An ultra-conservative Catholic group ordained four bishops yesterday in defiance of direct instructions from Pope Leo xiv.

The Society of Saint Pius X (sspx) was founded as a priestly group within the Catholic Church in the 1970s, which disagreed with the modernizing reforms made at the Second Vatican Council.

• They celebrate Mass in Latin, not the vernacular.
• They oppose outreaches to other Christian denominations and other religions.
• They disagree with the steps toward endorsing the idea of religious freedom in Vatican ii and instead believe that governments should force Catholicism on their people.
• Major leaders in the group have denied the Holocaust, endorsed anti-Semitic propaganda such as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and spread blood-libels—accusing Jews of using Christian blood in their rituals.

The SSPX was excommunicated in 1988, when they consecrated new bishops without the pope’s approval. In 2009, Pope Benedict lifted the excommunication and worked to close the rift. The lifting sparked a major row with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who opposed the group because of the anti-Semitism of some of its leaders.

Yesterday, the society ordained four more bishops. Once again, the pope had specifically said not to. The group seems to be heading toward excommunication once again.

• They’re faced with the same dilemma as they were in 1988. If they have no living bishops, the society dies out. Their current bishops are all old. Either they get excommunicated, or they gradually go extinct.

Today, around 600,000 people attend mass with the sspx. In a world where compromise and modernization are the norm, this arch-conservative group has considerable appeal. It looks more ancient and authentic—anchored in tradition instead of blown about by modern secular doctrine.

• But it also means some dangerous views and a headache for the Vatican, which itself is trying to appeal to those who want the authentic and the ancient.

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