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Sedevacantism ( la, Sedevacantismus) is a doctrinal position within
traditionalist Catholicism Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council ...
, which holds that the present occupier of the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
is not a valid
pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
due to the pope's espousal of one or more
heresies Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
and that therefore, for lack of a valid pope, the
See of Rome The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Ro ...
is vacant. The term ''sedevacantism'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''
sede vacante ''Sede vacante'' ( in Latin.) is a term for the state of a diocese while without a bishop. In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the term is used to refer to the vacancy of the bishop's or Pope's authority upon his death or resignation. Hi ...
'', which means "with the chair .e._of_the_
.e._of_the_Bishop_of_Rome">Bishop_of_Rome.html"_;"title=".e._of_the_Bishop_of_Rome">.e._of_the_Bishop_of_Romebeing_vacant"._The_phrase_is_commonly_used_to_refer_specifically_to_a_vacancy_of_the_Holy_See_from_the_death,_the_ .e._of_the_Bishop_of_Rome">Bishop_of_Rome.html"_;"title=".e._of_the_Bishop_of_Rome">.e._of_the_Bishop_of_Romebeing_vacant"._The_phrase_is_commonly_used_to_refer_specifically_to_a_vacancy_of_the_Holy_See_from_the_death,_the_Papal_renunciation">resignation_ Resignation__is_the_formal_act_of_leaving_or_quitting_one's_office_or_position._A_resignation_can_occur_when_a_person_holding_a_position_gained_by_election_or_appointment_steps_down,_but_leaving_a_position_upon_the_expiration_of_a_term,_or_choos_...
,_the_falling_into_insanity,_or_the_public_heresy_of_a_pope_to_the_Papal_conclave.html" ;"title="Papal_renunciation.html" "title="Bishop_of_Rome.html" ;"title="Bishop_of_Rome.html" ;"title=".e. of the
.e._of_the_Bishop_of_Rome">Bishop_of_Rome.html"_;"title=".e._of_the_Bishop_of_Rome">.e._of_the_Bishop_of_Romebeing_vacant"._The_phrase_is_commonly_used_to_refer_specifically_to_a_vacancy_of_the_Holy_See_from_the_death,_the_Papal_renunciation">resignation_ Resignation__is_the_formal_act_of_leaving_or_quitting_one's_office_or_position._A_resignation_can_occur_when_a_person_holding_a_position_gained_by_election_or_appointment_steps_down,_but_leaving_a_position_upon_the_expiration_of_a_term,_or_choos_...
,_the_falling_into_insanity,_or_the_public_heresy_of_a_pope_to_the_Papal_conclave">election_of_his_successor. Among_those_who_maintain_that_the_see_of_Rome,_occupied_by_what_they_declare_to_be_an_illegitimate_pope,_was_really_vacant,_some_have_chosen_an_alternative_pope_of_their_own,_thereby_in_their_view_ending_the_vacancy_of_the_see;_such_are_known_sometimes_as_''conclavism.html" "title="Bishop of Rome">.e. of the Bishop of Rome">Bishop_of_Rome.html" ;"title=".e. of the Bishop of Rome">.e. of the Bishop of Romebeing vacant". The phrase is commonly used to refer specifically to a vacancy of the Holy See from the death, the Papal renunciation">resignation Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...
, the falling into insanity, or the public heresy of a pope to the Papal conclave">election of his successor. Among those who maintain that the see of Rome, occupied by what they declare to be an illegitimate pope, was really vacant, some have chosen an alternative pope of their own, thereby in their view ending the vacancy of the see; such are known sometimes as ''conclavism">conclavists A conclavist was a personal aide of a cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal present in a papal conclave. The term is sometimes used to refer to all present with a conclave, including the cardinal-electors, but is more properly applied only to the non-ca ...
''. The number of sedevacantists is unknown and difficult to measure; estimates range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.


