Today, March 25, 2026 — Feast of the Annunciation – marks the 35th Anniversary of the death of His Excellency Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Michael Matt uses this occasion to interview His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider — an official Vatican visitor to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) the largest fraternity of Latin Mass priests in the world.
In this interview, Bishop Schneider discuses motive and intent behind Archbishop Lefebvre’s 1988 episcopal consecrations without papal mandate, and His Excellency compares that event to the upcoming SSPX consecrations without papal mandate, to take place on July 1, 2026. Bishop Schneider recently came under fire for suggesting that any Vatican excommunications of the SSPX that result as penalty for these consecrations would, in fact, be invalid.
Rather than backing down on that contention, Bishop Schneider doubles down, not only by defending the legacy of Archbishop Lefebvre but also by thanking God for Archbishop Lefebvre’s historic stand that Bishop Schneider argues will result in the Catholic Church of the future canonizing Archbishop Lefebvre as a “great confessor bishop in difficult times who loved the Church enough to be persecuted for her.”
Keeping in mind that Bishop Schneider is a diocesan bishop — and thus has everything to lose by speaking out on this — let us pray that other bishops and priests will listen to his words and resolve to help Bishop Schneider unite the clans with a better understanding of this most controversial issue. This is not first and foremost about the SSPX per se. This is about unprecedented Revolution in the Church and the Catholic response.
God bless and Mary keep Bishop Schneider for his Catholic courage in speaking out in defense of Truth regardless of the fallout for him personally.
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