Vatican's schism widens as traditionalist bishops face excommunication

The Vatican excommunicated six bishops from the ultraconservative Society of St. Pius X on Thursday, according to the New York Times and France 24, following the breakaway group's defiant consecration of four new bishops a day earlier. The move represents the first major crisis for Pope Leo XIV, who had pleaded for unity before the traditionalist group openly rejected his authority. The Vatican warned that lay believers who "formally adhere" to the Society would face the same fate, signalling a hardening stance toward a schism that has festered since the 1980s.

The Society of St. Pius X, which the BBC reported has around 600,000 followers globally, rejects key tenets of the modern Catholic Church, including the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The group operates as a shadow hierarchy with its own seminaries, parishes and bishops, functioning outside Rome's direct control. France 24 noted that the excommunication decree came swiftly after the group's ordination ceremony, suggesting the Vatican had prepared its response in advance.