Vatican City – The Fraternidade São Pio X (FSSPX), a traditionalist Catholic group, has rejected a proposed theological dialogue with the Holy Witness and confirmed its plans to proceed with the ordination of new bishops on July 1st, despite pleas from the Vatican to postpone the ceremony. The decision, communicated in a letter from FSSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, marks a significant escalation in tensions between the Vatican and the traditionalist society.
The rejection follows a February 12th meeting between Cardinal Fernández and Father Pagliarani, which the Vatican described as “cordial and sincere.” During the meeting, Cardinal Fernández proposed a “specifically theological” dialogue with a “precise methodology” to address remaining points of contention, according to a Vatican News report. He also requested a suspension of the planned episcopal ordinations, warning that proceeding would constitute a “decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism) with grave consequences for the Fraternity as a whole.”
In his response, Father Pagliarani expressed appreciation for the “new opening to dialogue,” noting that he himself had proposed a doctrinal discussion in January 2019. However, he firmly stated that a common path forward is impossible given fundamental disagreements regarding the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar liturgical reforms. “The texts of the Council cannot be corrected, nor can the legitimacy of the Liturgical Reform be questioned,” Pagliarani wrote, according to the letter published by the FSSPX.
Pagliarani argued that the Council’s texts are not open to interpretation, having been “received, developed and applied over sixty years by the Popes who succeeded one another, according to precise doctrinal and pastoral orientations.” He cited papal documents such as Redemptor hominis, Ut unum sint, Evangelii gaudium, and Amoris lætitia as evidence of a pre-determined doctrinal framework within which any discussion would capture place. He also referenced Traditionis custodes, which governs the implementation of liturgical reforms.
The FSSPX maintains that the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council deviated from traditional Catholic practice. The group’s insistence on maintaining traditional practices has been a central point of contention in its decades-long relationship with the Vatican.
Father Pagliarani stated that the ordinations are “a concrete necessity in the short term for the survival of Tradition” and that the FSSPX cannot accept the “perspective and objectives” underlying the Vatican’s proposal for dialogue, nor can it postpone the July 1st date. The FSSPX’s decision to proceed with the ordinations, despite the Vatican’s warnings, underscores the deep-seated divisions within the Catholic Church regarding the interpretation of Vatican II and the direction of liturgical practice.
Cardinal Fernández, in a statement following the February 12th meeting, reiterated the Vatican’s position that ordaining bishops without papal mandate constitutes a schismatic act, citing Canon 331 of the Code of Canon Law and documents from previous pontificates, including Pope John Paul II’s 1988 apostolic letter Ecclesia Dei.
As of February 20, 2026, the Vatican has not issued a further response to Father Pagliarani’s letter, and the planned episcopal ordinations remain scheduled for July 1st.