The Vatican has issued excommunications against members of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a conservative Catholic splinter group, following their defiance in consecrating four new bishops contrary to Pope Leo XIV's instructions. The decree affects six SSPX bishops and any lay members who actively support the organization, marking an escalation in the Church's efforts to bring the traditionalist sect back into alignment with its teachings. Established in 1970 as a response to modernizing reforms within the Roman Catholic Church, the SSPX numbers around 600,000 followers globally and maintains distinct liturgical practices, such as holding services in Latin and requiring communion bread to be given directly to kneeling worshippers by priests. The Vatican's move is intended to compel adherents to either abandon their traditionalist beliefs or risk being excluded from Catholic life, sparking a divide between the SSPX and the mainstream Roman Catholic Church. Many members of the Society contend that it is the Vatican that has strayed from orthodox doctrine, rather than themselves.