“If a father is asked by his son for bread, will he give him a stone? Or for a fish, will he give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he is asked for an egg, will he give him a scorpion? Why then, if you, evil as you are, know well enough how to give your children what is good for them, is not your Father much more ready to give, from heaven, his gracious Spirit to those who ask him?” (Lk XI, 11-13)
On July 3, 2026, the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) published a response to the decree issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the previous day (July 2). Before reading the rest of this article, I encourage those of good will to read the response in a prayerful, calm, meditative spirit without bias or prejudgment (see the full text of the response below).
The contents of this communique exhibit the true spirit of a son to his Father. While some may want to evaluate and parse and pick apart the statement of Father Pagliariani, perhaps we should first consider how our Orthodox “separated Christian brethren” and others may view this decision by the Holy See.
Does the Church not need 700 priests with a missionary spirit to administer to the lay faithful and to evangelize?
This past weekend, I queried a Byzantine Catholic priest on what his personal opinion was to the following question: “What do you believe the Holy See would require from a reconciliation standpoint if an Orthodox Patriarch requested to reach full communion with the Catholic Church?” His response was that it would depend on which Orthodox Patriarch asked due to the varying opinions of each Orthodox branch.
So I offered, the follow-up question, which I believed is especially appropriate in light of Pope Leo’s June 29 joyful participation with the Patriarch of Constantinople on the Feast Day of St. Peter & St. Paul. I firmly believe that if a Patriarch would request full communion which would allow them to keep their Faith as is, yet recognize solely the Holy Father’s primacy, the Vatican would grant that full communion recognition immediately.
Obviously, this is my mere opinion, but the Church already allows the Byzantines to NOT recite the “and the Son” (filioque) during their Divine Liturgies, so is there is any reason to believe the Holy See would not be very accommodating if this situation with the Orthodox would ever come to pass.
How does the Holy See think that the Orthodox and other “separated Christian brethren” view the fact that the Pope and his DDF appear to be excommunicating its own Tradition? Would the Holy See require the Orthodox to “accept” every jot and tittle of Vatican II?
Does and has the Holy See issued warnings to the Orthodox Patriarchs for the past nearly 1,000 years each and every time they decided to ordain new priests and consecrate new bishops? Is this ongoing transfer of the Apostolic Tradition and valid orders a mockery of the Faith of Jesus Christ?
And after the Orthodox continue to ordain and consecrate on their own, does the Holy See excommunicate them again and do the Catholic bishops of the world issue public statements warning Catholics that they are now excommunicated and schismatic? If not, why not? Methinks if we review some of the Vatican II documents and follow-up actions of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, our questions may be partially answered. But again, are they in this unclear, smarmy “full communion” with the Catholic Church? If not, how partial or full is their communion?
If we truly reflect on the SSPX letter issued today (July 3, 2026) by its leader on behalf of all of their priest and bishops, ponder why the Holy Father would NOT immediately consider sending Bishop Athanasius Schneider and perhaps Cardinal Burke to intermediate?
Does the Church not need 700 priests with a missionary spirit to administer to the lay faithful and to evangelize?
We can all pray and hope that Cardinal Tucho Fernandez and others will re-evaluate the excessively draconian attempt to include not only the six Society of St. Pius X bishops in the excommunications, but the entirety of the 700 priests.
It may be beyond human reason for us to expect any substantial change or response soon to come directly from Pope Leo XIV, for many reasons, but we can all pray and hope that Cardinal Tucho Fernandez and others in the Curia and who work closely with the Holy Father, will re-evaluate what appears to be the excessively draconian attempt to include not only the six Society of St. Pius X bishops in the excommunications, but the entirety of the 700 priests and lay faithful who attend their chapels.
Two recent public statements written by canonists (one anonymous) point out the obvious canonical results being limited to the six bishops. Canonists will argue and dispute, but the essence is that the decree itself has binding authority only to the explicit contents contained therein, while the Explanatory Note goes far beyond the decree itself.
The decree is authoritative. The Explanatory note’s authority is limited to the extent that it reiterates the exact contents of the decree. It cannot expand upon the canonical penalties to the lay faithful. IF the lay faithful “adhere to the schism” (which does not entail attending Mass or receiving the sacraments in a Catholic rite, per Canon Law), they also cannot me considered to be excommunicated “en masse.”
See Fr. Zuhlsdorf’s clear explanation here. Reminder to all that Father Zuhlsdorf once served in the office of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
The SSPX’s response is prayerful, humble, sorrowful and spiritually powerful. May the Lord God lead us where he wants all of us to go, and I will close with my own heartfelt prayer to Him: “How long O Lord? How long?”
