A future pope will ‘welcome us back’, says priest from excommunicated Catholic sect
The Society of St. Pius X remains unrepentant after recent unauthorized ordinations resulted in automatic excommunication from the Vatican.
Georg Kopf made these remarks during a mass in Wil, a town in northeastern Switzerland, following a week of intense friction between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).
The Society of St. Pius X, an organization established in 1970 and based in Switzerland, found itself excommunicated after the unauthorized ordination of four bishops on Wednesday. According to the Vatican, this action was deemed so severe that the penalty of excommunication was automatic, despite claims from the group that they had been offered opportunities for dialogue prior to the schism.
The SSPX remains unrepentant regarding its current status. During his sermon, delivered in German, Kopf framed the unauthorized ordinations as an act of necessity rather than rebellion.
He further stated,"Nothing that happened on July 1 was intended to establish a parallel church or to break with Rome,"
"On the contrary, it was precisely out of love for the Church and the pope that these ordinations were carried out, in order to look after the salvation of souls."
This is not the first time the society has faced such a rupture with Rome. In the late 1980s, the group’s founder, Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without the authorization of Pope John Paul II, leading to the excommunication of those involved. That divide persisted for decades until 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI sought to foster unification by lifting the judgment against the bishops. Referring to that precedent, Kopf expressed his hope for a similar outcome.
He added,"There will one day be another pope who opens the door and welcomes us back. Just like Pope Benedict,"
"I am convinced that there will be another pope like him who will give tradition its rightful place again. Of course, we’d like that to happen tomorrow."
The core of the dispute involves the group's ideological stance. The SSPX maintains that the modern Church has deviated from the true faith, favoring the practice of the old-style Latin Mass. Furthermore, the society does not believe in engaging in formal dialogue with non-Catholics, a position that stands in contrast to current institutional practices. Despite the worldwide reach of the organization and its base in Switzerland, members argue that Pope Leo has failed to adequately hear their concerns, a sentiment that has fueled their decision to proceed with the ordinations despite the lack of papal approval.
