Vatican Excommunicates Four SSPX Bishops After Unauthorized Ordinations

The Society of Saint Pius X went ahead and ordained four bishops without a papal mandate, reprising the events of 1988. The Vatican, in turn, has announced the imposition of the same penalty: excommunication, along with official guidance for SSPX priests or faithful to reconcile themselves to the Holy See and the broader Catholic Church.

In my eyes, the whole thing was an avoidable tragedy. Effectively, the church has lost more than 731 priests, several religious houses, and a community in Kansas that just built one of the largest modern cathedrals (at a time when much of the rest of the American church is downsizing).

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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The Society of Saint Pius X went ahead and ordained four bishops without a papal mandate, reprising the events of 1988. The Vatican, in turn, has announced the imposition of the same penalty: excommunication, along with official guidance for SSPX priests or faithful to reconcile themselves to the Holy See and the broader Catholic Church.

In my eyes, the whole thing was an avoidable tragedy. Effectively, the church has lost more than 731 priests, several religious houses, and a community in Kansas that just built one of the largest modern cathedrals (at a time when much of the rest of the American church is downsizing).