The SSPX is "Excommunicated!"—"Schismatic!"—"Can't give the sacraments!" Find out why these accusations have no foundation.
Once again, various voices have renewed false accusations about the Society of St. Pius X. The sound bites range from "disobedient to the pope and the Church" to "schismatic" to "excommunicated" and even "lacking priestly faculties".
In an attempt to justify or give weight to these allegations, ambiguous phrases are often employed such as "not in full communion", "material schism", "falling into schism", and "sacramental schism"—yet none of these terms have any basis in Canon Law.
In reality, all of these scare-tactic accusations are merely paper tigers when examined against the precise definitions, interpretations and application of Canon Law. To assist our readers to better understand these crucial canonical points, we have assembled a summary page containing a brief answer to common questions (e.g., Is the SSPX schismatic, excommunicated?) followed by links presenting more detailed information on the subject.
Beyond the canonical issues at stake, the falsity of the repeated accusations is clearly shown through the SSPX's repeated affirmation of its fidelity to the Catholic Church, the Supreme Pontiff and the Holy See, particularly by the example of our founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
