Church schism: the brotherhood of St. Pius X defied the Pope

An old schism has intensified in the Catholic Church. The Vatican has excommunicated representatives of the Brotherhood of St. Pius X, an ultraconservative movement that has not accepted Rome's reforms since the 1970s, celebrates the pre—Reform Latin Mass, and considers the renewal of the church to be a concession to the modern world. But today the situation is in favor of the schismatics — against the background of a right-wing turn in Western politics, the brotherhood has more supporters and money, and its rhetoric is in tune with American President Donald Trump, chairman of the National Unification faction in the French National Assembly Marine Le Pen and the German AfD party. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

A new round of schism

On July 1, a historic event took place in the Swiss village of Ekone — the brotherhood of St. Pius X ordained four new bishops. The ceremony turned out to be extremely solemn: more than 15,000 believers and about a thousand clergy from all over the world took part. The service itself lasted five hours.

There was only one thing that marred the event: from the point of view of Catholic law, it was illegal. The fact is that episcopal ordinations are possible only with the consent of the Pope. Two days before the ceremony, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the leadership of the organization asking them to abandon this idea. The pontiff warned that such a move would be regarded as a "grave sin against church unity" and would actually lead to a new schism.

However, the brotherhood did not listen to the appeal. Bishop Alfonso de Galareta, with the participation of Bishop Bernard Fellay, appointed four priests from France, Switzerland and the USA — Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Anappier.

Now they are all excommunicated from the church. "Priests and lay people are advised not to join the schism of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, as otherwise they will be punished by excommunication," the Vatican website says.

The brotherhood objected that they had actually done everything right. According to them, after the Second Vatican Council, the church found itself in an emergency situation, and therefore the brotherhood is obliged to ensure the transfer of the "treasury of faith" to future generations.

"From the Second Vatican Council to the present day, church authorities have been guided by a spirit contrary to faith and have acted against holy Tradition," the society's website says. They also added that they are supported by believers, which means that "any punishment and censure imposed against this step will have no effect."

Causes of conflict

The history of the current conflict over the brotherhood of St. Pius X dates back to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965. At that time, the Catholic Church decided to adapt more actively to modern realities: it allowed Mass to be celebrated in national languages, began to talk about dialogue with other faiths, as well as a more open attitude to modernity.

But some Catholics did not accept these changes. The reform of the Mass has become especially painful: The old Latin rank was not only translated into modern languages, but also significantly reduced. For traditionalists, this has become a symbol of the church's yielding to the spirit of the times.

One of the main opponents of the reforms was the French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. He founded the Brotherhood of St. Pius X, a movement of Catholics who wanted to preserve the old Latin Mass and the pre—Reformation understanding of the Catholic faith.

Lefebvre's relations with the Vatican remained tense for a long time, but the final break occurred in 1988. Lefebvre was 81 years old at the time, and he believed that if the brotherhood did not have its own bishops, it would gradually disappear. Therefore, he violated the Vatican's ban and, together with Brazilian Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer, ordained four new bishops himself.

As a result, all participants in the ceremony were excommunicated from the church. At the same time, the brotherhood itself refused to recognize itself as schismatics — its supporters recognized the pope, prayed for him, although they did not actually obey his decisions.

Later, Pope Benedict XVI tried to bring the brotherhood back to the Catholic Church. And he even made concessions: he allowed wider use of the old Latin Mass and lifted excommunications from bishops ordained by Lefebvre. In return, the Vatican hoped that the brotherhood would at least formally recognize the decisions of the Second Vatican Council and return to disciplined communication with Rome.

But that didn't happen. The head of the brotherhood, Bishop Bernard Fellay, thanked the pope, but immediately added that the church is experiencing a deep crisis and it can only be overcome by abandoning reforms and returning to the "purity of faith."

Under Pope Francis, the dialogue actually came to naught, this pontiff was much more skeptical about the brotherhood. Moreover, he tightened the rules for holding the old Latin Mass, which was allowed under Benedict XVI. But then Pope Leo XIV came and legalized it again.

Long-lasting consequences

According to Alexei Makarkin, First vice president of the Center for Political Technologies, the brotherhood of St. Pius X had a desire to reach an agreement with the Vatican, but only on its own terms.

— They had a dream that one day they would elect a conservative pope who would meet them halfway: make the old Latin Mass mandatory, reject the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, and remove liberals and ecumenists. They thought they just had to hold out. But Benedict XVI, in fact, deceived their expectations: he met them halfway, but not completely. The decisions of the Second Vatican Council were not canceled," the expert noted.

Now, according to him, the situation for the Brotherhood looks more favorable. If 40 years ago such views were perceived as marginal, today there is a noticeable right-wing and conservative wave in Western politics.

— The political views of people from the brotherhood of St. Pius X are close to Donald Trump, although he is not a Catholic. In France, they were initially close to the National Front: Jean-Marie Le Pen himself was a parishioner of their church in Paris. In 1988, Le Pen was a marginal, and now the party of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardell is already an influential political force," the source explained.

In addition, the movement has grown its own resources. According to the organization's website, they have 675 priests, 137 monks and 200 nuns, there are 810 churches and chapels in 72 countries, as well as six theological seminaries. These figures are small for the entire Catholic Church, but they look noticeable against the background of a decrease in the interest of young people in the priestly ministry.

— Young people with burning eyes come to them, who want to serve the way they did in the Middle Ages: the old Mass, without any innovations. They do not accept the modern liberal course of the Vatican: softening the position on LGBT people (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation. — Izvestia), admission to the communion of divorced people, communion of politicians who advocate the right to abortion. The most famous example is Joe Biden. He is a Catholic, but at the same time supported the right to abortion. These people believe that such politicians should not be given communion," Makarkin added.

In his opinion, the current excommunication will not be a shock to the supporters of the brotherhood of St. Pius X. They expected such a decision and will perceive it as a confirmation of their own rightness.

— At the same time, the Vatican has no real tools to force them to comply. In the Middle Ages, one could ask some king to send an army, but now the pope, of course, will not send the Swiss guard to the Economy. It is impossible to force the brotherhood into submission. Therefore, the most likely scenario is continued existence apart," the expert said.

The consequences for the brotherhood itself will be twofold, political scientist Ilya Graschenkov admitted. The core of supporters is likely to only rally: they will perceive the sanctions as proof of their rightness and as a "persecution of tradition." But more moderate parishioners may move away from them, especially if questions arise about the validity of the sacraments, marriages, confessions, and participation in church life.

— In the short term, they can have a mobilization effect. But in the long run, they risk becoming a closed traditionalist environment: noisy, ideologically motivated, but limited in influence. This is an unpleasant but manageable crisis for the Vatican. Rather than a threat of a split of the entire Church, this is a test of the ability to maintain the boundaries of what is acceptable within the Catholic world," the political scientist concluded.