Brief: Cult Within a Church Does a Schism
On July 1, 2026, the Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four bishops at its Écône seminary, defying Pope Leo XIV's direct plea to "turn back." Within 24 hours, Rome declared the SSPX's bishops and roughly 750 priests excommunicated and schismatic — invalidating confessions and marriages going forward.
Matthew traces SSPX's origins through Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's formation in the shadow of Action Française's antisemitic integralism, his fight against Vatican II, and the movement's namesake, Pope Pius X's anti-Modernist crusade.
It’s a wild ride: from Juan Fernández y Krohn's 1982 assassination attempt on John Paul II, through Holocaust denial among SSPX clergy, domestic abuse testimony from ex-member Cassandra Hackstock, and Xavier Lopez's 2022 weapons arrest.
Will the schism of a right-wing Catholic sect born out of antisemitism and anticommunism bolster American and global resistance to Leo XIV’s progressive agenda? Is this the form of Catholicism that JD Vance has been looking for? Or will it shift the Overton Window rightward, emboldening Vance and other TradCaths in their lowkey contempt for Leo—because at least the Church should be grateful that at least they’re not full schismatics?
Show Notes
Vatican declares SSPX in schism, excommunicates bishops — AP/NBC News
SSPX ordains four new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo and the Vatican — America Magazine
Thunderstorm interrupts SSPX episcopal consecrations — Catholic Herald
Second Attempt on a Pontiff: The Little-Known 1982 Attack on John Paul II in Fatima — Gaudium Press
Rise of 'new Catholics' hardens battle lines between US and the Vatican — Irish Times
Inside the Schism Threatening the Catholic Church — Jacobin
Seven Years in the SSPX — Where Peter Is
Catholic Traditionalism After Francis — Commonweal Magazine
Analysis: SSPX excommunications show what Pope Leo means by "unity" — America Magazine
