The Big Opportunity for Bishops After the SSPX Consecrations

Last updated on: July 10, 2026 at 7:43 pm by Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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The Big Opportunity for Bishops After the SSPX Consecrations 2026-07-10T19:43:46-07:00 Fr. Nicholas Sheehy, LC

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Part of me resists writing about the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). I respect those people who are doing the best they can in a confusing world. I come to a different conclusion reading some of the same facts, but I respect and empathize with them. However, I can never support separation from the Catholic Church. The events leading up to and following the consecration of four new bishops are tragic. Ironically, the Vatican’s firm response may have created the greatest opportunity for reconciliation between the Society and the Church in decades.

What We Knew Was Going to Happen with the SSPX

For years, the Holy See maintained dialogue with the SSPX, most of it disappointing. Despite years of dialogue, substantial disagreements remained over the authority of the Second Vatican Council, the liturgical reforms, and the path toward canonical regularization. By the time the consecrations took place, few expected negotiations to succeed.

July 1, the consecrations took place in Écône, Switzerland. The Vatican had been clear that this would lead to excommunication. The oil was still fresh when the document was released.

July 2, Cardinal Fernandez, as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued the decree declaring excommunication for the consecrating bishops, the consecrated bishops, and all those who adhere to the Society.

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The Vatican’s Strategic Move

Many people have reported the following move, but I don’t know that everyone has grasped the potential for healing the schism that comes with it. The clarity of the decree will likely prompt many Society priests and lay faithful to reconsider their situation. The Vatican’s most pastoral move was not the penalty itself but the clear path it simultaneously provided for reconciliation.

The very explanatory note pointed out that priests and lay faithful can come back to full communion with the Catholic Church. In this case, the Vatican gives each individual a way out. No bishop, no priest, no lay person affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X has to stay away from the sacraments.

A priest has to find an Ordinary – a bishop – willing to take him on into the diocese. Furthermore, he has to recognize the validity of the Novus Ordo Mass and accept the doctrine of the Second Vatican Council. Then he writes a letter to the Pope, including his certificate of priestly ordination, his rite of adherence and his profession of faith.

For laypeople, it is even simpler, requiring simply a conversation with their legitimate pastor, who will help them see if they incurred the canonical penalty of excommunication and who can receive them back into full communion.

Completing the Move

July 3, I saw a brilliant statement from Bishop Frank Caggiano, Ordinary of the Bridgeport Diocese in Connecticut. He issued a statement regarding the SSPX. The whole progression seems to be tremendously pastoral, and the best image to understand it is precisely a shepherd with his sheep.

How does a shepherd pastor his sheep? He makes it so they can only move in one direction. A shepherd guides his flock by removing every path except the right one. Bishop Caggiano put out a message inviting priests and lay faithful from the Society of St. Pius X to invite them to reconcile with the Church. At the same time, he invited his priests to be good pastors and to facilitate the process as much as possible.

Taking Advantage of a Difficult Situation

Communicating a clear message of welcome and making the Traditional Latin Mass more readily available will help many traditionalist Catholics to move away from the SSPX and back to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The Church has always desired unity, even though it has always suffered from division.

Recent events have highlighted some of the division that exists within the Church. So many people drawn to traditional liturgy have a deep love for the Church and suffer to see so much confusion and division. The canonical situation is no longer ambiguous. Now, the bishops have a unique opportunity to call many back to the Mystical Body of Christ. If they combine pastoral charity with clarity and a welcoming voice, many who sincerely love the Church may discover that the door home has never been closed.

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