Vatican excommunicates the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X. Schismatics have a chapel in Minsk where everything is in Russian — what now awaits these faithful?
The Vatican has officially announced the excommunication of the leaders of the ultraconservative Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, who, without the Pope's permission, consecrated four new bishops the day before. This is the largest schism in decades, outlawing hundreds of thousands of faithful worldwide, including the Lefebvrist community in Minsk.
On July 1, in Écône, Switzerland, where the main seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) is located, an open rebellion against the authority of Rome took place. Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, with the assistance of Bishop Bernard Fellay, consecrated four new bishops from Switzerland, the USA, and France, without a papal mandate.
About 15,000 people observed the ceremony, and the Fraternity's Superior General, Davide Pagliarani, stated that they were "ready to pay any price to save the Church" and would ignore any Vatican sanctions. The day before, Pope Leo XIV, in a personal letter, literally begged the Lefebvrist leadership to abandon the consecrations and "not tear the Seamless Garment of Christ," but his appeal was rejected.
Rome's reaction was as harsh as possible. Already on July 2, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a decree signed by Cardinal Victor Fernández. According to the document, all bishops who participated in the ordination automatically incur excommunication (latae sententiae). The Dicastery confirmed the fact of an official schism.
Regarding the rest of the clergy and lay faithful, the Vatican issued a strict warning: anyone who formally adheres to this schismatic act will also be automatically excommunicated.
Who are the Lefebvrists and why did they go into schism?
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X is not a local marginal group, but a gigantic global structure with over 700 priests, about 260 seminarians, its own monasteries, schools, and a presence in dozens of countries worldwide. The number of its followers is estimated at 600,000 people, with the largest centers in France, Switzerland, and the USA.
The conflict between this powerful organization and the Vatican has deep roots. It began with the rejection of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962—1965). The founder of the Fraternity, French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and his followers categorically rejected the transition to national languages in worship, the course towards ecumenism, and interreligious dialogue.
The Fraternity recognizes exclusively the pre-reform Tridentine Mass in Latin and requires strict dress code from the faithful: women attend services in long skirts and veils, wearing trousers is considered unacceptable.
The current events are a mirror image of the historical crisis of 1988. At that time, Marcel Lefebvre himself, citing an "emergency" in the Church, unilaterally consecrated four bishops (including the current consecrators de Galarreta and Fellay) and was similarly excommunicated by Pope John Paul II.
Subsequent pontiffs tried for many years to bring the traditionalists back into the fold of the Church.
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI even lifted the excommunications from the Fraternity's bishops, which caused a global scandal, as one of them, Richard Williamson, turned out to be an open neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier.
Pope Francis went even further, recognizing the validity of confessions and marriages among the Lefebvrists. However, the new consecrations in Écône finally nullified all Vatican diplomatic efforts and solidified the official schism.
Chapel on the eighth floor, Russian language, and PR from Judge Schmidt
Despite its global scale, this schism has a direct bearing on Belarus. In the country, the Lefebvrists operate absolutely legally. They are registered as the religious community "Adherents of the Heart of Jesus Christ," although they still do not have their own separate church.
Sunday Mass is held in a chapel, equipped in a space on the eighth floor of the "Ocean" business center at Dzerzhinsky Avenue, 3B. However, at the beginning of 2024, the community even announced a "Rosary Crusade," gathering prayers for the construction of their own churches in Minsk and Warsaw.
Project of a Lefebvrist church in the vicinity of Warsaw, for the construction of which funds are being collected by the Minsk community of the Fraternity. Photo: Facebook community "Licytacje na rzecz budowy nowego kościoła FSSPX"
At the same time, the activities of the Lefebvrists in Belarus have a clear Russification bias. All their official internet resources, social media pages, and quarterly magazine "Pray for Us" are conducted exclusively in Russian.
Spiritual care for the Minsk community is provided by priests of the Fraternity, among whom the Swiss Werner Böziger constantly features. It was in Minsk that the solemn primatial (first) Mass of Victor Pasichnik took place — the first Russian-speaking FSSPX priest in history, which made the Belarusian capital an informal center of attraction for traditionalists from neighboring countries.
The Tridentine Mass according to the old Latin rite is also celebrated in other Belarusian cities: Lelchytsy, Senno, Vitebsk, Mogilev, and Korelichy. However, an important nuance must be understood: not all of them are related to the schismatics. In the regions, such services are often conducted by official priests recognized by the Vatican, for example, Dominican Fathers or diocesan priests.
Interestingly, the schedule of the Latin Mass, including in the chapel of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, was advertised on his Instagram by the notoriously known Polish defector judge Tomasz Szmydt.
What awaits the adherents of the Fraternity
The decree of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of the Vatican fundamentally changes the status of the Fraternity's adherents. If previously the Catholic Church, thanks to Pope Francis's gesture of goodwill, allowed the faithful to confess to Lefebvrists and recognized the validity of their marriages, these concessions are now annulled.
The Holy See officially announced: the sacraments of Penance and Matrimony performed by FSSPX priests are invalid as of July 2, 2026. This means that confession or marriage in the Minsk chapel on Dzerzhinsky Avenue no longer holds any canonical force.
Moreover, the Vatican issued a strict warning: any lay faithful who knowingly and formally joins the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X will automatically incur excommunication from the Church as a schismatic.
«Nasha Niva» — the bastion of Belarus
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19. але ў царкве лепей хачу пяць словаў сказаць розумам маім, каб і іншых наставіць,чым процьму словаў незнаёмаю моваю.
23. Калі ўся царква сыдзецца разам і ўсе пачнуць гаварыць незнаёмымі мовамі, і ўвойдуць да вас недасьведчаныя альбо няверуючыя, - дык ці ня скажуць, што вы шалееце?" (Біблія, Новы Запавет)- гэта СЛОВА БОЖАЕ.
Хвала Хрысту, хвала навекі!
"Сытуацыя ўскладняецца тым, што лібэральная дрэсіроўка грамадзтва на антыхрысьціянскіх псэўдакаштоўнасьцях і на збочанай маралі ўжо прывяла да зьніжэньня чалавечага чыньніку і волі людзей. Заходне-эўрапейскае грамадзтва страціла ініцыятыву салідарнасьці і рахунак волі. Яно як супольнасьць ужо ня ў стане аказаць сур'ёзнае супраціўленьне тэрору і дыктату прышэльцаў, хоць «інтрусы» (эмігранты) складаюць яшчэ нязначную частку грамадзтва. Парушанымі аказаліся істотныя сувязі між жанчынай імужчынам у грамадзтве. Калі коратка (па схеме), то выглядае так: мужчына там ужо ня здольны абараняць жанчыну і змагаццаза яе, а жанчына ня здольная ахвяравацца дзеля мужчыны. Такое грамадзтва – слабое. Не кажу ўжо тут пра ўпадак сямейных каштоўнасьцяў. Мы бачым яшчэ толькі пачатак упадку. Мушу яшчэ раз паўтарыць тое, пра што казаў ня раз. Левалібэралізм як форма лявацтва ў аснове сваёй больш небясьпечны для культуры і цывілізацыі, чым камунізм, хоць і не суправаджаецца генацыдам і людзкімі ахвярамі. Левалібэралізм прыводзіць да таго, што грамадзтва і асобны чалавек мэнтальна і маральна згніваюць знутры. У выніку зьнікае самае галоўнае ў культуры – надзейная асоба, дэградуе характар і маральная індывідуальнасьць чалавека, зачыняецца духоўнасьць і цывілізацыйная пэрспэктыва."
2016 г.