Q. What is the SSPX?
A. If you follow Catholic news, you probably noticed that something called the “SSPX” seems to be fixing for conflict with Pope Leo XIV.
Last February, the SSPX announced that they would consecrate bishops for themselves July 1, 2026. The Vatican responded that they didn’t have papal permission to do so; if the group followed through, those responsible would be excommunicated. Excommunication is a big deal! But this wouldn’t be the first time; this has happened before!
So, what’s going on with the SSPX?
“SSPX” (also “FSSPX”) is the acronym used to refer to the Society of St. Pius X. This society of priests was founded in 1970 in Switzerland by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Archbishop Lefebvre previously served as bishop of Dakar, Senegal (Africa), and participated in the Second Vatican Council. After conflicts with both local and Roman church leaders, Lefebvre and a retired Brazilian bishop, Antonio de Castro Mayer, consecrated four bishops for the SSPX in 1988, without papal permission. All six men were declared to be excommunicated for this action.
Ever since, the SSPX’s relationship with the Catholic Church has been irregular. The SSPX’s priests and bishops are real. When they offer Mass, which they only do in the Latin form that existed in the 1962 (or earlier) editions of the Missal, the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present. They acknowledge, at least verbally, that Leo XIV is pope. However, this is not enough to make them a legitimate Catholic organization! Their sacraments are done outside the structures of authority in the Church that Jesus Christ established, not in accord with Church law. They also take issue with certain Vatican II statements regarding ecumenism and religious freedom.
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications from the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre and de Castro Mayer, but that did not make the SSPX “legal.” Their sacramental activities were still illegitimate. Confessions and marriages conducted by SSPX priests remained at the time generally invalid, as these require proper authority for the sacrament to take place. In 2016, Pope Francis gave the priests of the SSPX the authority to hear confessions validly, and, in 2017, he established provisions for marriages. With their recent plans to once again ordain bishops without papal permission, however, full reconciliation still seems far away. Let us pray for their repentance, preferably before July!
In the Diocese of Lincoln, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz was very aware of the SSPX’s problems. In 1996, he included the SSPX and its local chapel on the official diocesan list of forbidden groups, along with Planned Parenthood, all forms of Freemasonry, and others. Catholics of the Diocese of Lincoln who knowingly join/remain members of these groups are excommunicated if they don’t remedy their situation quickly! This diocesan law has not been revoked. Please don’t join the SSPX. If I’m going to see your name in diocesan communications, I’d rather see something more Christlike than “X may not access the sacraments until they leave the SSPX.”
The SSPX must not be confused with other organizations, like the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. The two have similarities: love for the old Latin form of the Mass, similar acronyms ([F]SSPX vs. FSSP), and headquarters in Switzerland. Their relationship with the Church, however, is quite different. St. John Paul II established the FSSP in 1988 when 12 men from the SSPX left after the excommunications. The pope provided them with a religious community entirely in union with, and under the authority of, the Church. Today, the FSSP operates parishes, chapels, and oratories in many places worldwide, including St. Francis Oratory in Lincoln, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton. Catholics may participate in their activities and sacraments in good conscience.
Additionally, in 2002, the followers of Antonio de Castro Mayer were reconciled with the Church. St. John Paul II established the Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney for them centered in Campos, Brazil. Other groups, legitimate and otherwise, also exist.
The key thing separating the SSPX from what Catholics should be isn’t what way of celebrating the Mass they have. It’s about who submits to the living successors of the Apostles, and who doesn’t.
This question was answered by Father Evan Winter, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Minden and Holy Family in Heartwell.
“Ask the Register” questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Write to: 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln, NE, 68501-0328 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