We had asked for bread… unfortunately, we received a stone.
Here is the SSPX response in full:
Most Holy Father,
The notification of the decision taken by the Holy See regarding the Society of Saint Pius X, signed by His Eminence Cardinal Fernández, has reached us and is now a matter of public knowledge.
It appears to us that this decision once more brings to light the profoundly tragic context in which the universal Church finds herself. What the Society of Saint Pius X has done, and will continue to do, is nothing other than an extraordinary initiative for the salvation of souls, amidst the doctrinal and moral confusion into which the Church is plunged. We in no way claim to substitute ourselves for the Church, and we have no ambition other than to remain faithful to her.
We had asked to be instructed and confirmed in the faith of all time; instead, we have been declared schismatic a second time.
In conscience, we did not believe we could evade the moral duty we owe to souls, as we have already explained, both privately and publicly, to Your Holiness.
We had asked for bread, that is to say, a measure of understanding for a sincere case of conscience—an act of fatherhood directed not so much toward the Society of Saint Pius X as toward souls, promising You to form them into true sons of the Roman Church; unfortunately, we received a stone.
We had asked for a fish, that is to say, the possibility of temporarily obtaining the necessary means to continue forming good priests, so that they might pursue their mission of making Our Lord known to souls; unfortunately, we received a serpent.
We had asked for an egg, promising to return it as soon as possible. Indeed, the holy Tradition that we preserve within souls belongs to the Church, our Mother—and not to the Society of Saint Pius X—and we are certain that one day a Pope will wish to employ it for the good of the universal Church; unfortunately, we received a scorpion.
These condemnations compel us to love Holy Church even more, and to provide for her needs with all our strength, now more than ever.
We had asked to be instructed and confirmed in the faith of all time; instead, we have been declared schismatic a second time.
Despite the sanctions levelled against us, the Society of Saint Pius X sincerely renews the promise it has already expressed to Your Holiness. Allow me, in this regard, to freely reiterate what I have previously stated:
“The Society promises You […] to devote all its energies to preserving Tradition and placing it at the service of the Church. In doing so, the Society of Saint Pius X does not merely maintain ancient customs; it fosters and preserves priestly vocations, religious vocations, and large, deeply Christian families—in a word, everything that manifests the vitality of the Church, of grace, and of the Catholic faith. Our intention is not to offer the Church a museum of antiquities, but rather the entirety of Tradition: fruitful, a source of spiritual life, embodied and lived out within souls.
[…] I am certain that one day You yourself, or one of Your successors, will be able and willing to utilise this service, the offering of which, within the Church and for the Church, constitutes our sole reason for being.” (Personal letter addressed to His Holiness on 21 November 2025)
But above all, the Society of Saint Pius X promises You today that it will not receive these new sanctions—objectively unjust and invalid—with bitterness or revolt.
One day the Holy Father will discover in the Society of Saint Pius X not a nest of serpents and scorpions, but a small army of loyal sons.
These recent condemnations, like those of the past, strike at what we hold most dear: our attachment to our Mother, the Roman Church. Yet, even in this trial, all things must work together for the good of souls and of the Church herself. Therefore, these condemnations compel us to love Holy Church even more, and to provide for her needs with all our strength, now more than ever. For this very reason, the Society of Saint Pius X willingly offers up the suffering caused by these new sanctions for the good of the universal Church and of Your Holiness.
We are certain that one day You yourself, or one of Your successors, will wish to adopt the program of Saint Pius X: “To restore all things in Christ,” Instaurare omnia in Christo. On that day, the
Holy Father will discover in the Society of Saint Pius X not a nest of serpents and scorpions, but a small army of loyal sons, ready to do anything to sustain Him in the restoration of all things in Our Lord, and to vindicate before all mankind the imprescriptible rights of Christ the King over all souls and over all nations.
On that day, the Holy Father will discover, with great joy and profound consolation, authentically Catholic souls whose bond with the Church was never founded upon the shifting sands of an ambiguous dialogue, but upon the rock of the faith of Peter.
For us, nothing has changed, and nothing ever will change.
We ask the Most Holy Virgin Mary to hasten the dawning of that day, and we pray, above all, that Your Holiness may experience this joy and consolation as soon as possible.
In the meantime, if You are able, despite Your recent decision, bless us as Your sons. For us, nothing has changed, and nothing ever will change.
Trusting in Divine Providence, from which nothing is hidden and which reads into the depths of every man’s heart,
I remain, Most Holy Father, your most devoted son in the Lord.
Don Davide Pagliarani
