Podcast: The Society of Saint Pius X versus the Vatican (TRADCAST EXPRESS 222)

A review of the big drama so far…

Podcast: The Society of Saint Pius X versus the Vatican
(TRADCAST EXPRESS 222)

Our latest podcast episode, TRADCAST EXPRESS 222, has been published. Its main topic is the controversy between the Vatican and the Lefebvrist Society of St. Pius X or SSPX (internationally known as the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X or FSSPX) with regard to its announced intention to consecrate bishops without the required mandate from the person they recognize as the Pope of the Catholic Church, Robert Prevost (Leo XIV).

In particular, this TRADCAST EXPRESS episode considers:

  • The SSPX announcement on Feb.
… READ MORE

Vatican Proposal to SSPX: Call Off the Bishops’ Consecrations and We’ll Talk!

Fr. Pagliarani meets with ‘Cardinal’ Fernandez…

Vatican Proposal to SSPX:
Call Off the Bishops’ Consecrations and We’ll Talk!

In the words of the American baseball player Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”

This morning, the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), Father Davide Pagliarani, together with the two remaining bishops of the Society, Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay, had a formal meeting with the Vatican’s Prefect of the so-called Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, ‘His Eminence’ Victor Manuel Fernandez.

The meeting had been announced last week after the SSPX Superior announced the Society would consecrate more bishops on July 1, regardless of whether Robert Prevost (‘Pope Leo XIV’) grants them a mandate to do so or not:

… READ MORE

Is It 1988 All Over Again? Watching a New SSPX Drama Unfold

Get your popcorn ready…

Is It 1988 All Over Again?
Watching a New SSPX Drama Unfold

Left to right: Fr. Davide Pagliarani, Tucho Fernández, Bob Prevost, cool giraffe eating popcorn

After the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), Fr. Davide Pagliarani, publicly made known on Feb. 2, 2026, that new bishops would be consecrated on July 1, although the Vatican had refused the requisite permission (mandate), the anticipated drama began to unfold.

The news spread like wildfire, and the SSPX’s official web sites crashed, apparently overwhelmed by the volume of people trying to access them to see the news for themselves.… READ MORE

Video Discussion: On the Upcoming SSPX Episcopal Consecrations

Sedevacantist reality check for Lefebvrism…

Video Discussion:
On the Upcoming SSPX Episcopal Consecrations

The big story this week has been the episcopal consecrations announced by the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) for July 1, 2026, which will take place with or without the required approval of ‘Pope’ Leo XIV:

Yesterday, on Feb. 3, 2026, Kevin Davis of the Catholic Family Podcast hosted a live-streamed discussion about the SSPX’s decision to ordain more bishops. Among the invited guests were the former SSPX priest and now sedevacantist bishop, the Most Rev.… READ MORE

Society of St. Pius X Announces New EPISCOPAL CONSECRATIONS for July 1, 2026

Not authorized by their ‘Pope’, of course…

Society of St. Pius X Announces
NEW EPISCOPAL CONSECRATIONS
for July 1, 2026

Breaking news out of tiny Menzingen, Switzerland, on this beautiful feast of Our Lady’s Purification: The Superior General of the Fraternal Society of St. Pius X (FSSPX/SSPX) has announced that new bishops will be consecrated (ordained) for the Society on July 1, 2026:

A number of the main official web sites the SSPX maintains were inaccessible this morning, probably due to being overwhelmed by the traffic.… READ MORE

Bad Theology, Invalid Episcopacy: Fr. Anthony Ward Consecrated by Novus Ordo Bishop, Dismisses Vatican Excommunication

Theology has consequences…

Bad Theology, Invalid Episcopacy: Fr. Anthony Ward Consecrated by Novus Ordo Bishop, Dismisses Vatican Excommunication

Fr. Anthony Ward (b. 1948) was ordained a priest for the Society of St. Pius X (FSSPX) by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre on Apr. 14, 1973. Four years later, he left the Society and established the Servants of the Holy Family (Servi Sanctae Familiae) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

On Nov. 16, 2025, Fr. Ward announced that he had secretly been consecrated a bishop in the traditional Roman rite by ‘Archbishop’ Telesphore George Mpundu (b. 1947), retired ordinary of Lusaka, Zambia. The ceremony took place on Mar.… READ MORE

Pope Pius XII Against Modern Errors on the Church

Papal address of June 24, 1939…

Pope Pius XII Against Modern Errors on the Church

Image credit: © KEYSTONE Pictures USA via Alamy

One of the main services Novus Ordo Watch tries to render to the public is the making available of, or raising awareness concerning, Catholic magisterial texts that are not widely known or have not before been published online in English. There is a wealth of pre-Vatican II papal teaching ‘on the books’ that, unfortunately, is largely unknown even to traditional Catholics; thus we are trying to do our part to help remedy this situation. Thankfully, with recent advances in technology, discovering, translating, and spreading it has become easier and easier.… READ MORE

‘Eternal Rome’: Pope Pius XII Against Recognize-and-Resist

On the true and false meaning of a concept…

‘Eternal Rome’:
Pope Pius XII Against Recognize-and-Resist

In a Novus Ordo Watch tweet of Oct. 23, 2025, reacting to this article headline by The Remnant, we stated: “Just a quick reminder to The Remnant that there is no such thing as ‘Eternal Rome’. That term was invented by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre to accommodate his position of recognizing Modernists as true Catholic Popes while resisting their heretical magisterium.”

