Tradition is important, but obedience takes precedence over it.
In July of 2026, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) consecrated four new bishops without the approval of the Pope. This incurred an automatic excommunication for newly consecrated bishops, as well as those involved in installing them. The SSPX was declared to be schism with the rest of the Catholic Church. The Pope and many bishops urging Catholic faithful not to participate in SSPX activities, as they could risk being put outside of communion with the Catholic Church.
Now, I’m not a bishop, not even a priest. My knowledge of Canon Law is quite elementary. I’m just a lay Catholic who wanted to share my thoughts on the entire SSPX situation. The Church has gone through far worse periods of schism and disagreements (such as the East/West Schism of the 11th Century AD), but the SSPX situation definitely isn’t one to take lightly.
First of all, let me give brief summary of what the SSPX is. It’s a group that was started by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970. It is a traditionalist group aimed at preserving the pre-Vatican II practices of the Catholic Church. SSPX Masses are celebrated exclusively using the Tridentine Rite, which is in Latin. The movement has had confrontations with the Catholic Church for decades: from criticizing the reforms brought about by Vatican II to the consecration of bishops without papal approval, which led to excommunications similar to those incurred by SSPX bishops recently.
Now, I can’t claim to be a TLM (Traditional Latin Mass) enthusiast. I only found out about the TLM when I was in university. I’ve never attended the TLM in an actual church, but I’d love to have the opportunity to do so. From what I’ve heard the Tridentine Rite is a reverent and almost ethereal experience, which allows one to focus on God in a special way.
At the same time, as a Catholic, I want to remain obedient to the Vatican and the Pope. If myself, or anyone else, puts tradition ahead of obedience to the Church, we risk falling into the same legalistic trap that the Pharisees fell into in the Gospels: paying attention to the letter of the law whilst neglecting its spirit.
As Archbishop Anyolo put it, “It must be clearly stated, however, that the love for the sacred liturgy, reverence for tradition or attachment to the Latin Mass is not in itself schismatic. The grave problem arises where there is refusal of full communion with the Roman Pontiff and the bishops in communion with him.” Why go ahead with installing new bishops without getting papal approval first, if you know that’s how things are done and have been done for decades? Doesn’t that undermine the importance of continuity that the SSPX values so highly? Would St. Pius X (who was a pope, by the way) approve of such actions?
If Catholics reject the authority of the pope and the bishops because of liturgical preferences or traditional viewpoints, then they’re missing the point of Catholicism. Being a Catholic is ultimately about loving God and your neighbour (something all of us struggle with, no doubt). Love implies doing what’s best for the other. And in this scenario, the best thing to do is to obey the teachings of the Catholic Church that Jesus founded.
Let’s hope and pray for unity.
References
The History and Controversies of the SSPX. https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/the-history-and-controversies-of-the-sspx
After Vatican’s excommunication, SSPX in Kenya insists on Catholic identity, fighting archdiocese. https://www.ncronline.org/news/after-vaticans-excommunication-sspx-kenya-insists-catholic-identity-fighting-archdiocese