A new statement from Bishop Athanasius Schneider has been published at the Substack account of Vatican journalist, Diane Montagna. In his statement, Bishop Schneider presents the Society’s decision to illicitly consecrate new bishops as a ‘dilemma’ of ” … having to choose between preserving the unambiguous integrity of the Catholic Faith as it was taught by the Magisterium throughout the ages, or being canonically recognized by the Pope.”
An excerpt from Bishop Schneider’s statement is given below.
The Dilemma Between Preserving the Unambiguous Integrity of the Catholic Faith and Being Canonically Recognized by the Pope
by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
It is helpful to recall a case in history where a great saint was faced with the following dilemma: the choice between preserving the unambiguous integrity of the Catholic Faith and being canonically recognized by the Pope. That saint was the fourth-century Church Father, St. Athanasius of Alexandria. In 357, Pope Liberius, after signing an ambiguous formula of faith (omitting the crucial doctrinal term “consubstantial”), commanded St. Athanasius to enter into communion with Arian and semi-Arian bishops — bishops with whom the Pope himself, under pressure from the Emperor, had unfortunately entered into communion. St. Athanasius refused to obey the Pope, whereupon the Pope, according to the witness of St. Hilary of Poitiers and other historical sources, excommunicated him, accusing him of troubling the peace of the Church. Despite being excommunicated by the Pope, St. Athanasius continued to govern his diocese in Alexandria and even showed understanding for the regrettable conduct of Pope Liberius. However, Pope St. Damasus, the successor of Pope Liberius, thanked St. Athanasius and consulted him on the affairs of the oriental bishops. Pope Liberius was the first pope not to be canonized, whereas Athanasius was not only canonized but declared a Doctor of the Church.
Today St. Athanasius would be considered a schismatic according to the definition of “schism” in the current Code of Canon Law, since he refused to be in communion with members of the Church (heretic and semi-heretic bishops) who were canonically recognized and thus subject to the Pope.
The episcopal consecrations carried out in Écône by the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) on July 1, 2026, are also an instance of this rare dilemma: of having to choose between preserving the unambiguous integrity of the Catholic Faith as it was taught by the Magisterium throughout the ages, or being canonically recognized by the Pope. This dilemma is evident in the conditions attached to the Pope’s canonical recognition of the SSPX: it must accept certain newly introduced doctrinal ambiguities (as reflected in some non-definitive teachings of the pastoral Second Vatican Council and in certain affirmations and acts of the post-conciliar Magisterium), and accept not only the validity but also the correctness (legitimacy) of the rite of the New Mass — despite its doctrinal and ritual vagueness, which marks a clear rupture with the traditional Roman Rite.
In treating of this complex matter, it is essential to maintain a sober perspective, clarify terminology, and keep before us the Church’s true and ultimate goal and great tradition; for that tradition reaches back far beyond recent centuries or decades. In doing so, one must also consider analogous situations from the major crises in the Church’s history.
Read the rest at Diane Montagna’s Substack.
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