The Society of Saint Pius X has announced the names of four priests to be consecrated bishops on July 1 at its international seminary in Écône, Switzerland.
The priests chosen are Fr Pascal Schreiber of Switzerland, Fr Michael Goldade of the United States, Fr Michel Poinsinet de Sivry of France and Fr Marc Hanappier of France.
The SSPX said the consecrations were intended to ensure the continuation of the traditional priesthood and the sacraments amid what it describes as an ongoing crisis in the Church.
In a statement, Fr Davide Pagliarani, the society’s superior general, said the dossiers of the four candidates had been presented to the Holy Father “in a spirit of respect towards the supreme authority of the universal Church”, together with explanations regarding what the SSPX considers the exceptional context of the consecrations.
The announcement follows the conclusion of the SSPX’s annual Pentecost pilgrimage from Chartres to Paris. The society has emphasised that the forthcoming consecrations “do not proceed from any desire to claim a power of jurisdiction or to establish a parallel authority within the Church”.
It said they were intended solely “to ensure the continued administration of the sacraments of Holy Orders and Confirmation … according to the traditional rite of the Holy Roman Church and the immemorial Faith”.
The date chosen, July 1, is the Feast of the Most Precious Blood, a traditional liturgical observance particularly dear to Catholics attached to the pre-conciliar rites.
The development marks a significant moment in the longstanding tensions between the Society of Saint Pius X and the Holy See. The SSPX was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 and is based at Écône, where the July ceremony is expected to take place. The society publicly announced earlier this year that it intended to proceed with episcopal consecrations on July 1.
In 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without a papal mandate, an act that led to excommunications for those involved. Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications of the four surviving bishops in 2009, but the society has not achieved full canonical regularisation.
The SSPX has consistently maintained that it acts in a state of necessity to preserve the Faith and the sacraments. In its own account of the July consecrations, the society has said they are required to safeguard its episcopal ministry “for the good of souls”.
The announcement comes after warnings from Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, that episcopal consecrations without papal consent would constitute a schismatic act and incur automatic excommunication. The Vatican has also urged the society to reconsider the decision.
The four priests named have served in various capacities within the SSPX apostolate across Europe and North America. Their elevation is intended by the society to provide for the sacramental needs of faithful attached to the traditional liturgy and doctrine.
The decision to select two French priests reflects the SSPX’s strong historical presence in France, the country in which Archbishop Lefebvre was born. The society also has deep ties to Switzerland, where its Écône seminary is located in the Valais, and to the United States, where it maintains a major seminary and a large apostolate in St Marys, Kansas.
Further details regarding the ceremony at Écône are expected to be released in the coming weeks.
