Pope Leo pleads with breakaway Catholic group not to commit 'sin of extreme gravity'

Pope Leo XIV issued an bonzer last-minute plea Tuesday to a breakaway traditionalist Catholic radical to wantonness plans to consecrate 4 bishops without Vatican approval, informing the determination was a "sin of utmost gravity" and could deepen a decades-old divided with the Church.

In a missive addressed to the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, person of the Society of St. Pius X, Leo urged the radical to reconsider earlier Wednesday's planned ceremonial successful Econe, Switzerland, saying it would spot the bishops progressive extracurricular the Church’s communion.

"I plead with you and inquire you with each my heart: delight crook back!" the pope wrote.

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Pope Leo XIV waves during the Angelus noon supplication from the model of his workplace overlooking St. Peter's Square, astatine the Vatican, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Under religion law, consecrating bishops without papal support is considered a schismatic enactment and carries automatic excommunication for some the bishops being ordained and the bishop performing the ceremony.

"I impulse you to see cautiously the spiritual bully of the faithful, due to the fact that the schismatic enactment you are astir to undertake would deprive them of the licit, and successful immoderate cases, adjacent valid reception of the sacraments," Leo wrote.

Pope Leo XIV delivers his connection arsenic helium celebrates a Mass wherever helium confers the pallium connected recently appointed metropolitan archbishops, successful St. Peter's Basilica, astatine the Vatican, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The quality marks the archetypal large situation of Leo's pontificate. Since becoming pope, the American-born pontiff has emphasized healing divisions wrong the Church, including tensions with traditionalist Catholics who favour the aged Latin Mass.

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The Society of St. Pius X was founded aft the Second Vatican Council, rejecting galore of the church's reforms, including allowing Mass to beryllium celebrated successful section languages alternatively of Latin. The radical has agelong argued that it is preserving authentic Catholic teaching.

The nine defended its determination to consecrate 4 caller bishops, saying determination is simply a "state of necessity" requiring it to supply bishops for its faithful.

The planned ceremonial echoes a akin confrontation successful 1988, erstwhile the group's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated 4 bishops without papal approval. The Vatican responded by excommunicating Lefebvre and the recently ordained bishops, though those excommunications were lifted successful 2009 arsenic portion of an effort to reconstruct relations.

Pope Leo XIV leaves aft a Mass wherever helium conferred the pallium connected recently appointed metropolitan archbishops, successful St. Peter's Basilica, astatine the Vatican, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Despite years of dialog with the Vatican, the SSPX remains extracurricular the church's ceremonial structure.

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The nine has continued to grow successful caller decades, reporting hundreds of priests, seminarians and spiritual members crossed dozens of countries, making it 1 of the largest traditionalist movements operating extracurricular the Catholic Church's authoritative authority.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.