On June 30, the Society of Saint Pius X held a ceremony at its seminary in Écône, Switzerland, consecrating four new bishops: Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier. The ceremony, lasting over three hours, was officiated by the Society's Superior General, Davide Pagliarani, with Alfonso de Galarreta as principal consecrator and Bernard Fellay as co-consecrator.

The consecrations took place without a papal mandate and against the will of Pope Leo XIV. Under canon law, this type of act triggers an automatic excommunication known as latae sententiae, applying ipso facto to the bishops involved. On July 2, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, through a decree signed by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, formalized the excommunication, describing the act as "schismatic in nature."

The Vatican document states that lay faithful who formally join the Society are also to be considered schismatic and excommunicated, while those who occasionally participate in its activities without fully embracing the break with Rome are not automatically included; individual cases will be assessed on a case by case basis, referencing a 1996 document. The decree also warns that sacraments administered by the Society's ministers are illicit, specifically noting that confessions and marriages performed by them are to be considered invalid. The Vatican reiterated its willingness to welcome back those wishing to return to full communion with the Church.

The Society of Saint Pius X responded saying it sincerely regretted that the consecrations had to take place without papal authorization, noting that its Superior General had not been granted a personal meeting with Pope Leo XIV to explain the reasons behind the decision. At the same time, it described the new ordinations as a "grace" for the Society and for the Church as a whole.

A similar precedent dates back to 1988, when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre ordained four bishops without the consent of Pope John Paul II, including de Galarreta and Fellay themselves, resulting in excommunication. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI lifted that excommunication.

Before the new ordinations, the Society counted about 2 bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 nuns, and claims around half a million faithful worldwide. According to some sources, roughly twenty thousand people attended the ceremony in Écône.

The ceremony was also attended by figures associated with far right circles, including former lawmaker Mario Borghezio and Roberto Fiore of Forza Nuova, whose presence was reported by some outlets as a sign of a possible convergence between Lefebvrist circles and far right movements. According to historian Agostino Giovagnoli, quoted by Open, the schism occurs in a context of rising far right politics and could favor a political use of religious symbols by that movement; this remains an interpretation rather than an established fact, and not all outlets reported these elements or assessments.

Pope Leo XIV commented on the events, stating that "tearing the seamless garment of Christ is a sin of extreme gravity."

On the liturgical side, excommunication is the most severe penalty under canon law, imposed for grave and persistent faults such as heresy, schism or apostasy; it entails exclusion from the ecclesial community and from the sacraments, but is reversible in case of repentance. The Society of Saint Pius X celebrates the Tridentine Mass, used until the Second Vatican Council, entirely in Latin except for the homily, with the priest facing "ad orientem," meaning with his back to the congregation, according to pre-conciliar liturgical practice.