Archbishop Viganò offers ‘full support’ for SSPX to consecrate bishops without Vatican approval
'When the hierarchy becomes complicit in the demolition of the Church, the only solution is to appeal to the state of necessity,’ such that ‘apostolic succession continues for the good of souls.'
Archbishop Carlo Maria ViganòExsurge Domine
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Tue Feb 10, 2026 - 6:23 pm EST
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(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò expressed his “full support” for the Society of St. Pius X’s decision to consecrate more bishops, even without approval from the Vatican.
“When the Hierarchy becomes complicit in the demolition of the Church, the only solution is to appeal to the state of necessity and guarantee that Apostolic Succession continues for the good of souls,” His Excellency said in a recent X post.
Viganò has been applauding SSPX leaders for their determination in a series of social media posts over the last week as well as a recent interview with traditional Catholic journalist Stephen Kokx. However, in public statements, the former Nuncio to the United States warned the Society to be leery of deceitfulness coming from the hierarchy, which he described as “subversive and heretical.”
“The desire of the Society of Saint Pius X to concretely manifest its union with the Apostolic See, cum Petro et sub Petro, is certainly understandable, but the objective gap cannot be bridged through administrative means, because they are dealing with officials who no longer profess the Catholic Faith and who aim to demolish the Holy Church,” His Excellency told Kokx via email Tuesday. “I believe that the Society of Saint Pius X still needs to face the final stage of the process of awareness that 38 years ago led its Founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, to consider ‘modernist Rome apostate.’”
Viganò’s comments come amid a flurry of analysis made by numerous influencers, priests, bishops, and theologians. While various public figures have expressed concern with the news, others have urged prayer and discernment regarding the group’s plan to consecrate bishops on July 1.
“When those who openly contradict the Church’s teaching are tolerated, while those who seek continuity are treated as suspect, something has been inverted,” Bishop Emeritus Joseph Strickland said in a recent blog post. “This moment demands prayer, honesty, and courage – especially from those entrusted with authority. The salvation of souls must remain the supreme law of the Church. Silence cannot be the final word.”
This past Sunday, former SSPX Superior General Bishop Bernard Fellay defended the decision to forge ahead with consecrations during a sermon he gave at the group’s seminary in Virginia. “Where is the missionary spirit (in the Church) gone today? It’s killed … Why? Because now they pretend that everybody can be saved,” His Excellency said, referring to previous remarks made by Pope Francis. “When we deal with Rome, they still want us to accept these things which are killing the Church. That’s why we say we cannot.”
Father John McFarland of the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Phoenix, Arizona, echoed those remarks during his sermon on Sunday.
“It’s not intended as a challenge to Rome. It’s not a breaking away from the authorities. It’s not setting up our own church,” McFarland said of the possible consecrations. “We continue to recognize the authority of the pope and the local bishops while also continuing to insist that their authority is for the salvation of souls and that is a duty that they are gravely neglecting.”
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In his interview with Kokx, Viganò encouraged SSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani, who will meet with Cardinal Victor Manuel “Tucho” Fernández on Thursday, to make doctrine and Vatican II the primary focus of their conversation. Fernandez is the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“I hope that the reason the Superior General is insisting on having a dialogue with Rome is not primarily to achieve canonical regularization but rather to ‘corner them’ – so to speak – so that, on the one hand, the willingness of the members of the SSPX to recognize themselves as children of the Catholic Church and subjects of the Roman Pontiff is evident; and on the other hand, to ‘put on record’ the unwillingness of the current Hierarchy to reconsider Vatican II and its very serious deviations, showing it for what it is, namely subversive and heretical,” he remarked.
Viganò further expressed himself on X. In a post published on Tuesday morning, His Excellency said that Catholics are living in the age of “apostasy” that was foretold in the Book of Daniel where the “Hierarchy of the Catholic Church … demands obedience in the name of the Head of the Mystical Body, while separating itself from Him through heresy and corruption.”
Viganò expounded further in his conversation with Kokx. “Canonically, there seems to be no way out, and this is because the problem is of a theological and ecclesiological nature,” he said. “We must acknowledge that the current crisis, precisely because of its absolute exceptionality and gravity, demands to be addressed, as they say, ‘outside the box.’ Canonical responses are valid for times of relative normalcy, not for extraordinary, almost eschatological situations.”
His Excellency concluded, “The drift to which the conciliar-synodal church has arrived is such that the same people simultaneously appear to hold both the sacred authority of the Church and the subversive power of its counterfeit. But it is not possible to preside over the Catholic Church in orthodoxy and at the same time over the synodal church in heresy, just as it is not possible to serve two masters (Mt 6:24).”
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- apostolic see
- Archbishop Lefebvre
- Archbishop Victor Manuel “Tucho” Fernandez
- Archbishop Vigano
- Bishop Bernard Fellay
- Catholic Church
- Fr Davide Pagliarani
- Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)
- Sspx
- Vatican
