Bishop Athanasius Schneider has issued his first public statement since Rome declared six SSPX bishops to have incurred automatic excommunication over the Society’s episcopal consecrations at Écône on July 1, against the will of Pope Leo XIV.
His Excellency has been an outspoken voice in the debate over the consecrations, and his reaction to their aftermath has been awaited with particular interest. In the months beforehand, he repeatedly implored Pope Leo XIV to grant the SSPX an apostolic mandate rather than let the act proceed without his approval — most notably in a February 24 “Fraternal Appeal,” which called on the Pope to act as a “bridge-builder” and warned against “a truly unnecessary and painful further division within the Church.”
In a new statement titled “The Dilemma Between Preserving the Unambiguous Integrity of the Catholic Faith and Being Canonically Recognized by the Pope” (full text below), Bishop Schneider argues that the SSPX faced a “tragic” and rarely seen choice: hold fast to Catholic doctrine as it has always been taught or secure the Holy See’s formal recognition.
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