As the Society of St. Pius X is again on the brink of schism, perhaps a more traditional approach from the Holy See would serve the universal Church – and the adherents of the SSPX – better. The Vatican has attempted for nearly 40 years to accommodate SSPX with highly untraditional innovations, some of them canonically peculiar, to no avail. The best course now would be to declare the excommunications and make clear that SSPX is in schism, given that is what is wrought by repeated schismatic acts. Further, in the traditional course of things, the Holy See would clarify that the SSPX’s sacramental acts are illegitimate and therefore should be avoided by the faithful. Perhaps canonical penalties might achieve what pastoral concessions did not.
