SSPX Files Preliminary Recourse Against Decree of Excommunication

ROME, 13 July 2026 — The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has announced that it has formally challenged the decree of excommunication issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on July 2, following the Society’s consecration of four new bishops against the expressed will of Pope Leo XIV.

By submitting a preliminary recourse under the Code of Canon Law, the SSPX has taken the required first step before any possible hierarchical appeal and says the filing suspends the execution of the decree while the matter is under review.

In a statement issued today by the SSPX General House, the Society said it was exercising the right recognized by the Church for those who believe they have been “harmed by an administrative act to seek its correction.” It added that the recourse was made in a “spirit of respect for ecclesiastical authority” and fidelity to justice, truth, and the good of the Church, and asked the faithful to pray for the process.

The Society’s decision to invoke the procedures established by the 1983 Code of Canon Law drew notice from some Catholic commentators. The Italian site MessainLatino (MiL) observed: “From reading the communiqué, we are pleased to note that—at long last—the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X appears to acknowledge the continuing force of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which constituted the fifth point of the Protocol of Agreement between the Holy See and the SSPX, signed on 5 May 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and repudiated by the latter the following day.”

MiL expressed the hope that “this apparent and welcome recognition may mark the first step toward a constructive dialogue between the Holy See and the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.”

Here below is the official statement from the SSPX.

The Society of Saint Pius X announces that, in response to the decree issued on 2 July 2026 by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, it submitted on 11 July a preliminary recourse to the same Dicastery, in accordance with canons 1734 and following of the Code of Canon Law.

This request, which constitutes the mandatory preliminary step before the possible introduction of a hierarchical recourse, has the effect of suspending the execution of the decree, in accordance with canon 1353 of the Code of Canon Law.

By this recourse, the Society intends to exercise the right which the Church recognizes to any person who considers himself harmed by an administrative act to seek its correction, in a spirit of respect for ecclesiastical authority and of faithful attachment to justice, truth and the good of the Church.

The Society of Saint Pius X entrusts this request to the competent authorities and commends this undertaking to the prayers of all the faithful.

Menzingen, 13 July 2026