Vatican Warns SSPX to Suspend Episcopal Ordinations, Offers Dialogue
Full statement from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith following meeting with SSPX Superior General.
VATICAN CITY, 12 February 2026 — The Holy See has warned the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) that proceeding with episcopal ordinations without a papal mandate “would constitute a decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism).”
News of the warning came today in a statement issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) following a private meeting at the dicastery’s offices between SSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani and DDF Prefect Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández.
During the closed-door meeting, Cardinal Fernández proposed a structured theological dialogue to clarify unresolved issues, including differing levels of adherence to texts of the Second Vatican Council.
“The aim of this dialogue is to highlight, in the topics under discussion, the minimum requirements for full communion with the Catholic Church, and consequently to outline a canonical statute for the Fraternity, along with other aspects requiring further study,” the statement said.
The dicastery stressed, however, that such discussions can only proceed if the SSPX suspends its planned episcopal consecrations, scheduled for July 1, 2026.
The meeting also addressed points raised by the SSPX in previous correspondence, including questions about the “divine will regarding the plurality of religions”—a reference to the controversial 2019 “Abu Dhabi Document” signed in the United Arab Emerites by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.
Father Pagliarani is expected to present the Vatican’s proposal to his council and communicate the Fraternity’s response to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Here is a working English translation of the DDF statement, together with the Italian original.
STATEMENT OF THE DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
Regarding the Meeting between the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Superior General of’ the FSSPX
On 12 February 2026, a cordial and sincere meeting took place at the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith between the Prefect, His Eminence Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, and the Superior General of the FSSPX, Reverend Don Davide Pagliarani, with the approval of the Holy Father Leo XIV.
After clarifying certain points presented by the FSSPX in various letters, particularly those sent between 2017 and 2019 — including, among other topics, the question of the divine will regarding the plurality of religions — the Prefect proposed a pathway of specifically theological dialogue, following a precise methodology, on issues that have not yet received sufficient clarification. These include: the distinction between an act of faith and the “religious submission of mind and will,” as well as the differing degrees of adherence required by various texts of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and their interpretation. At the same time, he proposed addressing a series of topics listed by the FSSPX in its letter of 17 January 2019.
The aim of this dialogue is to highlight, in the topics under discussion, the minimum requirements for full communion with the Catholic Church, and consequently to outline a canonical statute for the Fraternity, along with other aspects requiring further study.
The Holy See reaffirmed that the ordination of bishops without the mandate of the Supreme Pontiff, who possesses ordinary, supreme, universal, immediate, and direct power (cf. CIC, can. 331; Dogmatic Constitution Pastor aeternus, chs. I and III), would constitute a decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism), with serious consequences for the Fraternity as a whole (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei, 2 July 1988, nn. 3 and ff.; Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Explanatory Note, 24 August 1996, n. 1).
Therefore, the possibility of undertaking this dialogue presupposes that the Fraternity suspend the announced episcopal ordinations.
The Superior General of the FSSPX will present the proposal to his Council and will provide his response to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In the event of a positive response, the steps, stages, and procedures to be followed will be established by mutual agreement.
The Church is asked to accompany this process, especially in the coming times, with prayer to the Holy Spirit, who is the principal agent of true ecclesial communion willed by Christ.
What's Fernandez still doing in that office?
The Vatican is playing games again. The faith is not some bargaining chip.
If Cardinal Fernandez et al were really interested in keeping the SSPX "In Full Communion" they would simply answer the Society's concerns now. The answer should be so sufficient as to no longer necessitate the Society consecrating bishops, but of course this will not happen. The Vatican will do what they did with LeFebrve: promise, not deliver, obfuscate, delay, and then ultimately force the hand, and later claim "SCHISM!"