Positions


Origin

Sedevacantism owes its origins to the rejection of the theological and disciplinary changes implemented following the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
(1962–65). Sedevacantists reject this Council, on the basis of their interpretation of its documents on ecumenism and Freedom of religion, religious liberty, among others, which they see as contradicting the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church and as denying the unique mission of Catholicism as the
one true religion Religious exclusivism, or exclusivity, is the doctrine or belief that only one particular religion or belief system is true. This is in contrast to religious pluralism. Buddhism Some attempts have been made to portray Buddhism in an exclusivist ...
, outside of which there is no salvation. They also say that new disciplinary norms, such as the
Mass of Paul VI The Mass of Paul VI, also known as the Ordinary Form or Novus Ordo, is the most commonly used liturgy in the Catholic Church. It is a form of the Latin Church's Roman Rite and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969, published by him in the 19 ...
, promulgated on 3 April 1969, undermine or conflict with the historical Catholic faith and are deemed blasphemous, while post-Vatican II teachings, particularly those related to ecumenism, are labelled heresies. They conclude, on the basis of their rejection of the revised Mass rite and of postconciliar church teaching as false, that the popes involved are also false. Among even
traditionalist Catholics Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1 ...
, this is a quite divisive question. Traditionalist Catholics other than sedevacantists recognize as legitimate the line of popes leading to and including
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
. Sedevacantists, however, claim that the infallible
Magisterium The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition." According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Chu ...
of the Catholic Church could not have decreed the changes made in the name of the Second Vatican Council, and conclude that those who issued these changes could not have been acting with the authority of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, they hold that
Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
and his successors left the true Catholic Church and thus lost legitimate authority in the church. A formal heretic, they say, cannot be the Catholic pope.


Justification

While Sedevacantists' arguments often hinge on their interpretation of
modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
as being a
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
, this is also debated.


Positions within sedevacantism


On clergy, Mass, and sacraments

Some sedevacantists accept the consecrations and ordinations of sedevacantist bishops and priests, and the offering of Masses and the administration of sacraments by the said bishops and priests, to be licit because of ''epikea'',Most Rev.
Mark Pivarunas Mark Anthony Pivarunas (born 31 October 1958) is an American sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic bishop and the Superior General of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). Biography Early life and family Mark Anthony Pivarunas wa ...
, CMRI
"Episcopal Consecration During Interregnums"
Most Rev.
Mark Pivarunas Mark Anthony Pivarunas (born 31 October 1958) is an American sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic bishop and the Superior General of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). Biography Early life and family Mark Anthony Pivarunas wa ...
, CMRI
"The Consecration of Bishops During Interregna"
 i.e. "the interpretation of the mind and will of him who made the law". In this case, the ecclesiastical laws (e.g. prohibition of consecrations of bishops without papal mandate; prohibition of administration of sacraments without ecclesiastical authorization) are interpreted to cease when to follow them would be impossible, harmful, or unreasonable, or would mean transgressing divine laws (e.g. the church must have bishops and priests; Catholics must attend Mass and receive the sacraments), and because of a historical precedent for consecrating Catholic bishops during a long vacancy of the Holy See.


On liturgy

Another divisive question among sedevacantists is whether it is permissible to go to "''una cum''" masses (Traditional Latin Masses where the name of the person considered by mainstream Catholics as Pope is spoken in the
Roman Canon The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used i ...
, specifically in the "''Te igitur''" prayer, where the priest says "''una cum famulo tuo Papa nostro N.''" together with Thy Servant N., our Pope". Such "''una cum''" masses are offered by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Some argue that it is, or may be, permissible, while others argue that it is not permissible, and that such masses are illicit and forbidden to Catholics.


Relationship to sedeprivationism

A sizeable portion of sedevacantists affirm the Thesis of Cassiciacum of the Dominican theologian Bishop
Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers (25 October 1898 – 27 February 1988) was a French Dominican theologian and, later in life, a traditionalist Catholic bishop who supported sedevacantism and sedeprivationism and was excommunicated by the Hol ...
as being a valid position, which states that John XXIII and his successors are popes ''materialiter sed non formaliter'', that is, " materially but not formally," and that the post-Vatican II popes will become pope if they recant their heresies.


Demography

There are estimated to be between several tens of thousands and more than two hundred thousand sedevacantists worldwide, mostly concentrated in the United States, Mexico, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia, but the actual size of the sedevacantist movement has never been accurately assessed. It remains extremely difficult to establish the size of the movement for a wide range of reasons, such as the fact that not all sedevacantists identify themselves as such, nor do they necessarily adhere to sedevacantist groups or societies.


