A Catholic church in Northern Kentucky faces an uncertain future after the Vatican declared this weekend that its priests are part of a "schismatic" Catholic movement.

Our Lady of the Assumption in Walton, Kentucky, which also runs a school for boys and girls, is operated by priests and bishops associated with the Society of St. Pius X, which the Vatican's doctrine office has found is no longer "in communion" with the Catholic Church.

In a letter explaining the decision, the Vatican said attempts to reconcile the teachings of the Society of St. Pius X, which holds a strict, traditionalist view of Catholicism, with mainstream Catholic doctrine came to a head July 1 when the society ordained bishops over the objection of Pope Leo XIV.

The Vatican came down hard, excommunicating bishops and priests from the society and warning lay Catholics they also could face excommunication if they continued to celebrate Mass and receive sacraments from those priests.

What is excommunication in the Catholic church?

Excommunication, the harshest penalty the church can impose, bars Catholics from participating in sacraments or services, essentially severing their spiritual connection to the church. It is not always permanent, however, and those who have been excommunicated could return to the church if they repent and stop committing acts offensive to the faith.

"The holy People of God are warned that the sacred ministers of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X administer the sacraments illicitly," Vatican officials wrote in the letter addressing their decision. "Those who formally adhere to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X ... are to be considered schismatic and excommunicated."

What is the Society of St. Pius X?

The decision follows decades of tension between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X, which was founded more than a half century ago by the French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in opposition to reforms initiated after the Second Vatican Council, which sought to improve the church's relationship with other faiths and allowed the celebration of Mass in the vernacular, rather than Latin.

Lefebvre and his followers considered those church reforms heretical and have sought to return the church to what they believe are its traditional and true teachings. They have ordained more than 750 priests and 250 nuns who oversee churches and schools around the world.

What is Our Lady of the Assumption in Walton?

Our Lady of the Assumption, which opened in 2010, is part of that movement. Although officials at the church did not immediately respond to calls and an email seeking comment on the Vatican's decision, they have for years embraced the views of the Society of St. Pius X.

The church is located in the Diocese of Covington but run by the society. That sort of relationship is common, as religious orders and societies such as the Jesuits and Dominicans operate many churches in dioceses across the country, including in Greater Cincinnati.

But all Catholic churches and schools are subject to the leadership of the Vatican and the pope, which is expressed through local bishops. If the Vatican determines a religious order or society no longer is in communion with the church, priests and lay Catholics must abide by that decision or risk excommunication.

Covington Bishop John Iffert published an open letter to all Catholics in the diocese July 2 explaining the consequences of the Vatican's decision, which include the church's refusal to recognize marriages, confessions, baptisms and other sacraments performed by schismatic clergy.

"Any sacraments celebrated by the priests of the SSPX are illicit," Iffert wrote. "This means that the celebrations are not permitted by the law of the Church and the cleric offering the Sacrament commits the canonical and moral fault of disobedience in each instance.

"The Masses these priests celebrate are an abuse of the Eucharist, insofar as they make the Sacrament of Unity into an occasion of division within the Church, and so they should be firmly rejected and avoided by all the Catholic faithful."

St. Pius X parish in Edgewood not affected

Iffert said lay Catholics who don't heed the Vatican's warnings face the same punishment as the society's priests and bishops, including the possibility of excommunication. He urged Catholics to stop attending services at Our Lady of the Assumption and to withdraw their children from the church's school.

"I invite those in the Diocese of Covington who are in any way attached to the SSPX to separate themselves from this schismatic sect, repent where necessary, and seek (or hold fast to) union with the Ministry of Peter in the person of the Bishop of Rome — Pope Leo XIV," Iffert wrote.

Iffert also noted that while the society claims St. Pius X as its namesake, citing as inspiration that pope's description of the Catholic Mass, it is not associated with the St. Pius X parish in Edgewood, Kentucky, which remains in good standing with the diocese.

St. Pius X leaders calls decision 'tragic'

Leaders of the Society of St. Pius X have vowed to continue their ministry, despite the Vatican's decision. They view themselves as keepers of traditional Catholic doctrine who are resisting unreasonable changes adopted by the wider church.

The society's superior general, the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, sent a letter to Pope Leo in response to the Vatican's decision, vowing to remain loyal to the church but also promising to hold to the views that led to the excommunication of its priests and bishops.

"It appears to us that this decision once more brings to light the profoundly tragic context in which the universal Church finds herself. What the Society of Saint Pius X has done, and will continue to do, is nothing other than an extraordinary initiative for the salvation of souls, amidst the doctrinal and moral confusion into which the Church is plunged," Pagliarani wrote. "We in no way claim to substitute ourselves for the Church, and we have no ambition other than to remain faithful to her."

The society and the Vatican have struggled for decades to resolve their differences, and the decision this weekend to excommunicate the society's clergy is not the first time church officials have taken drastic steps to bring the society back to the fold.

The Vatican suspended Lefebvre, the society's founder, in 1975 and excommunicated him and four of the society's bishops in 1988 when Lefebvre ordained the bishops without papal consent. The group continued to expand, however, while the society and the Vatican attempted to resolve their differences.

Pope Benedict XVI eventually lifted the excommunications of Lefebvre and the bishops, while Pope Francis lifted some restrictions placed on the society's clergy. All that fell apart, however, when Pagliarani defied Pope Leo's admonition against ordaining the bishops on July 1.

Our Lady of the Assumption has appealed for years to traditionalist Catholics in Greater Cincinnati and has occasionally made news because of its beliefs.

In 2019, during a chickenpox outbreak a the church's school, the Northern Kentucky Health Department ordered students to stay home unless they were vaccinated or already had immunity. The school closed for three days. One student sued the health department, arguing the vaccination violated his religious beliefs.

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