It turns out that is not entirely correct. A reader made us aware that in 1949 the phrase “Eternal Rome” was actually used by Pope Pius XII (r.… READ MORE

What Has Happened to the Catholic Church? An Updated Guide for Confused Catholics

New 2025 edition now available…

What Has Happened to the Catholic Church?
An Updated Guide for Confused Catholics

Novus Ordo Watch is not receiving any kind of compensation for promoting this book (with the exception of one free copy).

Many people who sincerely desire to be good and loyal Roman Catholics are seriously troubled and confused today. Although the Second Vatican Council occurred more than 60 years ago, it has left a lasting impact. Vatican II, as the council is called for short, took place from 1962-65 and radically changed Catholic liturgy, the sacraments, and essential beliefs that have come down to us from Christ and the Apostles.… READ MORE

The Unsolvable Pendulum Problem of the Society of St. Pius X

Forever torn between two mutually exclusive ideas…

The Unsolvable Pendulum Problem of the Society of St. Pius X

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX or FSSPX), founded by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre in 1970, is once again in the news, this time on account of its Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome last week (see a few official photos here).

Some SSPXers are celebrating, whereas others are expressing concern. The reason for the inconsistent reactions to the same development is that some see it as Rome accepting the SSPX as Catholic and recognizing the rights of ‘Tradition’ (a Lefebvrist euphemism for what is simply the Catholic Faith); whereas others see it as a dangerous luring of the Lefebvrist leadership into the ecumenical zoo presided over by Modernist Rome.… READ MORE

Leo XIV to Eastern Orthodox: ‘Rome, Constantinople, and All Other Sees Not Called to Vie for Primacy’

Nothing to see here, just a little HERESY…

Leo XIV to Ecumenical Group with Orthodox: ‘Rome, Constantinople, and All Other Sees Not Called to Vie for Primacy’

‘Pope’ Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo on July 13, 2025

Today at Castel Gandolfo, the ‘Holy Father’ Robert Prevost (‘Pope Leo XIV’) received in audience participants in a so-called Orthodox-Catholic ecumenical pilgrimage from the United States. The Vatican has published some photos here.

Aside from the usual ecumenical blather about “restoring full unity among all Christ’s disciples” — as if one could be a disciple of Christ without belonging to His flock, which is the Roman Catholic Church exclusively — ‘Pope’ Leo dropped a bombshell regarding papal primacy.… READ MORE

Don’t Be Like Judas! (Nor Like Eric Sammons, For That Matter)

Response to another flawed semi-trad argument…

Don’t Be Like Judas!
(Nor Like Eric Sammons, For That Matter)

OK, so we doctored this screenshot a little: The painting on the left doesn’t actually show the betrayal of Judas

Eric Sammons, editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine, recently released a video clip on YouTube that’s a composite of highlights from his 35-minute Crisis Point podcast episode “Don’t Be Judas” of Apr. 15, 2025.

As the clip is less than a minute long (a so-called YouTube ‘short’), a lot more people will be exposed to what Sammons says there than would take the time to sit through the full-length episode.… READ MORE

Dr. Kwasniewski Reacts to Novus Ordo Watch Critique: I Don’t Engage Sedevacantists!

Oh yes, we’ve noticed… 

Dr. Kwasniewski Reacts to Novus Ordo Watch Critique: I Don’t Engage Sedevacantists!

Earlier this month, yours truly joined Louie Verrecchio for a video podcast to respond to a recent article by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski regarding papal authority and the Sacred Liturgy. The video was released on Apr. 4 on Verrecchio’s channel and a day later on Novus Ordo Watch’s:

On Apr. 6, Kwasniewski published a comment on Facebook and on Twitter explaining that people had asked him if he was going to respond, which he answered in the negative because “I do not engage sedevacantists.”… READ MORE

The Roman Pontiff and the Breviary: Response to Dr. Peter Kwasniewski (Video)

Novus Ordo Watch on ‘akaCatholic Podcast’…

The Pope and the Breviary: Response to Dr. Peter Kwasniewski (Video)

Host Louie Verrecchio and guest Mario Derksen dismantled a recent article by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

On Mar. 26, 2025, Dr. Peter Kwasniewski published an article on the New Liturgical Movement site entitled, “Do Priests or Religious Need Special Permission to Pray a Pre-55 Breviary?”.

In it, the author, who is a popular and prolific advocate of recognize-and-resist traditionalism, attempts to answer the question whether clerics who are required by canon law to pray daily the Roman Breviary (aka Divine Office, Liturgy of the Hours) may fulfill their obligation by using the Breviary edition from before 1955, that is, before Pope Pius XII simplified the rubrics for the Sacred Liturgy with the decree Cum Nostra Hac Aetate of the Sacred Congregation of Rites (Mar.… READ MORE

PHOTOS: ‘Bishop’ Athanasius Schneider in Audience with ‘Pope’ Francis

A jolly chitchat in the Apostolic Palace…

PHOTOS: ‘Bishop’ Athanasius Schneider in Audience with ‘Pope’ Francis

(image ©Vatican Media)

The daily news bulletin put out by the Holy See Press Office on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, included a rather unexpected item: ‘Pope’ Francis (Jorge Bergoglio) had received in audience that morning the Most Rev. Athanasius Schneider, O.R.C., auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan.

This was a surprise insofar as Schneider has for years been one of Bergoglio’s most vocal critics.

Not much is known about the meeting. There has been no comment from the Vatican, but of course there are photographs (above and further down below, and a few more here), and there are a few words from Bishop Schneider himself to the National Catholic Register:

Bishop Athanasius Schneider said Pope Francis “showed great cordiality” toward him during a private audience on Monday and that they “spoke about some important themes on the life of the Church.”

… READ MORE