VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is facing his first major crisis with traditionalist Catholics: A breakaway group attached to the traditional Latin Mass announced plans to consecrate new bishops without papal consent in a threatened revival of schism.
The Swiss-based Society of St. Pius X, which has schools, chapels and seminaries around the world, has been a thorn in the side of the Holy See for four decades, founded in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the 1960s Second Vatican Council.
In 1988, the group’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, consecrated four bishops without papal consent, arguing that it was necessary for the survival of the church's tradition. The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four other bishops, and the group today still has no legal status in the Catholic Church.
But in the decades since that original break with Rome, the group has continued to grow, with branches of priests, nuns and lay Catholics who are attached to the pre-Vatican II traditional Latin Mass.
For the Vatican, papal consent for the consecration of bishops is a fundamental doctrine, guaranteeing the lineage of apostolic succession from the time of Christ’s original apostles. As a result, the consecration of bishops without papal consent is considered a grave threat to church unity and a cause of schism, since bishops can ordain new priests. Under church law, a consecration without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for the person who celebrates it and the purported new bishop.
The Vatican had tried for years to reconcile with the SSPX, as the group is known, fearing the growth of a parallel church. Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 lifted the excommunications of the surviving bishops and relaxed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass in a gesture of outreach to all Catholics still attached to the old rite.
But an uproar ensued after one of the SSPX bishops, Richard Williamson, publicly denied in a television interview that Jews were killed in gas chambers during World War II.
In the ensuing years and especially during the pontificate of Pope Francis, tensions with traditionalist Catholics only deepened. Francis reversed Benedict’s reform that allowed greater celebration of the old Latin Mass, arguing it had become a source of division in the church.
Leo has acknowledged the tensions and sought to pacify the debate, expressing an openness to dialogue and allowing exceptions to Francis’ crackdown.
But the SSPX said in a statement Monday that it had no choice but to proceed with the consecrations of new bishops July 1, to preserve the future of the society.
The Rev. Davide Pagliarani, the SSPX superior general, said he had written to Leo explaining the need for new bishops “to ensure the continuation of the ministry of its bishops, who have been travelling the world for nearly forty years to respond to the many faithful attached to the tradition of the church."
The SSPX said that he had received a reply from the Vatican “which does not in any way respond to our requests," and was preparing to proceed with the planned consecrations given the “objective state of grave necessity in which souls find themselves.”
The Vatican spokesman, Matto Bruni, suggested Tuesday that the Vatican was still open to negotiations.
“Contacts between the Society of Saint Pius X and the Holy See continue, with the aim of avoiding rifts or unilateral solutions to the issues that have arisen,” Bruni said in a statement.
The old Latin Mass features readings and hymns in Latin with the priest facing the altar, his back to the faithful in the pews. Vatican II allowed instead for Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular, with the priest facing the pews and a more active participation of the faithful. Aficionados of the ancient rite say it is a more prayerful and reverent form of worship than the new Mass ushered in by Vatican II.
Two groups that celebrate the old Latin Mass but have remained in communion with the Holy See, Una Voce International and The Latin Mass Society, expressed concern at the threatened consecrations from the SSPX.
While not agreeing with all the SSPX arguments, the two groups expressed sympathy with the plight of its believers, calling for the Vatican to ultimately regularize the group's status within the church.
“We urge our bishops, and above all His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, to be mindful of these pastoral realities, which are at this moment precipitating a crisis whose consequences no one can foresee,” the two groups warned.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Pope Leo XIV presides Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on the Cathoilic feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Leo XIV presides Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on the Cathoilic feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Leo XIV presides Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on the Cathoilic feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Disney has named its parks chief Josh D’Amaro to succeed Bob Iger as the entertainment giant's top executive.
D’Amaro will become the 9th CEO in the more than 100-year-old company's history. He has overseen the company’s theme parks, cruises and resorts since 2020. The Experiences division has been a substantial moneymaker for Disney, with $36 billion in annual revenue in fiscal 2025 and 185,000 employees worldwide.
The 54-year-old takes over a time when Disney is flush with box-office hits like “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and its streaming business is strong. At the same time, Disney has seen a decline in foreign visitors to its domestic theme parks. Tourism to the U.S. has fallen overall during an aggressive immigration crack down by the Trump administration, as well as clashes with almost all of country's trading partners.
D'Amaro will be tasked with tapping into Disney's vast collection of intellectual property to help create successful movies and theme park additions, while also pushing for streaming growth and continuing to build up its sports business.
The decision on the next chief executive at Disney comes almost four years after the company's choice to replace Iger went disastrously, forcing Iger back into the job.
Only two years after stepping down as CEO, Iger returned to Disney in 2022 after a period of clashes, missteps and a weakening financial performance under his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek.
Disney meticulously and methodically sought out its next CEO this time. The company created a succession planning committee in 2023, but the search began in earnest in 2024 when Disney enlisted James Gorman, who is currently Disney's chairman and previously served as Morgan Stanley's executive chairman, to lead the effort. That still gave it ample opportunity to vet candidates, as Iger agreed to a contract extension.
Disney said that Iger will continue to serve as a senior adviser and board member until his retirement from the company at the end of the year.
While external candidates were considered, it was widely expected that Disney would look internally for the next CEO. The advantage would be that Disney executives were already being mentored by Iger, and had extensive contact with the company’s 15 board members, of which Iger is a member.
Disney is unique in that its top executive must oversee a sprawling entertainment company with branches reaching in every direction, while also serving as an unusually public figure.
D’Amaro and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden quickly emerged as the front-runners for the top job.
D’Amaro, who has been with Disney since 1998, has been leading the charge on Disney’s multiyear $60 billion investment into its cruise ships, resorts and theme parks. He also oversees Walt Disney Imagineering, which is in charge of the design and development of the company’s theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, and immersive experiences worldwide. In addition, D’Amaro has been leading Disney’s licensing business, which includes its partnership with Epic Games.
“Throughout this search process, Josh has demonstrated a strong vision for the company’s future and a deep understanding of the creative spirit that makes Disney unique in an ever-changing marketplace," Gorman said in prepared remarks. “He has an outstanding record of business achievement, collaborating with some of the biggest names in entertainment to bring their stories to life in our parks, showcasing the power of combining Disney storytelling with cutting-edge technology.”
In her most recent role as co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, Walden has helped oversee Disney’s streaming business, along with its entertainment media, news and content businesses. She joined Disney in 2019. Before that, Walden spent 25 years at 21st Century Fox and was CEO of Fox Television Group.
Walden will now step into the newly created role of president and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Co. She will report to D'Amaro.
“I think if you think about what is the heart of the Disney company, it’s the creativity. It’s this amazing IP that’s been produced over decades, going back to Walt, and the storytelling that comes from that creativity. And I think Dana, working with Josh and ensuring that the best creativity permeates all of our businesses, is what we wanted,” Gorman said in an interview with CNBC.
There had been speculation that Disney might go the route of naming co-CEOs, a move that has started to become more popular with companies. Oracle and Spotify are among those who named co-CEOs in 2025.
D’Amaro and Walden's appointments are effective on March 18.
The logo for The Walt Disney Company is displayed above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Workers dock The Disney Adventure cruise ship at the Agua Clara locks of the Panama Canal in Colon, Panama, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
FILE - A Disney logo forms part of a menu for the Disney Plus movie and entertainment streaming service on a computer screen in Walpole, Mass, Nov. 13, 2019. AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - Disney CEO Bob Iger arrives at the premiere of "Avengers: Endgame" at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Monday, April 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
