“Excommunicated!” When the Roman prevails over the Catholic

But how can this be? Roman Catholicism teaches that we are “all brothers” (Pope Francis’s 2020 encyclical), that we must bless everyone (the 2023 “Fiducia supplicans” declaration allowing the blessings of same-sex attracted people), that “todos, todos, todos” (all, all, all), all are children of God—and then…it excommunicates the newly appointed bishops and all the clergy of the Society of St. Pius X, who are more Roman Catholic than anyone else!?!

We’re used to a Catholicism that’s soft, understanding, inclusive, pluralistic, and accommodating.

Today, hearing talk of “schism” and “excommunication” regarding the Society of St. Pius X seems incomprehensible and evokes centuries of history that seem to have been consigned to the past.

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In fact, to a casual observer, what happened at the beginning of July is a facet of Roman Catholicism that, after Vatican II, we were no longer accustomed to. Yet it is a facet that is an integral and organic part of Roman Catholicism.

How can all this be explained? One must understand the markers of Rome’s identity. Catholicism, in addition to being “Catholic,” is also “Roman.” It is both at the same time.

On the one hand, its catholicity is the ideal of universality, which goes hand in hand with an attitude that embraces diversity.

On the other hand, its Roman identity embodies the institutional dimension expressed in the hierarchical-sacramental structure centered on the papacy.

On the one hand, it absorbs; on the other, it controls. Thus, Rome can incorporate the charismatic movement, tolerate dissenting Catholics, fraternally embrace followers of other religions, show understanding toward LGBTQ+ people, make room for the German synodal path (with its progressive impulses), incorporate the Andean fertility goddess such as Pachamama, and approve new Marian apparitions…provided that the hierarchical-sacramental structure remains untouched and the prerogatives of the “Roman” system are not threatened.

This is precisely what happened with the Society of St. Pius X. It is not their traditionalism, nor their criticism of Vatican II, nor their nostalgic interpretation of Roman Catholicism that poses a problem.

In Roman Catholicism, there is room for this and much more, both on the right and on the left of the spectrum, on the traditionalist side as well as on the progressive side.

What led to the schism was the challenge posed to the “Roman” system. By ordaining four bishops without the Vatican’s authorization, the Society of St. Pius X claimed for itself a right that Rome considers its exclusive and non-negotiable prerogative.

As long as it comes to opening space for new interpretations, diverse experiences, multiple perspectives, and varied theological and ethical paths, Roman Catholicism is welcoming, and its broad embrace expands even further.

On the contrary, when the system feels its “Roman” prerogatives threatened, the harsh reaction we have witnessed unfolds: the excommunication because of “schism,” with all the canonical consequences.

The relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Society of St. Pius X have a turbulent history marked by decades of bitter debate.

As long as the issues remained within the realm of Vatican II interpretations, the room for maneuver allowed relations to be maintained.

Now, however, the dispute has shifted to the realm of the “Roman” structure, and Rome has shown its intransigent face.

What does all this remind us of? It reminds us that Roman Catholicism is both Roman and Catholic. Always. Anyone who looks only at the “catholic” aspect and not at the “Roman” one (and vice versa) has understood little or nothing.

Since we’re talking about schism and excommunication, our thoughts inevitably turn to the Protestant Reformation. Luther was excommunicated and charged with the sin of schism.

If Martin Luther had limited himself to calling for a moral reform of the clergy, a renewal of the Church’s teaching, or the formation of a new religious order, even then Rome’s catholicity would have been capable of assimilating those demands.

The crux of the Reformation was that the “Roman” heart—the imperial/hierarchical/sacramental construct at the center of the system—needed to be reformed according to Scripture. This triggered Luther’s expulsion by the then-Pope.

Roman Catholicism oscillates between the Roman and the Catholic. Its catholicity is not defined by biblical standards, but by the preservation and implementation of its Roman interests.

Leonardo De Chirico, theologian and evangelical pastor in Rome (Italy). He writes at Vatican Files.