Rogue Catholic traditionalists risk showdown with Vatican

A Catholic community wedded to tradition is preparing to defy Pope Leo XIV by ordaining new bishops without his approval, raising the specter of a new schism within the Church.

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Pope Leo XIV greets people during a weekly general audience, at Paul-VI hall in The Vatican on February 4, 2026.

((Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP))

It reignites a longstanding power struggle between Rome and traditionalists who are angered by threats to old-age rites, such as the use of Latin in church.

The Switzerland-based Society of Saint Pius X, which has about 600,000 followers worldwide, said this week it would go ahead with the ordinations on July 1, after a diplomatic outreach came to nothing.

The society (SSPX) said it had asked for an audience with the US pontiff, who was elected in May, but received an unsatisfactory response.

Ordaining bishops without the Vatican's approval would mean excommunication -- being expelled outright from the Catholic Church.

It would not be the first time: the society was founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, but clashed with Rome almost immediately.