Society of Saint Pius X

The Society of Saint Pius X (Latin: Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X; Spanish: Hermandad Sacerdotal de San Pío X; also informally known as the SSPX or the FSSPX) is an international priestly fraternity founded in 1970 by the French Roman Catholic Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The society is known for rejecting many of the ecclesial reforms both influenced or institutionalized by the Second Vatican Council with the claim of maintaining orthodoxy and doctrinal purity among its followers. The present Superior General of the Society is Bishop Bernard Fellay.

Tensions between the society and the Holy See reached their height in 1988, when Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops against the orders of Pope John Paul II, resulting in a declaration of excommunication against the bishops who consecrated or were consecrated. However, the excommunication was removed in January 2009 with a hope expressed that all members of the society would quickly return to full communion.

In recent years, however, the Society has seen a growing recognition of its sacramental and pastoral activities by the Holy See. The Holy See extended, on 20 November, 2016, permanent canonical recognition to confessions heard by Society priests (Misericordia et Misera, 12) and later, on 4 April, 2017, also recognized marriages witnessed by priests of the Society. The significance of these recognitions is that, unique among the sacraments of the Catholic Church, both confession and marriage require canonical jurisdiction for their validity (it was a long-standing contention by the Society's critics that neither of these sacraments could be received by a Society priest, due to defect-of-form). In addition, the Vatican named Bishop Fellay judge in a canonical trial against one of the Society's priests.