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The Society of Saint Pius X called the decision a "sacred duty," despite the fact that ordinations carry automatic excommunication under Catholic Church law.
A rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics has defied Pope Leo by ordaining four bishops without his consent, an action they described as a "sacred duty," even though under Catholic Church law it carries automatic excommunication.
In a ceremony filled with religious rites, broadcast live on Wednesday from the village of Ecône in Switzerland, the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) proceeded with the ordination of four bishops: one Swiss, one French and two Americans.
Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who himself was ordained without the Pope's approval in 1988, laid his hands on the heads of the four new bishops, performing the rite of laying on of hands, through which Catholics believe the Holy Spirit passes from one bishop to another.
Under Catholic Church law, all five now face automatic excommunication. The Society of Saint Pius X, founded in 1970 in Ecône to oppose liberalizing reforms in the Catholic Church, is considered a challenge to Pope Leo's leadership, as it represents an ultra-Catholic parallel structure.
The Pope had made a last-ditch effort to convince the community to stop the ordinations, calling them a "schismatic act" and a "sin of extremely great importance."
However, as Mass began on Wednesday, a priest read a statement in defense of the ordinations, expressing regret for what he described as the Catholic Church's departure from tradition.
"Therefore, before God, we consider it a sacred duty towards the Holy Church and towards souls to continue with the ordination of bishops who remain completely faithful to her sacred tradition and her unchanging teaching," the priest declared. "We consider that any punishment or sanction for this action will have no validity."
To the sounds of organ music, a large crowd gathered to watch the ceremony, as hundreds of priests marched through the mountain village towards the society's seminary, where the ordinations took place.
Although a group separate from the Catholic Church, the Society of Saint Pius X has a wide reach, especially in the United States, where it has a significant base in Kansas, as well as in France, Argentina and other countries. The order numbers approximately 1,500 priests, seminarians and other members.
The society opposes the main changes that emerged from the Second Vatican Council, the historic gathering of cardinals, patriarchs, bishops and theologians that took place between 1962 and 1965. Among the changes it rejects is allowing the celebration of Mass in local languages, as previously it was held only in Latin.
However, the live broadcast of Wednesday's ceremony, conducted in French, was also translated into English, German, Italian and Polish.
These ordinations could constitute the first major crisis for Pope Leo, as they incite a schism, a deliberate disruption of the unity of the Church. Since his election last May as the first pope from North America, Leo has made the unity of the Church one of his priorities and has worked particularly hard to heal divisions with traditionalists that had deepened during the pontificate of his predecessor, Pope Francis.
The clash is the first between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X since 1988, when Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the society's founder, and four bishops he had ordained without the permission of Pope John Paul II were excommunicated, including British Bishop Richard Williamson. In 2009, conservative Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications. Shortly before that, Williamson had caused a strong reaction by denying the Holocaust.
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