Members of rebel Catholic group in schism, excommunicated, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican said on Thursday that priests and lay Catholics who are part of a breakaway right-wing Catholic group that ordained bishops without Pope Leo's approval are in schism with the wider Church and now excommunicated.

In a strong decree, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the top watchdog authority for the 1.4-billion-member Church, also warned Catholics globally that the Swiss-based Society ​of St. Pius X now celebrates the sacraments illicitly.

The ultra-traditionalist group, which denies key Church teachings, cannot officiate marriages or hear confessions validly, the decree said.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Crispian Balmer)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 3:42 AM.