Early proponents

Early proponents of sedevacantism include: * Patrick Henry Omlor, an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
author who, in 1965, expressed the view that Paul VI was not the pope. *
Francis Schuckardt Francis Konrad Schuckardt (July 10, 1937 – November 5, 2006) was an American sedevacantist Roman Catholic Episcopi vagantes, independent bishop. Schuckardt is described by Michael W. Cuneo as "the rock-and-roll outlaw of Catholic traditiona ...
, an American who was part of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima, until he publicly took the position in 1967 that the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
was vacant and that the church that had emerged from the
Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
was no longer the Catholic Church. He founded the
Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen ( la, Congregatio Mariae Reginae Immaculatae; CMRI) is a sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic religious congregation. The CMRI is dedicated to promoting the message of Our Lady of Fátima and the de ...
(CMRI). * Bishop Daniel Q. Brown, an American former
Old Catholic The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches or Old Catholic movement designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the Great Chu ...
bishop who converted to sedevacantism and an associate of Schuckardt. * Yukio Nemoto, a
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
who created the sedevacantist group ''Seibo No Mikuni'' (Kingdom of Our Lady, 聖母の御国). * Father Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga, a Mexican Jesuit priest and theologian who put forward sedevacantist ideas in his books ''The New Montinian Church'' (August 1971) and ''Sede Vacante'' (1973). His writings gave rise to the sedevacantist movement in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, led by Father Sáenz, Father Moisés Carmona and Father Adolfo Zamora, priests who formed the ''Unión Católica Trento'' (''Tridentine Catholic Union''). * Father Francis E. Fenton, an American priest who was inspired by Sáenz's writings and founded the Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement as an American parallel to the Mexican ''Unión Católica Trento''. * Father (later Bishop)
Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers (25 October 1898 – 27 February 1988) was a French Dominican theologian and, later in life, a traditionalist Catholic bishop who supported sedevacantism and sedeprivationism and was excommunicated by the Hol ...
, a French Dominican priest and theologian who developed the Thesis of Cassiciacum in the 1970s. * Several American priests of the
Society of Saint Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X; FSSPX) is an international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a leading traditionalist voice at the Sec ...
(SSPX): Father Daniel Dolan, Father
Anthony Cekada Anthony J. Cekada (July 18, 1951 – September 11, 2020) was an American Sedevacantist priest and author. Biography Early life Cekada was born to a Slovenian-Italian family as a third-generation American. He was raised in Milwaukee where his fath ...
, and Father
Donald Sanborn Donald J. Sanborn (born February 19, 1950) is an American sedevacantist bishop, known for his advocacy of sedevacantism and sedeprivationism. Most Holy Trinity Seminary In 1995, Sanborn founded the sedevacantist Most Holy Trinity Seminary i ...
, reportedly sedevacantists in the 1970s, who were expelled, along with several other priests, by Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre Marcel François Marie Joseph Lefebvre (; 29 November 1905 – 25 March 1991) was a French Catholic archbishop who greatly influenced modern traditional Catholicism. In 1970, he founded the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a community to tra ...
for holding this view. Nine of these priests later founded the
Society of Saint Pius V The Society of Saint Pius V (SSPV; lat, Societas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii Quinti), is a traditionalist Catholic society of priests, formed in 1983, and based in Oyster Bay Cove, New York, United States. The society broke away from the Society o ...
(SSPV) in 1983. * Father
Gommar DePauw Gommar A. DePauw (11 October 19186 May 2005) was a traditionalist Catholic priest and founder of an organization that he called the Catholic Traditionalist Movement. Early life DePauw was born in Stekene, Belgium, the son of a newspaper ed ...
, an American priest and canonist who founded the organization he named Catholic Traditionalist Movement. * Father
Oswald Baker Oswald Charles Baker (1915–2004) was a Sedevacantist Roman Catholic priest who lived in Downham Market in Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-w ...
, an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
priest who was a sedevacantist by at least 1982, and reportedly some time prior to that. * Father
Lucian Pulvermacher Lucian Pulvermacher (born Earl Pulvermacher, 20 April 1918 – 30 November 2009) was a traditionalist schismatic Roman Catholic priest and a modern-day antipope. He was the head of the True Catholic Church, a small conclavist group that elected h ...
, an American missionary priest who left the Roman Catholic Church in 1976 and in 1998 was elected pope of the
conclavist A conclavist was a personal aide of a cardinal present in a papal conclave. The term is sometimes used to refer to all present with a conclave, including the cardinal-electors, but is more properly applied only to the non-cardinals. Conclavists pl ...
"
True Catholic Church True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...
" with the name of "Pius XIII".


Bishops and holy orders

Catholic theology holds that any bishop can validly
ordain Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...
any baptized male to the priesthood, and any priest to the
episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, provided that, with the intention to do what the church does, he uses a rite of ordination or consecration considered valid by the Catholic Church.


