The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree on July 2, 2026, declaring that bishops involved in the Society of St. Pius X's (SSPX) unauthorized episcopal consecrations the previous day had incurred automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication, and it explicitly warned clergy and laity not to adhere to what it called the SSPX's schism.
On July 1, 2026, at the SSPX seminary in Écône, Switzerland, four priests were consecrated as bishops without obtaining the required papal mandate from Pope Leo XIV. The consecrating bishops were SSPX Bishops Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s decree stated the consecrating bishops and the newly consecrated bishops had incurred excommunication because they carried out episcopal consecrations "without pontifical mandate and against the will of the Supreme Pontiff" and therefore committed "an act of a schismatic nature."
The decree further warned: "Clerics and lay faithful are warned not to adhere to the schism of the SSPX, as they would ipso facto incur the penalty of latae sententiae excommunication."
Specifically, this means:
- The sacred ministers (bishops, priests, deacons and other clerics) belonging to the SSPX are in schism and therefore are to be considered schismatics, subject to the excommunication prescribed by canon law (see Canon 1364);
- Lay faithful who formally adhere to the SSPX are to be considered schismatics and excommunicated under the conditions established in the 1996 Explanatory Note of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts;
- The Holy People of God are warned that the sacred ministers of the SSPX administer the sacraments illicitly, and that the Sacrament of Penance administered by them and marriages witnessed by them are invalid.
Since SSPX has a chapel within our diocese—Sacred Heart Church on Valley Road in Mancelona—it is necessary for the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Gaylord to be informed of this situation. In the Church's canonical tradition, schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with those subject to him. (Canon 751)
For the faithful who wish to participate in the Holy Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal (the Traditional Latin Mass), the Diocese of Gaylord offers two locations that are fully united with and in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church: St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Elmira (Sundays at 3 p.m.) and Holy Rosary Church in Cedar (Sundays at 11 a.m.). The sacraments celebrated at these parishes are licitly administered within the life of the Church and under the pastoral care of the Diocese of Gaylord.
Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh statement follows:
“Catholics are not permitted to participate in the sacramental life and ministries of the Society of Saint Pius X or to receive the sacraments from bishops and priests associated with the Society. The only exception provided for in canon law is danger of death.
"I grieve over the wound inflicted on Christ's Body, the Church, and the effect it may have on the spiritual well-being of the faithful. While this situation results from actions that have placed individuals in separation from full communion with the Church and the successor of Peter, it should also prompt all of us to reflect upon the importance of humility, charity and obedience in the life of faith. The Church is strongest when we accompany one another with patience, address concerns with honesty and love, and remain united to Christ through communion with His Church.
"I recognize that many of the faithful who have worshipped in SSPX communities over the years have done so out of a sincere love for the Eucharist, the Church's sacred traditions and the desire to pass on the Catholic faith to their children. To those individuals and families, I want to assure you of my pastoral concern and prayers. I invite you to remain, or where necessary return, in full communion with the Church and with the successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV. Together, may we continue to seek the Lord and grow as His disciples in faith, hope and charity.
"I ask the faithful to join me in praying for healing, reconciliation and renewed unity within the Church. Entrusting this sorrow to Divine Providence, let us ask the Holy Spirit to bring grace where there is division, understanding where there is confusion, and hope where there is discouragement, so that all may be one in Christ."
