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Alfonso de Galarreta

Bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X; principal consecrator at Écône, 2026SSPX bishop who was principal consecrator of four bishops at Écône on 1 July 2026; declared excommunicated in 1988 (lifted 2009) and again in 2026.

FSSPX.NewsSociety of Saint Pius X (SSPX)No analyses yet

About Alfonso de Galarreta

Alfonso de Galarreta is a bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X. He was one of the four priests, with Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and Richard Williamson, whom Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated bishops at Écône on 30 June 1988 without papal mandate; a Congregation for Bishops decree of 1 July 1988 declared them excommunicated (EWTN Library). The penalty was remitted by a decree of 21 January 2009 under Pope Benedict XVI (vatican.va; Wikipedia; EWTN News). Before July 2026 he and Fellay were the society's two active bishops (Wikipedia).

On 1 July 2026, in the meadow at Écône used for the 1988 ceremony, he was principal consecrator of four new bishops, Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier, with Fellay as co-consecrator. The consecrations took place without a pontifical mandate and despite Pope Leo XIV's letter asking the society to desist (FSSPX.News; OSV News).

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith declared on 2 July 2026 that he and the four men he consecrated had incurred the latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See for episcopal consecration without a pontifical mandate; Fellay was declared excommunicated as co-consecrator for publicly adhering to what the decree called a schismatic act (Vatican News; Catholic World Report; The Pillar). The society rejects the penalties as "objectively unjust and invalid" and has filed a canonical recourse (Catholic World Report). See The SSPX episcopal consecrations of 2026.

On the timeline

Full timeline

Dated events, newest first.

  1. Landmark

    Vatican decree declares the SSPX in schism and confirms excommunications

    A decree of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, signed by Cardinal Fernández, declared that the consecrating bishop, Alfonso de Galarreta, the co-consecrator, Bernard Fellay, and the four new bishops had incurred latae sententiae…

    3 sources

    Vatican confirms excommunication of SSPX bishops, declares schism (Catholic World Report)Vatican declares Society of St. Pius X in schism, excommunicates bishops (NPR)Vatican declares SSPX bishops, priests schismatic, says lay faithful risk… (National Catholic Reporter)

  2. Landmark

    SSPX consecrates four bishops at Écône without a papal mandate

    At Écône, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, assisted by Bishop Bernard Fellay, consecrated Pascal Schreiber, Michael Goldade, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry and Marc Hanappier as bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X, in defiance of the Holy…

    3 sources

    SSPX ordains four new bishops in defiance of Pope Leo and the Vatican (America Magazine)SSPX consecrates bishops in defiance of Rome's schism warning (EWTN News)Episcopal Consecrations at Écône (FSSPX.News)

  3. Landmark

    Benedict XVI lifts the excommunications of the four SSPX bishops

    By a decree dated 21 January 2009 and announced on 24 January, Benedict XVI remitted the excommunications of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1988, in response to a renewed request from Bishop Bernard Fellay on their…

    3 sources

    Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" - Profile (Holy See)Pope lifts excommunication of four bishops (Vatican Radio)Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church concerning the remission of the… (Holy See)

  4. Landmark

    Archbishop Lefebvre consecrates four bishops at Écône without papal mandate

    Archbishop Lefebvre, with Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer, consecrated Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta as bishops at Écône without a papal mandate, despite a formal canonical…

    SourcesEcclesia Dei (July 2, 1988) (Holy See)Bernard Fellay (Wikipedia)

Sources for this profile

  1. Alfonso de Galarreta — Wikipedia
  2. SSPX bishops Galarreta and Fellay hold dubious distinction of being excommunicated twice — EWTN News
  3. 2026 Écône consecrations — Wikipedia
  4. Episcopal Consecrations at Écône — FSSPX.News
  5. SSPX carries out unauthorized consecration of 4 bishops despite pope's warning against it — OSV News
  6. Excommunication decreed for Lefebvrite episcopal ordinations — Vatican News, Jul 2, 2026
  7. Vatican confirms excommunication of SSPX bishops, declares schism — Catholic World Report, Jul 2, 2026
  8. SSPX rejects Vatican's excommunication, calls it 'objectively' unjust and invalid — Catholic World Report, Jul 3, 2026
  9. Decree of Excomunication of Archbishop Lefebvre (1988) (Congregation for Bishops, 1 July 1988) — EWTN Library, Jul 1, 1988
  10. Decree Remitting the Excommunication of the Bishops of the Society of St Pius X (21 January 2009) — Congregation for Bishops (vatican.va), Jan 21, 2009
  11. Vatican confirms six SSPX bishops excommunicated — The Pillar

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