Cardinal Robert Sarah has issued an appeal to the Society of St Pius X not to proceed with episcopal consecrations without a pontifical mandate, warning that such a step would constitute disobedience to the law of the Church and risk an “irreversible rupture” within the Body of Christ.
Writing in French in Le Journal du Dimanche on February 22, the Guinean cardinal said he had learned of the Society’s intention to consecrate bishops and expressed his “deep concern and profound sadness” at the announcement.
The intervention makes him one of the most senior churchmen to speak publicly against the proposed consecrations in recent days, following Cardinal Müller’s article on February 20 with Kath.Net.
“We are told that this decision to disobey the law of the Church is motivated by the supreme law of the salvation of souls,” he wrote, referring to the canonical maxim suprema lex, salus animarum. “But salvation is Christ, and He gives Himself only in the Church.”
Cardinal Sarah questioned whether the defence of souls could be invoked to justify an act carried out without the authorisation of the Holy See.
“How can we claim to lead souls to salvation by means other than those He Himself has indicated to us?” he asked. He warned that to proceed would be to “tear the Mystical Body of Christ in an irreversible manner”, adding: “How many souls risk being lost because of this new rupture?”
The cardinal acknowledged that the Society maintains that its actions are intended to defend Catholic Tradition and fidelity to the Faith. “We are told that this act aims to defend Tradition and the faith,” he wrote. “I know how much the deposit of faith is today sometimes despised by those who themselves have the mission to defend it.”
At the same time, he insisted that fidelity to Tradition cannot be separated from obedience to ecclesial authority. “Faith can never lead us to renounce obedience to the Church,” he said. “How can we continue to tear apart His Body under the pretext of saving souls?”
Cardinal Sarah argued that the Church alone is the ordinary means of salvation and that unity with the Successor of Peter remains the surest safeguard against error. Citing the words of St Augustine that “Where the Church is, there is Christ,” he stressed that Christ “does not give Himself outside the Church”.
“There exists a centre, an obligatory point of reference: the Church of Rome, governed by the Successor of Peter, the Pope,” he wrote, recalling Christ’s words to St Peter in the Gospel of St Matthew: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.”
He warned that to separate oneself from that visible unity is to court spiritual danger. “To leave the barque of Peter and organise oneself autonomously and in a closed circle is to deliver oneself to the waves of the storm,” he said.
The cardinal also addressed concerns about doctrinal confusion and scandal within the Church, acknowledging that many faithful Catholics are troubled by what they perceive as failings among pastors.
He spoke of “the cowardice of Christians and even prelates who renounce teaching the deposit of faith and prefer their personal opinions on matters of doctrine and morality”, and added: “I know full well that often even within the Church itself, there are wolves disguised as lambs.”
Nevertheless, he maintained that such realities do not justify a break with Rome. “The best protection against error remains our canonical bond with the Successor of Peter,” he wrote.
Cardinal Sarah referred to St Catherine of Siena, who exhorted the faithful to remain united to the Pope even in times of crisis, and to St Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, who endured disciplinary restrictions without rebelling against ecclesiastical authority.
Of Padre Pio, he noted that the Capuchin friar was “unjustly condemned” and forbidden to hear confessions for years, yet “remained silent” and embraced obedience.
“The good God made me know that obedience is the only thing that saves souls,” he quoted Padre Pio as saying.
The cardinal rejected the suggestion that disobedience could be justified in the name of fidelity to previous magisterial teaching. “We are told that this is a matter of fidelity to the previous Magisterium, but who can guarantee this to us except Peter’s successor himself?” he asked.
He posed a series of questions about certainty in the faith: “Who will give us the certainty of being truly in contact with the source of salvation? Who will guarantee us that we have not taken our own opinion for the truth?”
For Cardinal Sarah, the answer lies in the authority given by Christ to the Apostles and their successors. “He who hears you hears me,” he recalled from the Gospel of St Luke.
The intervention from Cardinal Sarah follows closely upon remarks by Gerhard Müller, who also warned that the Society must remain “within the Church” if it is to have a positive effect. Both cardinals have taken a firm stance against the planned consecrations.
Their comments contrast with the more conciliatory tone adopted by Athanasius Schneider, who has called for renewed dialogue between the Holy See and the Society and suggested that recent negotiations have been hindered by what he described as “harsh behaviour” on the part of Vatican officials.
Cardinal Sarah, however, emphasised that unity with the Pope is not only a juridical requirement but a supernatural bond that guarantees communion with Christ Himself.
“It is a supernatural view of canonical obedience which guarantees our bond to Christ,” he wrote.
He concluded by affirming that no defence of faith or liturgy can come at the price of ecclesial unity. “We can affirm that the best way to defend the faith, Tradition, and authentic liturgy will always be to follow Christ in obedience,” he said. “Christ will never command us to break the unity of the Church.”
The Society of St Pius X has yet to announce any change to its planned episcopal consecrations, which were announced on February 2.
The consecrations are set to take place on July 1 and will likely be held at the Society’s International Seminary in Écône, Switzerland.
However, the candidates and the number of men to be consecrated as bishops have yet to be announced.