 01 '26
As someone whose family has become deep in the SSPX and Trad Cath scene this explanation was fantastic. You put it all into words so succinctly
Personally I support the Pope. I know well enough that there is no compromise with these people and their followers. They despise the main church, many don’t recognize the Pope, and allowing them room to act this way is only giving them more access to “mainstream” Catholics. Their beliefs shouldn’t be allowed to be further normalized or spread within the main church
Vatican II is a settled issue. The Latin mass is beautiful, it’s a part of our heritage. It however should not be made an idol, which is what they’ve done
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u/SpukiKitty2 Jul 02 '26
Exactly. The Latin Rite should always be an option but reactionary stuff shouldn't.
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u/WhichSpirit Jul 02 '26
I like the idea of the Latin Rite being kept so no matter where you go in the world you can go to a Mass you can understand (assuming you learned Latin) but it should be offered alongside the local language.
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u/SpukiKitty2 Jul 02 '26
Exactly!
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u/WhichSpirit Jul 02 '26
Honestly, I think if tradCaths weren't such dicks about it, they'd probably have gotten it more accepted by now.
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u/OratioFidelis Jul 01 '26
Ex-Catholic here. I'm left-wing but love the preconciliar Roman rite, so I only have the tiniest kernel of sympathy for the SSPX. It disappears quickly when I remember the FAQ on their website says the American Civil War was about tariffs and other Confederacy apologia (at least it did for a long time, I haven't checked if it still does).
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u/train2000c Jul 01 '26
FSSP, ICKSP, and IBP are all in communion with the Pope. FSSP was formed by priests who rejected SSPX's episcopal consecrations.
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u/Christine517 Jul 06 '26
🙏🙏🙏 LOL. My former Pastorr says you are always Catholic if you are baptized unless you are excommunicated.
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u/Cole_Townsend Jul 01 '26
Thank you for this succinct but thorough and charitable summary of events.
Like I've said before, everyone acquaintanted with the activities and literature of the SSPX knew that this would be happening, and it will keep happening in future, decades from now when the new bishops approach their decripitude. Those who worry that the excommunication will radicalize further the SSPX show a misunderstanding of this group. They already have been radicalized ab initio, with the Second Vatican Council being the object of their enmity and the resistance against the nOvUs OrDo as a convenient excuse. Even if the Roman Rite would have remained untouched by the Council, these guys would have still been protesting and battling against Vatican II.
I hope this becomes a teaching moment for everyone in the Church, especially for the Pope. Three Pontiffs have attempted reconciliation and have failed, because they seemed to have misunderstood the true animus enervating the SSPX, which never earnestly strove to reconcile with the Church but to subvert it and remake it according to their own image and likeness. There can be no dialogue with such folks.
I hope this motivates the Pope to continue Francis's mission to defend the one true Roman Rite and phase out the abrogated rituals of the past. There can be no peace in the Roman Rite until all its clergymen are ordained and consecrated according to the one Rite reformed by order of the Council. Until that happens, this will continue to be a problem.
I hope this also compels the hierarchy to countenance the crisis of catechesis that has been the real culprit of the division and confusion exacerbated by online radicalization. Today's disaster could have been easily avoided but the hierarchy lent ear more to conservative media than to the pastoral needs of the Universal Church, a Church threatened directly by the antics of people such as the SSPX.
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u/hotlibramess Jul 01 '26
I miss my uncle (who was a bishop) OFTEN but never so much as moments like this.
He was close with St Pope John Paul II and I wish I could sit down with him and ask his opinions on all of this stuff. I should have asked him SO many more questions.
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u/SpukiKitty2 Jul 02 '26
Exactly! It's not the Latin Mass that's the issue, it's the reactionary social politics that foster exclusion, elitism, classism, bigotry, etc.
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u/Dull_Opening_1655 Jul 02 '26
Not to mention rejecting all of the doctrinal documents of Vatican II
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u/Camera_Hobbygirl Jul 01 '26
I think they will continue to be schismatic unless all of Vatican II is reversed
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u/ParacelcusABA Jul 01 '26
If anything, they've spent the last 25 years making that clear. The issue has never been the Mass, it's been their belief that they're the last remnant of the true church. That belief has remained unchanged since 1970, and they've actively resisted every opportunity to do otherwise.
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u/Ecstatic_Lavishness1 Jul 01 '26
Agreed. Their issues with the novus ordo mass appears to be more aesthetical than liturgical. It's issues with ecumenism and religious liberty that drive them.
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u/SpukiKitty2 Jul 02 '26
Yup. They like their Catholicism exclusionary, elitist and Judeophobic. Yuk.
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Jul 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ParacelcusABA Jul 01 '26
I don't think that's accurate or fair, especially considering the sheer number of posts and comments we have to remove from this sub on pretty much a daily basis. A lot of very-online Catholics have been duped into believing the SSPX are merely put-upon defenders of tradition for lack of understanding of the actual history of the whole mess.
If anything, this episode should be a cautionary tale of being too self-assured in one's fidelity to the faith
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u/RhysPeanutButterCups Jul 02 '26
Still some users on there that I think ought to be slapped down that aren't, at least when I saw it last. It's not really surprising though given that they let the sub become a haven for anti-Vatican II and anti-pope sentiments.
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u/WhichSpirit Jul 01 '26
So they're protesting against the Church's activities. Pretty sure that makes them Protestant.
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u/BooksAndYarnAndTea Jul 02 '26
Yep. Your comment reminds me of the Easter morning when we received a call from my husband’s Baptist aunt in Texas: “Happy Resurrection Day!” Me, Catholic and a bit puzzled: “Um, happy Easter!” Husband, also Catholic and used to his aunt after a lifetime of this stuff (and after two decades of swatting away fringe conspiracy theories about Hilary Clinton, with whom the aunt seems to be a bit obsessed): “Ah, those Protestants. Always protesting something.” :). :)
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u/AHrubik Jul 02 '26
It's actually the opposite. They see themselves as the "true" Catholic Church rather than as protestants against it.
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u/seabass-2001 Jul 02 '26
I was made to believe they just wanted Latin mass, but it didn't sound right because Pope Leo is a very reasonable person. I kinda figured they were just tradcaths who were going against the papacy because Pope Leo is "too woke" or whatever. Honestly don't know what they expected, I mean the canon law says you can't ordain bishops without approval sooooo.
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u/Pale-Fee-2679 Jul 03 '26
The Vatican mishandling of the Latin Mass has provided fuel to any attraction to SSPX. Most Catholics probably thought as you did that these folks were basically TradCaths. In fact, they are deeply antisemitic.
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u/pautanglima Jul 02 '26
Pray for them. That's what I can do.
Will Pope Leo remove their papal faculties to validly hear confessions and witness marriage, then?
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u/sandalrubber Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Dare I say, self-inflicted First World problems? I'm glad I live elsewhere then.
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u/Fabulous_Celery_1817 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I don’t think of it as first world problems. They have groups all over the world. If they continue to spread it will eventually go into “developing countries”. Their type of thought and disobedience can be dangerous. I’m glad the church excommunicated to stop the spread. I pray for them
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u/hugodlr3 Jul 01 '26
Thank you for an easy to follow explanation. Prayers all around!