The founder of the Servants of the Holy Family, Bishop Anthony Ward, has revealed that he was secretly consecrated in a ceremony, which while valid was illicit, in 2024 by Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu, the retired Archbishop of Lusaka.
The admission came publicly on 16 November – the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost – when Bishop Ward stated that both he and Archbishop Mpundu had “received notice” from Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández informing them that they had incurred latae sententiae excommunication. The primary problem is that when Bishop Ward was consecrated, the ceremony was conducted in the Traditional Rite but without papal approval.
