The Society of St Pius X consecrated four new bishops without Vatican approval at its International Seminary in Écône, Switzerland, on 1 July, despite Pope Leo XIV’s personal appeal for the ceremony to be postponed and warnings from the Holy See that it risked deepening the Society’s irregular canonical status.

The consecrations marked the first time since 1988 that the Society had created new bishops, ensuring the continuation of its episcopal leadership for decades to come. While the SSPX said the consecrations were necessary to safeguard its future and preserve its mission, the Vatican declared that they constituted a "schismatic act". (All photographs ©FSSPX.)