Feb 04, 2026
3 min read
In the second round there will be five new Lefebvrian bishops
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Episcopal ordinations without papal mandate, as in 1988: On July 1, the Congregation of St.Pius Lefebvre and this time another bishop will be established.The Holy See expressed its desire to maintain relations to avoid a new break.
For the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius, new episcopal appointments are being made for souls that we cannot forget and cannot forsake.This raises questions that we have been asking ourselves for some time and perhaps we need to answer them today."
Don Pagliarani later revealed that he wrote a letter to the Holy Father to explain to him the specific situation facing the fraternity and asked him to take the necessary steps so that this work could continue.According to the Supremo General, now is the time to act: «This is why we think that next July 1 could be a good date, an ideal date [for the consecration of bishops].This is the Feast of the Precious Blood of our Lord."
After a short time, the head office in Menzingen officially confirmed the decision and the July 1st date.According to our sources, there will be five priests who will receive the episcopal handover: Mons. Bernard Fellay and Mons. Alfonso de Galarreta;so one of the bishops appointed by Monsignor Marcel Lefebvre on June 30, 1988 (pictured) continues.
The announcement of new episcopal ordinations by the SSPX is certainly not a bolt from the blue.Abbé de Journa, director of the main French district of the SSPX and rector of the Acon seminary for twenty years, when he began to warm up the engine in Lettres aux Amis et Bienfaiteurs of June 19, 2024, he explained that four bishops, in a long time, were ordained by us "young". Clearly, after 36 years, the situation of the church has not improved since 1988, it is important to consider the possibility of giving an assistant, who will be a substitute.
A few weeks after the death of Mons. Tissier de Mallet (October 8, 2024), one of the four bishops consecrated by Mons. Marcel Lefebvre, Fr. David Pagliarani, in an interview with The Angelus magazine, began to convince his listeners, sensitive "Romans" and non-Romans, that the SSPX would need new bishops after the death of Mons. De Mallet, uniting for exileMons. Richard Williamson of the Society (who later also died on January 29, 2025, consecrating six other bishops in the meantime), halved the number of Lefebvre bishops: "Obviously, this death calls into question the continuity of the work of the Society, which now has only two bishops, and whose mission to souls seems more necessary than ever in these times of terrible upheaval, whichthe Church appears.I'm going through today," Don Pagliarani said on November 1.
Just two months later, the Courrier de Rome, the unofficial journal of the SSPX, also published an article by Abbé Jean-Michel Glaze, a fraternal theologian who was a member of the "committee" charged with communicating the Scriptures, in which Benedict XVI presented the "possibility and necessity of Catholicism. When the time comes, be faithful without hesitation when the Superior General calls it."In this article you will find all the "instructions" of the SSPX regarding the ordination of bishops "as needed" (we will have a chance to talk about this).
On 13 December 2025, in Friedrichshafen, when asked about the possibility of upcoming episcopal ordinations without the Pope's permission, Don Pagliarani hinted that they were on the horizon: "It's a million-dollar question, it's a question... I'm not here to give dates or names, but certainly entrust you with the structure of this prayer."On this occasion, the Superior General praised Monsignor Lefebvre for his "supernatural wisdom," "which shows his obedience to the Spirit, I say."Jerusalem.This "wisdom" is the cornerstone of the position of the SSPX and is responsible for the consecration of new bishops with or without the authority of the Holy See;Lefebvre's alleged miraculous intuition lies in the possibility of the transfer of mandate authority, against the Pope's will, to deprive Peter of his prerogatives, tantamount to a possible transfer of jurisdictional authority and not of mandate authority.The state of necessity experienced by the Church since the Second Vatican Council justifies the legitimacy of continuing with episcopal ordinations without authority in this sense: it is not schismatic, since it does not intend to transfer judicial authority and therefore does not deprive it of the privileges derived from the Petrine primacy.
We have already had occasion to explain why this approach is wrong, and we shall have occasion to return to this subject.Now, we only note the announcement, as promised by the previously mentioned statement from the general, waiting for "consistent information on the current situation and its decision", which will allow us to have a more complete picture of the situation.As we noted the first appearance on the part of the Holy See, not a little, by the Director of the Office Press, which shows the desire of the Pope to continue contact with the SSPX "to avoid misunderstandings with problems or unanimous decisions".
Vigano and Lefebrian illusions of tradition without a church
The canonical process for the former nuncio, while the fraternity was founded by Msgr.Lefebvre announced the illegal consecration of the new bishop.But legitimate criticism of religious authority led to the split.And that is not the solution.
Lefebvrians: As soon as removal is removed, disagreement remains
Monsignor Lefebvre's episcopal appointments are not legitimate from any point of view.And the exile ended by Benedict XVI was aimed at reconciliation, but it does not end the division.As was the case with the Orthodox.
- Following Lefebvres is not the answer, Written by Luisella Scrosati
Disappointed with Rome but no solution to follow the Lefebvrians
Many believers often visit the chapel of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius.However, this is a fallacy based on confusion about the true nature of the Lefebvrians.What the compass describes on this journey in parts.
