In a letter made public Feb. 19, the superior general of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) informed the Vatican prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that the SSPX will not postpone its scheduled July 1 episcopal ordinations — a move that does not have the authorization of the Pope and one that the prefect has warned would imply schism and grave consequences for the society.
The SSPX rejects the notion that the ordinations would constitute a schism, according to the Feb. 19 communication.
The news comes days after SSPX superior general Father Davide Pagliarani met in Rome with Cardinal Victor Fernández, who offered a path toward full communion through dialogue about theological concerns and required the SSPX to suspend the July 1 ordination plan. Fr. Pagliarani presented the offer to his council and issued the SSPX’s response, signed by five members of the council, to the DDF in a Feb. 18 letter to the prefect.
Fr. Pagliarani wrote, “While I certainly rejoice at a new opening of dialogue and the positive response to my proposal of 2019, I cannot accept the perspective and objectives in the name of which the Dicastery offers to resume dialogue in the present situation, nor indeed the postponement of the date of 1 July.”
At the beginning of the letter, he thanked the prefect for the meeting in Rome and said that he only welcomes starting a doctrinal discussion “for the simple reason that I myself proposed it exactly seven years ago” in a Jan. 17, 2019, letter.
He said the DDF at the time did not genuinely express a desire for that discussion because it viewed it as impossible for the Holy See and the SSPX to reach a doctrinal agreement.
The SSPX sees a doctrinal discussion as “desirable and useful,” even if an agreement is not reached, because it deepens understanding of one another and their intentions behind where they are coming from, “especially their genuine love for the Truth, for souls, and for the Church. This holds true, at all times, for both parties,” Fr. Pagliarani wrote. He said this was his intention when he proposed the discussion in 2019, “during a calm and peaceful time, without the pressure or threat of possible excommunication, which would have undermined free dialogue — as is, unfortunately, the situation today.”
As Zeale News previously reported, Cardinal Fernández said in a statement after the meeting that the proposed conversations would aim to reach agreement related to the texts of Vatican II and their interpretation. Cardinal Fernández also said that the Holy See warned that consecrating new bishops without the Pope’s approval “would imply a decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism), with grave consequences for the Society as a whole,” and said that as such, dialogue can only be possible if the ordination plan is suspended.
Regarding the issue of schism, a footnote of the Feb. 18 letter by Fr. Pagliarani states that the SSPX “defends itself against any accusation of schism and, relying on all traditional theology and the Church's constant teaching, maintains that an episcopal consecration not authorised by the Holy See does not constitute a rupture of communion — provided it is not accompanied by schismatic intent or the conferral of jurisdiction.”
In the Feb. 18 letter, Fr. Pagliarani also outlined several points explaining the reasons for not accepting Cardinal Fernández’ perspective.
“We both know in advance that we cannot agree doctrinally, particularly regarding the fundamental orientations adopted since the Second Vatican Council. This disagreement, for the Society’s part, does not stem from a mere difference of opinion, but from a genuine case of conscience, arising from what has proven to be a rupture with the Tradition of the Church,” he wrote.
He said he does not see how a series of conversations could result in “the minimum requirements for full communion with the Catholic Church,” noting that Cardinal Fernández himself has said that Vatican II’s texts “cannot be corrected, nor can the legitimacy of the liturgy reform be challenged.”
Further, though the proposed dialogue is meant to clarify interpretation of Vatican II, “this interpretation is already clearly given in the post-[Vatican II] period,” he wrote, as well as in more recent documents from the Holy See that offer an official interpretation.
Fr. Pagliarani also wrote that the context of the proposed discussions cannot be overlooked, noting that the SSPX has waited for seven years for a positive response to the doctrinal discussion brought up in 2019. The SSPX has also recently written to the Pope twice, first to request an audience and second to explain the Society’s situation.
“Yet, after a long silence, it is only when episcopal consecrations are mentioned that an offer to resume dialogue is made, which thus seems dilatory and conditional,” he wrote. “Indeed, the hand extended to open the dialogue is unfortunately accompanied by another hand already poised to impose sanctions. There is talk of breaking communion, of schism, and of ‘serious consequences’. Moreover, this threat is now public, creating pressure that is hardly compatible with a genuine desire for fraternal exchanges and constructive dialogue.”
He offered two other points, in part noting the outcome of previous dialogue efforts between the SSPX and the Holy See. Concluding, Fr. Pagliarani said that because they both recognize “that we cannot find agreement on doctrine, it seems to me that the only point on which we can agree is that of charity toward souls and toward the Church.”
He said the SSPX asks the prefect to be allowed to continue serving Catholics, and does not request special privileges or canonical regularization. He noted that the late Pope Francis and the cardinal have both promoted “‘listening’ and understanding of non-standard, complex, exceptional, and particular situations.”
“You have also wished for a use of law that is always pastoral, flexible, and reasonable, without pretending to resolve everything through legal automatism and pre-established frameworks,” he wrote. “At this moment, the Society asks of you nothing more than this — and above all it does not ask it for itself: it asks it for these souls, for whom, as already promised to the Holy Father, it has no other intention than to make true children of the Roman Church.”
He said the time between now and the date of the intended bishop ordinations is “one of prayer” and a time in which the SSPX is praying for understanding from the Holy See and a special grace from Heaven.
“I pray for you in particular to the Holy Ghost and — do not take this as a provocation — His Most Holy Spouse, the Mediatrix of all Graces,” he wrote.
In November 2025, the DDF issued a doctrinal note about the use of two Marian titles, including “the Mediatrix of all graces.” Signed by Cardinal Fernández, the note addressed limits of the use of this title, extolling “special prudence” when using it and noting that the title poses “difficulties” both in theological reflection and spirituality.
Concluding his letter, Fr. Pagliarani thanked Cardinal Fernández for his attention and interest in the situation, writing: “Please accept, Most Reverend Eminence, the expression of my most sincere greetings and of my devotion in the Lord.”