Sedevacantist bishops


Consecrated before Vatican II

The only known Catholic bishop consecrated before the Second Vatican Council who publicly became sedevacantist was Vietnamese Archbishop
Ngô Đình Thục Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục () (6 October 1897 – 13 December 1984) was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Huế, Vietnam, and later a sedevacantist bishop who was excommunicated by the Vatican and allegedly reconciled with the Vatican b ...
(consecrated in 1938), former Vicar Apostolic of
Vĩnh Long Vĩnh Long () is a city and the capital of Vĩnh Long Province in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Vĩnh Long covers and has a population of 147,039 (as of 2009). The name was spelled 永 隆 ("eternal prosperity") in the former Hán Nôm writing sys ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
and former Archbishop of
Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...
, Vietnam. Bishop Alfredo Méndez-Gonzalez (consecrated in 1960), former Bishop of
Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, th ...
,
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, though not a sedevacantist, at least not a public one, associated himself with sedevacantist priests and consecrated a bishop for them.


Thục line bishops

The "Thục line" bishops designates bishops who derive their
episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
from Archbishop Thục or from bishops of Thục's lineage. Many bishops in the "Thục line" are part of the non-sedevacantist
Palmarian Catholic Church , native_name_lang = , image = File:Catedral El Palmar.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Cathedral of El Palmar de Troya , caption = Cathedral of El Palmar de Troya, seat of the Palmarian ...
; this is due to Thục having consecrated Bishop
Clemente Domínguez y Gómez Clemente Domínguez y Gómez (23 May 1946 – 22 March 2005) was a self-proclaimed successor of Pope Paul VI and was recognised as Pope Gregory XVII by supporters of the Palmarian Christian Church schismatic breakaway movement in 1978. His cla ...
, future head of the Palmarian Church, and the very numerous episcopal consecrations within this organization. On 7 May 1981, Thục consecrated the
sedeprivationist Sedeprivationism is a doctrinal position within Traditionalist Catholicism which holds that the current occupant of the Holy See is a duly-elected pope, but lacks the authority and ability to teach or to govern unless he recants the changes broug ...
French priest
Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers Michel-Louis Guérard des Lauriers (25 October 1898 – 27 February 1988) was a French Dominican theologian and, later in life, a traditionalist Catholic bishop who supported sedevacantism and sedeprivationism and was excommunicated by the Hol ...
as a bishop.Heller, Eberhard. AFFIDAVIT DECLARING THE EPISCOPAL CONSECRATIONS OF THEIR EXCELLENCIES BISHOP M. L. GUERARD DES LAURIERS, BISHOP MOISÉS CARMONA AND BISHOP ADOLFO ZAMORA. 14 February 1992. I
''Einsicht'', February 1992
Retrieved 24 February 2022. Des Lauriers was a French Dominican theologian and a papal advisor.M.L. Guérard des Lauriers, Dimensions de la Foi, Paris: Cerf, 1952. On 17 October 1981, Thục consecrated the sedevacantist Mexican priests Moisés Carmona and Adolfo Zamora as bishops. Carmona and Zamora had been sedevacantist leaders and propagators in Mexico for many years, and were among the priests who formed the Tridentine Catholic Union. The Vatican declared Thục ''
ipso facto is a Latin phrase, directly translated as "by the fact itself", which means that a specific phenomenon is a ''direct'' consequence, a resultant ''effect'', of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a previous action. It is a ...
''
excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
for these consecrations and for his declaration of sedevacantism. There are many sedevacantist bishops today whose episcopal lineages descend from Archbishop Thuc, either or both through Bishop Guerard des Lauriers and Bishop
Moises Carmona Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses. ;Places * Doctor Moisés Bertoni, a village in the Caazapá department of Paraguay * Moises Padilla ...
.


Méndez-line bishops

On 19 October 1993, in Carlsbad, California, United States, Bishop Méndez-Gonzalez consecrated the sedevacantist Father
Clarence Kelly Clarence Kelly (born 1941) is an American sedevacantist traditionalist Catholic bishop. He is a co-founder of the Society of Saint Pius V and the founder of the Congregation of Saint Pius V. Biography Clarence Kelly was born in 1941, in B ...
of the
Society of Saint Pius V The Society of Saint Pius V (SSPV; lat, Societas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii Quinti), is a traditionalist Catholic society of priests, formed in 1983, and based in Oyster Bay Cove, New York, United States. The society broke away from the Society o ...
(SSPV) to the episcopacy. By Méndez's wish, the consecration was kept secret until his death in 1995. There are two sedevacantist bishops who descend from Bishop Méndez through Bishop Kelly. Both are bishops of the Congregation of Saint Pius V.


