Father Gerald Murray said Sunday the Vatican was justified in excommunicating bishops associated with the Society of St. Pius X, saying the church had little choice after they participated in unauthorized episcopal consecrations.
He added, on Newsmax's "Sunday Agenda," that further defiance could deepen divisions within the Catholic Church.
"The penalty applied to these four bishops, the six bishops involved, it's a just penalty," Murray said. "The problem, of course, is that we need to resolve splits like this in the church."
The Vatican recently declared bishops involved in consecrations without the church's consent excommunicated, renewing tensions with the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, or SSPX, which was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Murray said the group's origins stemmed from disagreements over changes that followed the Second Vatican Council, but he maintained that those concerns did not justify disobeying the pope.
"After the Second Vatican Council, there was a drifting away from traditional doctrine and practices," Murray said. "Archbishop Lefebvre founded the Society of Pius the 10th. He was against that."
"The problem was he then disobeyed the popes," Murray continued. "He went against Pope Paul VI and then John Paul II. So the solution to chaos in the church is not more chaos."
Murray said Catholic teaching is clear that bishops cannot be ordained without the pope's authorization.
"You're not supposed to ordain bishops without the permission of the pope because the pope is in charge," he said. "But, sad to say, the people who run the Society of Saint Pius the 10th decided, 'No, we're in charge. We'll tell the pope what we're going to do.'"
He warned that unless the SSPX seeks reconciliation with the Vatican, it risks further isolating itself from the broader Catholic Church.
"If the SSPX is not willing to resolve it, then they're just going to drift off and become completely against the pope and the rest of the church," Murray said. "That would be most regrettable."
Joining Murray on the program, Catholic AI journalist Sachin Jose said he hopes the traditionalist society ultimately returns to full communion with the church, noting that previous popes have worked to heal the decades-old divide.
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