Fr. Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), defended the traditionalist group’s stance after Vatican penalties, saying its leaders told the pope they could not agree before recent episcopal consecrations. LifeSiteNews reported the remarks from a September 19 address in Roodepoort, South Africa, and Integrity Magazine shared video excerpts.
Pagliarani’s account
“[The SSPX] simply chose to tell the truth to everybody — first of all to the pope, telling him, ‘Listen, we cannot agree,’” Pagliarani said, according to Integrity Magazine. He added that the SSPX explained why it intended to consecrate bishops and “made a profession of faith,” later describing “two professions of faith” as part of “the way to tell the truth.”
LifeSiteNews framed the comments as a defense following the Vatican’s declared excommunication of SSPX bishops.
What Rome proposed, per the SSPX
LifeSiteNews reported Pagliarani met with Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, weeks before the consecrations. A February communiqué from the SSPX General House stated the cardinal proposed dialogue to clarify the “minimum necessary” for the SSPX’s canonical status. The same communiqué said the cardinal “stated orally that, while it would be possible to engage in dialogue about the Council, its texts could not be corrected.”
The Vatican II fault lines
LifeSiteNews linked the standoff to SSPX objections to certain Second Vatican Council texts, including Nostra Aetate (interreligious dialogue), Unitatis Redintegratio (ecumenism), and Dignitatis Humanae (religious liberty). Citing a 2016 interview, LifeSiteNews noted Archbishop Guido Pozzo, then secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, said some conciliar texts “are not about doctrines or definitive statements, but, rather, about instructions and orienting guides for pastoral practice,” adding that discussion of those pastoral aspects could continue after any canonical approval.
What remains unclear
LifeSiteNews wrote that the pope did not meet SSPX leadership before the consecrations and that excommunications were later declared, but the report did not include Vatican documents detailing those actions. Integrity Magazine’s quotes come from a public talk clip posted September 22.
