Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese of Townsville On the Society of Saint Pius X

Pastoral Letter to the Clergy, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese of Townsville
On the Society of Saint Pius X

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a decree concerning the Society of Saint Pius X following the ordination of four bishops on 1 July 2026 without the required pontifical mandate. This schismatic act ruptured the visible communion that Christ wills for His Church, and the decree of 2 July 2026 sets out the canonical consequences for those directly involved.

This is not merely a matter of Church law or governance. The unity of the Church is a gift of the Holy Spirit and an essential mark of the Catholic faith. Our communion with the Successor of Saint Peter and with the bishops in communion with him is part of Christ’s plan for His Church. To separate oneself from that communion wounds the Body of Christ and weakens the Church’s witness to the Gospel.

The consequences named in the decree apply first to those who knowingly committed this act: the bishops who ordained without a pontifical mandate and those who received episcopal ordination in defiance of the Holy See. Their actions have placed them outside full communion with the Church.

They also affect the priests of the Society who continue to exercise ministry within a community now judged to be in schism. While many of these priests have sought to serve Christ faithfully, their ministry is now exercised outside the full communion of the Church and is therefore gravely irregular and illicit. Catholics should not seek their sacramental ministry. The decree further states that the sacraments of Penance and Matrimony celebrated by priests of the Society are invalid.

This is also a serious spiritual concern for those who continue to adhere to the Society. For a variety of reasons, Catholics have become involved with it. Yet no legitimate love for Catholic tradition can be separated from communion with the Church herself. Tradition is safeguarded within the living communion of the Church, never apart from it.

For this reason, I ask any Catholic of the Diocese who attends the Society’s chapel at Rasmussen, or who participates regularly in its sacramental life, to prayerfully reconsider that decision. In light of this decree, I ask you to cease participating in the liturgies and sacramental life of the Society and to return to full communion with the Catholic Church under the pastoral care of the Holy Father and in communion with me as your diocesan Bishop.

This is not a moment for condemnation or triumphalism. Rather, it is a time for prayer, repentance and hope. I ask every parish, school, ministry and Catholic family throughout the Diocese to pray for the restoration of the unity for which Christ prayed. May those who have become separated from full communion find their way home through the grace of the Holy Spirit and may all of us grow in fidelity to Christ and His Church.

I remain open to receiving those who wish to return to full communion with the Catholic Church. If you accept this pastoral invitation, I ask that you contact my office or speak with your local parish priest, who has been informed of the process to be followed. Be assured that you will be received with charity, respect and pastoral care.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us all and obtain the grace of reconciliation, healing and peace.

With every blessing,
MOST REV TIMOTHY J HARRIS Bishop of Townsville

Given at the Chancery, Townsville 8 July 2026


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