Whose lineages derive from earlier movements

A considerable number of sedevacantist bishops are thought to derive their holy orders from Bishop
Carlos Duarte Costa Carlos Duarte Costa (July 21, 1888 – March 26, 1961) was a Brazilian Catholic bishop who became the founder of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, an independent Catholic church, and its international communion, which long after his ...
, who in 1945 set up his own independent
Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church , image =Emblema da Igreja Católica Apostólica Brasileira.png , imagewidth = , caption =Emblem of the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church , main_classification = Western Christian , orientation =Independent Catholic , polity = Episcopa ...
. Carlos Duarte Costa was not a sedevacantist, and instead questioned the papacy as an institution: he denied
papal Infallibility Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope when he speaks '' ex cathedra'' is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "initially given to the apos ...
and rejected the pope's universal jurisdiction. In further contrast to most Catholic traditionalism, Duarte Costa was
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
.


Groups

Sedevacantist groups include: *
Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen ( la, Congregatio Mariae Reginae Immaculatae; CMRI) is a sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic religious congregation. The CMRI is dedicated to promoting the message of Our Lady of Fátima and the de ...
(CMRI), formed in 1967. It operates in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia; is based in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
, United States; and is headed by Bishop
Mark Pivarunas Mark Anthony Pivarunas (born 31 October 1958) is an American sedevacantist Traditionalist Catholic bishop and the Superior General of the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). Biography Early life and family Mark Anthony Pivarunas wa ...
. *
Society of Saint Pius V The Society of Saint Pius V (SSPV; lat, Societas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii Quinti), is a traditionalist Catholic society of priests, formed in 1983, and based in Oyster Bay Cove, New York, United States. The society broke away from the Society o ...
(SSPV), formed in 1983 when nine American priests of the
Society of Saint Pius X The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) ( la, Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X; FSSPX) is an international fraternity of traditionalist Catholic priests founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a leading traditionalist voice at the Sec ...
split from the organization over a number of issues including using the liturgical reforms implemented under Pope John XXIII.A more comprehensive list of objections can be found at It operates in North America, is based in
Oyster Bay Cove, New York Oyster Bay Cove is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long island, in New York. The population was 2,197 at the 2010 census. History The village incorporated in 1931, and on January 14, 1932, residents unanimou ...
, United States, and is headed by Bishop
Clarence Kelly Clarence Kelly (born 1941) is an American sedevacantist traditionalist Catholic bishop. He is a co-founder of the Society of Saint Pius V and the founder of the Congregation of Saint Pius V. Biography Clarence Kelly was born in 1941, in B ...
. * ''
Istituto Mater Boni Consilii The Institute of the Mother of Good Counsel ( la, Istituto Mater Boni Consilii; IMBC) is a sedeprivationist traditionalist Catholic religious congregation based in Italy. Adhering to the Thesis of Cassiciacum of the French theologian Bishop Mic ...
'' (Institute of the Mother of Good Counsel; IMBC), formed in 1985 when four Italian priests of the Society of Saint Pius X split from the organization. It holds to the position of sedeprivationism. It operates in Europe and
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, and is based in Verrua Savoia,
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Its bishop is Bishop Geert Stuyver. * ''Sociedad Sacerdotal Trento'' (Priestly Society of Trent; SST), formed in 1993 by the priests of the deceased Bishop Moisés Carmona. Its bishop is Bishop Martín Dávila Gandara. * Roman Catholic Institute (RCI), founded in 1993 by Bishop
Donald Sanborn Donald J. Sanborn (born February 19, 1950) is an American sedevacantist bishop, known for his advocacy of sedevacantism and sedeprivationism. Most Holy Trinity Seminary In 1995, Sanborn founded the sedevacantist Most Holy Trinity Seminary i ...
. It consists of Sanborn, his priests, and some of his seminarians, and is based in Brooksville, Florida, United States. * Most Holy Family Monastery (MHFM), a traditional Catholic monastery in Fillmore, New York.


See also

* Sedeprivationism *
Conclavism Conclavism is the practice that has existed since the second half of the 20th century which consists in the convening of a conclave ''—'' a human institution ''—'' to elect rival popes (' antipopes') to the current pope of Rome. This meth ...
*
Independent Catholicism Independent Catholicism is an independent sacramental movement of clergy and laity who self-identify as Catholic (most often as Old Catholic or as Independent Catholic) and form "micro-churches claiming apostolic succession and valid sacramen ...
*
Integralism In politics, integralism, integrationism or integrism (french: intégrisme) is an interpretation of Catholic social teaching that argues for an authoritarian and anti- pluralist Catholic state, wherever the preponderance of Catholics within t ...
*
Traditionalist Catholicism Traditionalist Catholicism is the set of beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions, and presentations of Catholic teaching that existed in the Catholic Church before the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council ...
* Antipope * List of movements that dispute the legitimacy of a reigning monarch


References


Further reading


Criticism

* * * * * (concerning strict sedevacantists as well as conclavists) {{Second Vatican Council