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(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò expressed his “full support” for the Society of St. Pius X’s decision to consecrate more bishops, even without approval from the Vatican. “When the Hierarchy becomes complicit in the demolition of the Church, the only solution is to appeal to the state of necessity and guarantee that Apostolic Succession continues for the good of souls,” His Excellency said in a recent X post. The decision of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X to consecrate new Bishops on July 1 demonstrates the impossibility of any dialogue with the Holy See. The Vatican’s refusal to comply with the Society’s requests confirms a double standard: On the one hand, synodality… pic.twitter.com/gqZN15Fi0r — Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) February 2, 2026 Archbishop Viganò has been applauding SSPX leaders for their determination in a series of social media posts over the last week as well as a recent interview with Traditional Catholic journalist Stephen Kokx. However, in public statements, the former Nuncio to the United States warned the Society to be leery of deceitfulness coming from the hierarchy, which he described as “subversive and heretical.” “The desire of the Society of Saint Pius X to concretely manifest its union with the Apostolic See, cum Petro et sub Petro, is certainly understandable, but the objective gap cannot be bridged through administrative means, because they are dealing with officials who no longer profess the Catholic Faith and who aim to demolish the Holy Church,” His Excellency told Kokx via email Tuesday. “I believe that the Society of Saint Pius X still needs to face the final stage of the process of awareness that 38 years ago led its Founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, to consider ‘modernist Rome apostate.’” Archbishop Viganò’s comments come amid a flurry of analysis made by numerous influencers, priests, bishops, and theologians. While various public figures have expressed concern with the news, others have urged prayer and discernment regarding the group’s plan to consecrate bishops on July 1. “When those who openly contradict the Church’s teaching are tolerated, while those who seek continuity are treated as suspect, something has been inverted,” Bishop Emeritus Joseph Strickland said in a recent blog post. “This moment demands prayer, honesty, and courage – especially from those entrusted with authority. The salvation of souls must remain the supreme law of the Church. Silence cannot be the final word.” This past Sunday, former SSPX Superior General Bishop Bernard Fellay defended the decision to forge ahead with consecrations during a sermon he gave at the group’s seminary in Virginia. “Where is the missionary spirit (in the Church) gone today? It’s killed … Why? Because now they pretend that everybody can be saved,” His Excellency said, referring to previous remarks made by Pope Francis. “When we deal with Rome, they still want us to accept these things which are killing the Church. That’s why we say we cannot.” Father John McFarland of the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Phoenix, Arizona, echoed those remarks during his sermon on Sunday. “It’s not intended as a challenge to Rome. It’s not a breaking away from the authorities. It’s not setting up our own church,” McFarland said of the possible consecrations. “We continue to recognize the authority of the pope and the local bishops while also continuing to insist that their authority is for the salvation of souls and that is a duty that they are gravely neglecting.” In his interview with Kokx, Archbishop Viganò encouraged SSPX Superior General Fr. Davide Pagliarani, who will meet with Cardinal Victor Manuel “Tucho” Fernandez on Thursday, to make doctrine and Vatican II the primary focus of their conversation. Fernandes is the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. “I hope that the reason the Superior General is insisting on having a dialogue with Rome is not primarily to achieve canonical regularization but rather to ‘corner them’ – so to speak – so that, on the one hand, the willingness of the members of the SSPX to recognize themselves as children of the Catholic Church and subjects of the Roman Pontiff is evident; and on the other hand, to ‘put on record’ the unwillingness of the current Hierarchy to reconsider Vatican II and its very serious deviations, showing it for what it is, namely subversive and heretical,” he remarked. Viganò further expressed himself on X. In a post published on Tuesday morning, His Excellency said that Catholics are living in the age of “apostasy” that was foretold in the Book of Daniel where the “Hierarchy of the Catholic Church … demands obedience in the name of the Head of the Mystical Body, while separating itself from Him through heresy and corruption.” The scenario unfolding – or rather, that is already before our eyes – is deeply disturbing, but from an eschatological perspective it is in accord with the apostasy foretold in Sacred Scripture by the Prophet Daniel and the Book of Revelation, and presumably reiterated in the… — Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) February 10, 2026 Viganò expounded further in his conversation with Kokx. “Canonically, there seems to be no way out, and this is because the problem is of a theological and ecclesiological nature,” he said. “We must acknowledge that the current crisis, precisely because of its absolute exceptionality and gravity, demands to be addressed, as they say, ‘outside the box.’ Canonical responses are valid for times of relative normalcy, not for extraordinary, almost eschatological situations.” His Excellency concluded, “The drift to which the conciliar-synodal church has arrived is such that the same people simultaneously appear to hold both the sacred authority of the Church and the subversive power of its counterfeit. But it is not possible to preside over the Catholic Church in orthodoxy and at the same time over the synodal church in heresy, just as it is not possible to serve two masters (Mt 6:24).”

