Pic: Newly consecrated Society of St. Pius X Bishop Michael Goldade, an American, is seen kissing the ring of Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta during an SSPX liturgical celebration July 1, 2026, in Écône, Switzerland. The two bishops, along with with Bishop Bernard Fellay of SSPX and three other newly consecrated bishops were excommunicated by the Vatican July 2, as the consecration lacked the mandate of the pope and was decreed to be schismatic. (OSV News photo/CPP)
By Our Correspondent
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) in Kenya has rejected the Vatican’s declaration that it is in schism, insisting it remains fully Catholic despite the excommunication of its bishops over the unauthorized consecration of four new bishops.
The controversy follows a July 2 decree by the Vatican declaring the traditionalist society to be in schism after it consecrated four bishops without the approval of Pope Leo XIV, an act considered a grave violation of Church law.
In response, the priest in charge of the SSPX’s Holy Cross Parish in Nairobi, Fr. Pierre Champroux, assured members that the society remains faithful to the Roman Catholic Church.
“We are not a parallel Church. We remain fully Catholic and attached to the See of Peter and to his successor, Pope Leo XIV,” Fr. Champroux said in a statement issued on July 12.
He maintained that the SSPX exists to preserve the traditional Catholic faith, priesthood and the Latin Mass, adding that the penalties imposed by the Vatican were “objectively unjust and invalid.”
According to him, the recent episcopal consecrations were carried out out of a “grave duty” to preserve the traditional priesthood amid what the society described as an ongoing crisis within the Church.
The priest further insisted that the society has not separated itself from the Catholic Church and does not accept the label of schism.
However, the Archbishop of Nairobi, Most Rev. Philip Anyolo, warned Catholics against participating in SSPX activities, stressing that the society no longer enjoys full communion with the Catholic Church.
In a pastoral letter dated July 9, Archbishop Anyolo directed Catholic priests not to celebrate Mass with SSPX clergy or invite them to minister in parishes or Church institutions.
He explained that while attachment to the traditional Latin Mass is not itself schismatic, the real issue is the SSPX’s refusal to remain in full communion with the Pope and bishops united with him.
“The grave problem arises where there is refusal of full communion with the Roman Pontiff and the bishops in communion with him,” the archbishop said.
He cautioned the faithful not to be misled by the society’s use of the name “Catholic” or its traditional forms of worship.
The SSPX, founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, follows pre-Vatican II traditions, including exclusive celebration of the Latin Mass and opposition to several reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council.
The latest crisis mirrors events of 1988, when Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated after consecrating bishops without papal approval.
Following the July 2026 consecrations, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith declared the bishops involved excommunicated and stated that SSPX ministers are in schism. The decree also ruled that sacraments of marriage and penance celebrated within the society are invalid, while Catholics who knowingly continue to adhere to the society risk excommunication.
Archbishop Anyolo urged SSPX priests wishing to return to full communion to report to the Archdiocese for reintegration and encouraged lay faithful seeking reconciliation to approach their parish priests.
Despite the Vatican’s decision, Fr. Champroux reiterated that the SSPX remains committed to what it describes as the “perennial Magisterium” and the traditional Catholic faith, insisting the society has not broken away from the Roman Catholic Church.
