Letter #6, 2026, Monday, February 16: Bishop Athanasius Schneider
I will be talking live with Bishop Athanasius Schneider in a podcast on YouTube this morning, at 11 am Eastern time. You may join the podcast live at this link.
We will be discussing his life and work, and present issues in the Church.
One of those issues concerns the Society of St. Pius X and its plans to consecrate five new bishops in July without the prior approval of Rome (see the article below).
In June, we will be spending several days with Bishop Schneider on a retreat led by him. The location is an island off of the coast of Croatia where no cars are permitted, and we stay in a monastery built in 1390 which is the sole building on the otherwise pristine island. During the retreat, Bishop Schneider will celebrate daily Mass in the traditional Latin rite. For more information, go here, or scroll down toward the bottom of this email.
—RM
SSPX Announces Intention to Proceed with Episcopal Ordinations (link)
Superior General cites “grave necessity” after Holy See letter fails to address the Fraternity’s requests.
ROME, 2 February 2026 — The Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (SSPX) announced today his intention to proceed with episcopal ordinations on July 1, saying the decision followed receipt of a letter from the Holy See that “in no way” responds to the Fraternity’s requests.
The decision, announced in a statement from the General House in Menzingen, Switzerland, was taken with the unanimous support of the General Council and came after a seemingly unsuccessful attempt to obtain a private audience with Pope Leo XIV to present the Fraternity’s situation.
Father Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the SSPX, was elected to the post in July 2018, succeeding Bishop Bernard Fellay. He met Pope Francis in a private audience on Feb. 8, 2022, his first encounter with the pontiff since assuming leadership of the Fraternity.
“After long and prayerful reflection,” the SSPX statement said, Fr Pagliarani “judges that the objective state of grave necessity in which souls find themselves requires such a decision.”
Fr. Pagliarani will provide further explanations for the decision in the coming days, the statement added.
Should the Holy See respond by invoking canonical penalties, including excommunication, for the consecration of bishops without a papal mandate, it is difficult to see how such a position will be maintained, given that the Chinese Communist government has repeatedly violated the Vatican–China accord by proceeding with episcopal ordinations without prior papal approval, yet without comparable sanctions being imposed.
Here is an English translation of today’s statement from the SSPX.
COMMUNIQUÈ FROM THE GENERAL HOUSE
On this 2nd day of February 2026, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Reverend Abbé Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, during the ceremony of the taking of the cassock which he presided over at the International Seminary of Saint Curé of Ars in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, France, publicly announced his decision to entrust to the bishops of the Fraternity the responsibility of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations on the coming 1st of July.
Last August, he requested the favor of an audience with the Holy Father, making known his desire to present to him, in a filial manner, the present situation of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
In a second letter, he explicitly addressed the Fraternity’s particular need to ensure the continuation of the ministry of its bishops, who for nearly forty years have traveled throughout the world in response to the many faithful attached to the Tradition of the Church and desirous that the sacraments of Holy Orders and Confirmation be conferred, for the good of their souls.
After long and prayerful reflection and having received from the Holy See in recent days a letter which in no way responds to our requests, Abbé Pagliarani, supported by the unanimous opinion of his Council, judges that the objective state of grave necessity in which souls find themselves requires such a decision.
The words he wrote on 21 November 2024, for the fiftieth anniversary of the historic declaration of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, are more than ever a reflection of his thought and intentions:
“It is only within the Church of all time and within her constant Tradition that we find the guarantee of being in the Truth, of continuing to preach it and to serve it. […]
“The Fraternity [of Saint Pius X] does not first seek its own survival: it seeks principally the good of the universal Church and, for this reason, it is par excellence a work of the Church, which with a unique freedom and strength responds adequately to the proper needs of an unprecedentedly tragic era.
“This sole purpose remains ours today, just as it was fifty years ago:
‘Therefore, without any rebellion, bitterness, or resentment, we continue our work of priestly formation under the star of the perennial Magisterium, persuaded that we can render no greater service to the Holy Catholic Church, to the Sovereign Pontiff, and to future generations’ (Archbishop Lefebvre, Declaration of 21 November 1974).”
In the coming days, the Superior General will provide further explanations concerning the present situation and his decision.
“Nos cum Prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria. May the Virgin Mary bless us, with her divine Son.”
Menzingen, 2 February 2026
Rooted in Hope: Private Island Retreat
with Bishop Athanasius Schneider
June 15 – June 21, 2026
Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages invites you to join a special Pilgrimage and Retreat with Bishop Athanasius Schneider, June 15-21, 2026.
Highlights of our Pilgrimage:
Highlights of our Croatia: Retreat with Bishop Schneider, June 2026
- Five-day private island retreat with Bishop Schneider at an ancient, recently restored monastery
- Daily Mass celebrated in the Traditional Latin Rite
- Free time to pray, explore the island, swim in the blue Adriatic waters, walk with other pilgrims along the island path, and travel to nearby islands in a private boat
- One night in Split with time to explore the city on your own
