A traditionalist sect of the Catholic Church defied Pope Leo XIV Wednesday as it ordained four new bishops, including a St. Marys priest, without papal mandate. The Society of Saint Pius X now faces possible excommunication from the church.
The Society of Saint Pius X, or SSPX, was founded in 1970 and opposes the Second Vatican Council, which modernized the Church and allowed reforms such as the celebration of Mass in vernacular languages. It consecrated four original bishops in 1988, which resulted in excommunication from the Church for a schismatic act.
