Vatican Excommunicates SSPX Bishops After Schism

The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a July 2 decree declaring that Society of Saint Pius X bishops incurred excommunication after consecrating four bishops without papal mandate. Vatican News, AP, EWTN and The Pillar say the decree treats the Econe ceremony as a schismatic act, names Alfonso de Galarreta, Bernard Fellay and the four new bishops, and warns clergy and lay faithful against formal adherence to the SSPX schism. The group has long rejected Vatican II reforms, including the Church's turn toward respectful relations with Jews. For Israel and the Jewish people, clear religious authority against anti-Jewish rupture strengthens interfaith trust and historical truth.