Zimbabwe’s Catholic bishops have warned the faithful against knowingly participating in activities of the Society of Saint Pius X, saying the group’s recent actions have created a serious breach of communion with Pope Leo XIV and the wider Catholic Church.

In a pastoral communication, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference said the July 1 consecration of four SSPX priests as bishops without a pontifical mandate and despite the Pope’s expressed opposition represented “a serious rupture of ecclesial communion.”

The bishops said their intervention was intended to protect Catholics from becoming involved in a situation they may not fully understand, stressing that communion with the Pope and bishops united with him is central to the visible unity of the Catholic Church.

“To consecrate bishops without the mandate of the Roman Pontiff and against his expressed will constitutes a grave rupture of that communion,” they said.

The bishops acknowledged that some Catholics could be drawn to the SSPX because of its liturgical practices or other aspects of its spirituality, but cautioned that Catholic identity cannot be reduced to attachment to a particular priest, movement or form of worship.

“Our Catholic identity is not founded merely upon attachment to a particular liturgical form, spirituality, movement or individual priest,” they said, adding that Catholics belong to Christ through the Church, the sacraments, the profession of the faith and communion with legitimate ecclesiastical authority.

The ZCBC also sought to distinguish ordinary contact with SSPX members from formal separation from the Church. “Mere contact with a person associated with the Society should not automatically be confused with formal adherence to schism,” the bishops said.

However, they warned that Catholics should not knowingly put themselves in situations that gradually distance them from the Pope, their diocesan bishops and the Catholic Church, urging the faithful to avoid SSPX celebrations and activities.

The bishops further cited the Holy See’s position on the validity and lawfulness of sacraments administered by SSPX ministers, saying Catholics should receive the sacraments within full communion with the Church and through legitimate pastors.

They urged Catholics seeking clarity on SSPX, Church doctrine, liturgy or discipline to consult parish priests and diocesan authorities rather than relying on social media or unofficial sources.

The bishops nevertheless struck a conciliatory tone, saying the warning was not intended as a condemnation of individuals associated with the Society.

“While the present situation is serious and painful, the Church does not speak these words in a spirit of condemnation. The Church is a Mother. Her desire is always reconciliation, healing and the restoration of communion,” they said.

The ZCBC said the Church remains prepared to receive those seeking to return to full communion and that procedures exist for reconciliation and the remission of canonical censures.

“To any Catholic in Zimbabwe who may have formally associated himself or herself with the Society of Saint Pius X: do not be afraid to come home,” the bishops said, encouraging those affected to approach their parish priest or diocesan bishop.

The bishops also called on Catholics across Zimbabwe to pray for those affected by the dispute and for the restoration of unity within the Church, framing the controversy as a reminder that ecclesial unity is both a gift and a responsibility.

They urged the faithful to pray that the Holy Spirit would “soften hearts, heal wounds and lead all God's people towards the unity for which Christ Himself prayed: ‘that they may all be one.’”