(LifeSiteNews) — A French priest was detained by police for over a day after blessing a church reportedly on the verge of being demolished. Father Matthieu Salenave appeared on a French podcast Monday to explain the incident, which occurred in the town of Mayenne. Salenave was sprinkling holy water on St. Gault Church, which was built in the 11th century, when the mayor drove up and approached him, demanding he leave the premises. Father started to leave in his car as police arrived on the scene. He continued back to his priory, only to have 10 law enforcement officials arrive several hours later. Salenave spent the next 36 hours in jail on charges that he committed violence against an elected official that he adamantly denies. St. Gault is located in the commune of Quelaines-Saint-Gault. A petition with more than 32,00 signatures calling on the French government to stop the destruction of historic churches is circulating online. It explains that thousands of abandoned churches are on the verge of demolition but that thanks to President Emmanuel Macron’s 2023 “Church Plan” they can yet be saved. It notes, however, that some municipalities have doubled down on destroying them with no repercussions. Salenave’s arrest has caught the attention of social media influencers. The Vice President of the Paris chapter of the Association of St. Geneviève, a Traditionalist counter-revolutionary group, called on Catholics to pray for Salenave. Prions pour Mr l’Abbé 🙏🏼 https://t.co/QPJI62E1og — 𝕸𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖚 𝕲𝕺𝖄𝕰𝕽 (@mg12gm) February 9, 2026 During the interview with French outlet Tocsin, Salenave explained that he spent the night at the police station and that delays in the hearing seemed purposefully designed to “intimate” him but that he said it was a “trial” for him that he used to glorify God. He said that he is filing a complaint over the matter with the authorities. Salenave is a former priest of the Society of St. Pius X. He is currently a member of the “Resistance,” which is associated with the late English Bishop Richard Williamson, also formerly of the SSPX. The Resistance has a strong presence in France, with the Dominicans of Avrille and the Society of the Apostles of Jesus and Mary (SAJM) its main representatives. It is believed that Salenave is associated with the SAJM. Salenave appeared on the Tocsin podcast on a separate occasion to explain that he said Masses in barns during COVID, which he described as being similar to the days of the French Revolution. ⛪ FOI, RÉSISTANCE ET COMBAT SPIRITUEL 🕯️ « J’ai célébré des messes clandestines dans des granges pendant la période Covid. On se serait crus revenus aux périodes révolutionnaires. Aujourd’hui, le pouvoir n’est plus au service du peuple ni de Dieu, mais au service du… pic.twitter.com/lqoMsZ3Q1r

(LifeSiteNews) — The cause of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, famous for his decades of televangelism, has been approved for beatification by the Vatican, and the late bishop will be declared “blessed,” the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced on Monday. “The Holy See has informed me that the Cause for the Venerable Servant of God Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen can proceed to Beatification,” Bishop Louis Tylka of Peoria announced in a video message. “The next step in the process is the celebration of the Beatification, in which Fulton Sheen would be declared ‘Blessed.'” This story is developing…