Despite being a splinter group, the SSPX, which has nearly 1,500 priests, seminarians and other vocational members, has made strides in attracting a following of an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people around the world, especially in the US, France and Argentina.

The society rejects ​central changes that emerged from the second Vatican council – a landmark gathering of cardinals, patriarchs, bishops, theological experts and others between 1962 and 1965 – including allowing mass to be celebrated in local languages. Until then it had been said only in Latin. It also rejects dialogue with other religions and does not recognise other Christian churches.

“It’s a very minor group but they are very loud and very ultra-right,” said Vreede.

Since Leo was elected in May last year, the first North American pope has made church unity a priority and has worked especially hard to heal rifts with traditionalists, which had deepened during Francis’s papacy.

The society had pursued the ordinations for three reasons, said Vreede. First, with only two ageing bishops left, the order needed new ones. It bided its time after Leo was elected and, seeing that he wore the classic papal vestments and revived the tradition of going to the summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, close to Rome, had hoped he would be more tolerant of them than Francis was, only to discover he mostly followed in his predecessor’s footsteps.

  


Vatican excommunicates all members of ultra-conservative rebel group SSPX | Catholicism