Pope Leo XIV faces Catholic divisions over reform, tradition and authority

By Tyron Devotta 

Pope Leo XIV is confronting divisions within the Catholic Church over participation, worship and papal authority, as he continues the synodal reforms encouraged by Pope Francis while defending continuity with Catholic tradition. The sharpest confrontation has involved the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), whose decision to consecrate bishops without papal permission brought a Vatican declaration of schism.

The dispute escalated on 1 July 2026, when the traditionalist society consecrated four bishops in Écône, Switzerland, despite Leo’s appeal to abandon the ceremony. A decree issued the following day confirmed that the two consecrating bishops and the four newly consecrated bishops had incurred excommunication. The Vatican’s accompanying explanation described the act as a rupture in communion with Rome. Vatican News’s report and the doctrinal office’s explanation set out the Church’s position. That confrontation is more serious than ordinary disagreement about reform. It concerns who has authority to appoint bishops and what obedience to the Pope requires. It should also be distinguished from the wider debate over synodality: neither support for traditional worship nor criticism of a Church initiative automatically amounts to rejection of papal authority. 

The SSPX gives a different account of its actions. It says additional bishops were necessary to preserve its sacramental ministry and Catholic tradition, and that it had sought dialogue with Rome before proceeding. Its published chronology also reports a preliminary appeal against the July decree and argues that the appeal suspends its execution. That is the society’s stated legal position; the Vatican’s declaration remains the authoritative statement of Rome’s judgement.

 For the wider Catholic public, much of the confusion arises from the expression “synodal Church”, which can sound like the name of a new denomination. In official Catholic usage, it describes how the existing Church seeks to live and work together.

The word “synod” comes from the Greek for “walking together”. The Synod’s official explanation describes a process of prayer, listening and discernment involving laypeople, clergy, religious and bishops. The purpose is to draw on the experiences and gifts of the whole Church, including people whose voices have often been overlooked.

In practical terms, this might mean a parish consulting young people, parents and pastoral workers before deciding how to respond to falling attendance or community needs. Such participation does not erase the responsibilities of priests and bishops. The Vatican’s International Theological Commission document on synodality places consultation within the Church’s established structure, including the leadership of the Pope. Catholic teaching is not determined through a parliamentary majority.

Nevertheless, the Church’s own documents acknowledge that the process has generated anxiety. The 2023 Synod synthesis report records fears that synodality could change Church teaching or weaken its hierarchical character. It also recognises the opposite concern: that consultation may produce little meaningful change. These competing expectations help explain why the same initiative can provoke resistance from different directions.

Leo has continued supporting the process. In June 2026, he met continental synodal leaders working on the implementation of the Synod’s recommendations and preparations for a Church-wide assembly in 2028. Vatican News reported that the work involves translating those recommendations into local circumstances.

Worship is another source of tension. The older Latin liturgy has become a focus of wider arguments about the Second Vatican Council, held from 1962 to 1965, and the reforms that followed it. However, attachment to older forms of worship encompasses different communities and convictions; it cannot fairly be treated as a single organised opposition to Rome.

In his 27 May 2026 catechesis, Leo defended liturgical development rooted in authentic tradition. He also stressed respect for liturgical regulations and warned against individuals making changes on their own initiative. His position combines acceptance of legitimate reform with limits on how it is undertaken.

Debates over pastoral care further complicate the picture. One longstanding controversy concerns access to Communion for some divorced and civilly remarried Catholics under Francis’s Amoris Laetitia. A 2023 clarification from the Vatican’s doctrinal office explains that access may be possible in particular cases after pastoral discernment where responsibility and culpability are diminished. This is a case-specific approach, rather than unrestricted admission.

These disagreements have roots extending well before Leo’s pontificate. They involve differing understandings of how doctrine, pastoral practice, tradition and authority relate to one another. Labels such as “progressive” and “traditionalist” capture only part of that complexity.

At his January 2026 meeting with cardinals, Leo emphasised listening and cooperation, while warning: “While unity attracts, division scatters.” The task confronting his pontificate is to make that unity workable among Catholics who share a faith but disagree about how the Church should carry out its mission.