Vatican makes dialogue with Lefebvrians conditional on suspension of new episcopal ordinations

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued an official communiqué following the meeting held this February 12, 2026 between the Prefect, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, and the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (FSSPX), Rev. D. Davide Pagliarani. The meeting marks a turning point in relations between the Holy See and the traditionalist group.

A theological dialogue under a «precise methodology».»

According to the document, the meeting was “cordial and sincere” and sought to address issues that have strained the relationship for years. Cardinal Fernandez has formally proposed a “percorso (journey) of specifically theological dialogue”, structured under a “very precise methodology”.

This dialogue will focus on issues of high dogmatic complexity which, according to Rome, still lack sufficient precision. Among the key points to be discussed are:

• The technical distinction between the “act of faith” and the “religious gift of will and understanding”. The act of faith is the full and theological adherence to the truths revealed by God, while the religious gift of the will and understanding is the internal assent given to the teachings of the authentic Magisterium that have not been infallibly defined.
• The “different degrees of adherence required by the various texts of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and their interpretation”.
• The controversial question of the “divine will regarding the plurality of religions”.

The «brake» on ordinations: The risk of schism

The Vatican has been explicit about the purpose of this rapprochement. The ultimate objective is “to evidence, in the topics discussed, the minimum necessary for full communion with the Catholic Church”. Once these minimums have been reached, the plan contemplates “outlining a canonical statute for the Fraternity”, thus resolving its juridical situation after decades of irregularity.

However, the Holy See has drawn an insurmountable red line. Rome warns that any ordination of bishops without pontifical mandate - which enjoys “supreme ordinary power, which is full, universal, immediate and direct” - would mean a “decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism)”.

The communiqué stresses that such acts would have “grave consequences for the Fraternity as a whole”. For this reason, the Vatican has made the initiation of talks conditional on a concrete gesture:

“The possibility of developing this dialogue presupposes that the Fraternity suspends the decision on the announced episcopal ordinations.”.

Expectation of the Fraternity's response

The future of this process now rests in the hands of the FSSPX. The Superior General, Don Davide Pagliarani, “will present the proposal to his Council and will give his response to the Dicastery”. Only in case of a “positive response”, both parties will proceed to establish “by common agreement the steps, stages and procedures to be followed”.

The communiqué concludes with an appeal to the faithful to pray to the Holy Spirit, whom it defines as the “principal architect of the true ecclesial communion willed by Christ,” in what appears to be a last effort to avoid a definitive rupture.