An order of Catholic monks in Orkney has consecrated a bishop without the blessing of the Pope. The Diocese of Aberdeen says the monks are breaking the unity of the Church, while the Vatican is already investigating the order.
The Sons of the Holy Redeemer own the Orkney island of Papa Stronsay, which is home to their Golgotha monastery. Their superior, Father Michael Mary, was consecrated as a bishop in a four-hour ceremony streamed online on Saturday.
The monks are a Transalpine Redemptorist community of Catholic traditionalists who deny the legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV and his predecessors for the last 60 years. The order is part of the Diocese of Aberdeen, which has already condemned the consecration as an "act of schism".
In a pastoral letter to all parishes in the diocese, the Bishop of Aberdeen, the Rt Rev Hugh Gilbert, described the event as "spiritual suicide" for those who take part.
The ceremony has drawn international attention through the order's online following among traditionalist Catholics across the world, especially in the Americas. "Father Michael Mary is being consecrated as a bishop without a Papal mandate. This is incredibly significant within the Catholic Church because all bishops should have the approval of the Pope," said Luke Coppen, senior commentator with US Catholic website, The Pillar.
"The lack of this permission means the ceremony will constitute a formal break with the communion of the Catholic Church."
Why does the Vatican care about this consecration?
The Vatican's approval matters because bishops are expected to have the Pope's consent, and without it the ceremony is seen as a serious challenge to Church authority. Coppen said the lack of permission means the event will constitute a formal break with the communion of the Catholic Church.
Coppen believes the order is willing to break with the Diocese of Aberdeen and the Vatican to secure its own long-term future. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Around Orkney, he said the community needs a bishop if it wants to continue over the coming decades.
"I think the community is seeking to perpetuate itself in the coming decades and it's very hard to do that without a bishop.
Bishops play the important role of ordaining priests and confirming young Catholics in the faith.
A bishop also gives them an independent source of continuity outside of Rome, because Rome is looking very carefully at this community and I think will not approve further ordinations within it."
Who is Father Michael Mary?
Father Michael Mary is an inspirational figure among conservative traditionalists who want to overturn the changes to Catholic worship implemented following the Second Vatican Council 60 years ago. In a recent blog, the 73-year-old monk described the present-day Catholic Church as a "new religion" intent on "the obliteration of the Latin Mass, the Catechism and the Sacraments of the True Church."
Stephen Kokx, editor-in-chief of Integrity magazine, and an American Catholic traditionalist commentator, has interviewed Father Michael Mary and other members of the order. He believes the monks have an important role as a thorn in the side of "the squatters who currently occupy positions of influence in the Vatican".
"If they are excommunicated, they should consider it a mark of honour."
What has happened on Papa Stronsay before?
The monastery suffered tragedy in April when 24-year-old Justin Evans, also known as Brother Ignatius, went missing. His body was later recovered from the sea.
The order's online following has helped bring wider attention to the community, which owns Papa Stronsay and operates the Golgotha monastery there. The latest consecration has intensified an already longstanding dispute with church authorities over its refusal to accept the legitimacy of recent popes.
The monks' stance has placed them in open conflict with the Diocese of Aberdeen and the Vatican, and their future now appears tied to how Church authorities respond to the ceremony and any sanctions that follow.
Key Facts
- The Sons of the Holy Redeemer own Papa Stronsay in Orkney.
- Father Michael Mary was consecrated as a bishop on Saturday in a four-hour streamed ceremony.
- The Diocese of Aberdeen has condemned the event as an "act of schism".
- The order denies the legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV and his predecessors for the last 60 years.
- Justin Evans, also known as Brother Ignatius, went missing in April and his body was later recovered from the sea.
