EPISTLES

On February 24, 2026, Bishop Athanasius Schneider published a lengthy letter urging Pope Leo XIV to approve SSPX episcopal consecrations as a step toward healing divisions, strengthening Church unity, and providing pastoral care for the faithful attached to the traditional liturgy.

Bishop Schneider clarifies that “under normal circumstances—and when there is neither doctrinal confusion nor a time of extraordinary persecution—one must, of course, do everything possible to observe the canonical norms of the Church and to obey the Pope in his just injunctions, in order to preserve ecclesiastical unity both more effectively and visibly.”

Below are his principal reasons, highlighting the SSPX’s fidelity to the Catholic faith and the importance of fostering ecclesial communion.

1. For the sake of unity and preventing unnecessary division

• It would avoid the “tragedy” of cutting off the SSPX and prevent a “truly unnecessary and painful further division within the Church.”
• Pope Benedict XVI warned that past Church divisions hardened because leaders did not do enough to maintain unity; this must not be repeated.

2. The SSPX professes the same Catholic faith as Vatican II’s bishops

• They make the Tridentine-Vatican Professio fidei, the same profession used by the Fathers of Vatican II.
• If this profession was valid before, during, and after the Council, it should still be considered a sufficient “minimum” for Catholic communion.

3. Vatican II’s disputed statements are non-definitive and open to theological refinement

• Paul VI explicitly stated that Vatican II did not intend to issue definitive, infallible doctrinal definitions.
• Therefore, requiring the SSPX to accept pastoral (non-definitive) teachings as a “minimum” is inconsistent and unreasonable.

4. The SSPX can help the Church clarify ambiguities in Vatican II

• The Church should allow the SSPX to contribute theological clarification on:
  • Religious freedom
  • Ecumenism
  • Collegiality
  • Doctrinal imprecisions of the Novus Ordo Missae
• Such contributions would benefit the entire Church.

5. The Holy See has shown greater generosity to the Chinese Communist Party than to the SSPX

• Rome allows the CCP to choose candidates for bishops.
• Yet faithful Catholics attached to the SSPX are treated like “second-class citizens.”
• Basic fairness requires offering the SSPX the same or greater pastoral generosity.

6. Pastoral charity toward thousands of faithful attached to the SSPX

• Hundreds of thousands of Catholics rely on the SSPX for sacraments and formation.
• Granting provisional measures—including episcopal consecrations—would be a “profound testimony to the pastoral charity of the Successor of Peter.”

7. The SSPX represents a large, vibrant part of the Church

• The SSPX includes (2008 data):
  • 491 priests
  • 215 seminarians
  • 6 seminaries
  • 88 schools
  • 117 brothers, 164 sisters
  • Thousands of lay faithful
• The Church cannot responsibly ignore or abandon such a significant portion of its flock.

8. Approving the consecrations creates conditions for calm doctrinal dialogue

• With bishops secured, the SSPX would be stable enough for long-term engagement with Rome.
• This would help clarify misunderstandings and distinguish:
  • Divinely revealed doctrine
  • Definitive Magisterium
  • Pastoral teachings open to study and revision

9. The Pope already recognizes unity with non-Catholics—so why not with the SSPX?

• Pope Leo XIV publicly said Catholics and non-Catholic Christians already share unity based on basic Christian faith.
• If that is true for non-Catholics, then it is inconsistent to claim the SSPX—who profess a fully Catholic credo—lacks doctrinal unity.

10. Granting approval costs the Church nothing

• Bishop Schneider states clearly: “If you grant the Apostolic Mandate…the Church in our day will lose nothing.”
• It would instead:
  • heal wounds
  • rebuild trust
  • show paternal leadership
  • strengthen traditional Catholic life

As Bishop Schneider has observed, this is the most providential moment for such a step. At a time when the Pope has pledged to “build bridges,” approving the episcopal consecrations would be a powerful and concrete fulfillment of that promise.

Granting approval for the SSPX consecrations now could serve as a decisive act toward healing divisions and strengthening unity within the Church.

You can read the full letter A Fraternal Appeal to Pope Leo XIV to Build a Bridge with the Priestly Society of St. Pius X via Diane Montagna’s Substack.