A priest from the Society of St. Pius X, a Catholic splinter sect, has expressed optimism that a future pope will welcome the group back into the Church. Georg Kopf made the remarks during a mass in Wil, Switzerland, on Sunday, just days after the group faced excommunication from the Catholic Church. The excommunication was a result of the Society ordaining four bishops without the approval of Pope Leo, a move that was deemed a grave offense by the Vatican.
The Society of St. Pius X has been at odds with the Church over issues such as the use of the old-style Latin Mass and the rejection of formal dialogue with non-Catholics. Despite the current rift, Kopf believes that a future pope will ‘open the door’ and welcome the group back, citing the example of Pope Benedict XVI, who lifted the excommunication of the group’s founder Marcel Lefebvre in 2009. Kopf stated, ‘There will one day be another pope who opens the door and welcomes us back.
Just like Pope Benedict.’ The Society of St. Pius X was established in 1970 and has followers worldwide. The group accuses the Church of deviating from the true faith and has remained unrepentant regarding the current schism with Rome. In his sermon, Kopf emphasized that the ordinations were carried out ‘out of love for the Church and the pope’ and ‘in order to look after the salvation of souls.’ The Vatican has maintained that dialogue was offered to the group ahead of the schism and that the ordinations without Church approval were considered a serious offense.
Kopf’s comments suggest that the Society of St. Pius X is willing to wait for a more favorable papacy to resolve the current impasse. As Kopf noted, ‘I am convinced that there will be another pope like him who will give tradition its rightful place again. Of course, we’d like that to happen tomorrow.’
