About this episode

Matthew explores the schism of the Society of Saint Pius X and its implications for modern Catholicism.

On July 1, 2026, the Society of Saint Pius X consecrated four bishops at its Écône seminary, defying Pope Leo XIV's direct plea to "turn back." Within 24 hours, Rome declared the SSPX's bishops and roughly 750 priests excommunicated and schismatic — invalidating confessions and marriages going forward.  Matthew traces SSPX's origins through Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's formation in the shadow of Action Française's antisemitic integralism, his fight against Vatican II, and the movement's namesake, Pope Pius X's anti-Modernist crusade.  It’s a wild ride: from Juan Fernández y Krohn's 1982 assassination attempt on John Paul II, through Holocaust denial among SSPX clergy, domestic abuse testimony from ex-member Cassandra Hackstock, and Xavier Lopez's 2022 weapons arrest.  Will the schism of a right-wing Catholic sect born out of antisemitism and anticommunism bolster American and global resistance to Leo XIV’s progressive agenda? Is this the form of Catholicism that JD Vance has been looking for? Or will it shift the Overton Window rightward, emboldening Vance and other TradCaths in their lowkey contempt for Leo—because at least the Church should be grateful that at…

People in this episode

Host: Matthew

Topics covered

• Catholicism
• schism
• antisemitism
• Vatican II
• right-wing movements
• excommunication
• religious history

Keywords

• SSPX
• schism
• excommunication
• Vatican
• antisemitism
• JD Vance
• Pope Leo XIV
• Archbishop Lefebvre
• Holocaust denial
• TradCaths

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Society of Saint Pius X, Action Française, Vatican, AP/NBC News, America Magazine, Catholic Herald

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