‘A soul has no price’: Fr. Pagliarani’s message of hope for the faithful after the consecrations

(LifeSiteNews) — SSPX Superior General Father Davide Pagliarani has issued a new letter of hope and encouragement to the faithful in the wake of Rome’s excommunication decree, insisting that “a soul has no price” while arguing Rome’s sanctions ultimately condemn “Tradition itself” and, “before God,” such a condemnation “cannot be valid.”

In a new letter addressed “to all the faithful” of the SSPX, Pagliarani explained the meaning of the four episcopal consecrations performed by the Society on July 1 without a pontifical mandate, while describing what this historic event means for the whole Church.

Pagliarani’s message seeks to encourage attendees of SSPX chapels to remain faithful to Catholic Tradition, arguing that the consecrations were carried out for the preservation of the faith and the salvation of souls, despite the penalties imposed by Rome.

He seeks to interpret the recent crisis between the Society and the Holy See in a theological and spiritual perspective. The central point of the letter is not merely the defense of the canonical position of the SSPX, but the affirmation that the preservation of the Catholic faith and the salvation of souls remain the supreme reasons for which the Society forged ahead with the consecrations despite the threat of sanctions that followed them.

The letter follows the July 2 decree of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), declaring that the four newly consecrated bishops had incurred the penalty of excommunication automatically for performing an episcopal consecration “without a papal mandate” and for an act of “schism,” understood as performed “against the will of the Supreme Pontiff.”

The consecrating bishop, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, incurred the same double censure, while Bishop Bernard Fellay, as co-consecrator, incurred the censure for participation in the supposed schism.

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According to an accompanying note published the dicastery, priests of the Society and any lay faithful who “adhere to the schism” also incur excommunication.

The same note stated that the celebration of sacramental confession and marriage by SSPX priests would no longer be valid, implying that the faculties previously granted by Pope Francis for their validity have been revoked, although canonists have questioned whether such a revocation could take effect without an explicit legislative act to the contrary.

On July 13, the SSPX announced that it had submitted a preliminary appeal to the DDF as the first step toward a “hierarchical recourse” against the decree.

In his letter, Pagliarani acknowledges the gravity of the situation and the suffering caused by the “wholly unjust” sanctions, but insists that “a single soul possesses infinite value,” arguing that if humiliation and persecution are the price required “to secure the teaching of the true Faith and the administration of the true sacraments,” then such a sacrifice is justified, “because a soul has no price.”

The Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord, celebrated on the same day as the consecrations, is presented as a providential reminder that salvation has been purchased at an infinite cost.

A significant part of the letter focuses on the reaction of the faithful during the ceremony at Écône in Switzerland. Pagliarani describes a violent storm that interrupted the liturgy, interpreting it symbolically through Psalm 17: “At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed … And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice” (Ps. 17:13-14).

For him, the image of thousands of faithful remaining in prayer despite the storm represented the spiritual identity of the Society: “Faithful animated by an unshakeable faith that nothing could trouble,” for whom “the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is truly the center of their lives.”

Finally, the letter calls the faithful to persevere in the midst of ecclesial turmoil by preserving the interior life of faith.

Even if the visible expression of Catholic truth appears obscured by crisis, the Christian must keep alive the “little candle” received at Baptism: “the Faith must continue to live in souls, despite all the contrary winds that seek to extinguish it.”

The full text of Fr. Davide Pagliarani’s “Letter from the Superior General to all the faithful of the Society of Saint Pius X” can be found below:

Menzingen, 19 July 2026

Dear faithful,

A few days after the ceremony of 1 July, I wish to address these few words to you.

First of all, I wish to thank you. For several years, I had been praying to the Most Holy Virgin that she would prepare hearts for this historic event. I confess that I have been deeply moved to see how all of you have accompanied the episcopal consecrations with your prayer and your gratitude towards divine Providence.

On 1 July, numerous faithful from all over the world were present at Écône, and they represented all of you. It was an immense joy to see them so numerous and so fervent. As you certainly know, a storm broke out during the ceremony: “At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed… And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice” (Ps. 17:13–14). At that moment, my joy redoubled. On the one hand, I was the privileged witness of a liturgy of exceptional beauty; on the other, I had before my eyes another beauty, just as touching: that of an immense crowd of faithful remaining in their places throughout the storm, praying to Our Lady for the new bishops, for the Church, and for the Pope. Among them were elderly ladies, on their knees, as well as young mothers carrying their infants in their arms. It was the most beautiful image that could be given of the Society: faithful animated by an unshakeable faith that nothing could trouble; souls for whom the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is truly the centre of their lives. You cannot imagine the consolation that was mine at that moment. This scene has been deeply engraved on my memory, and I shall never be able to forget it.

Right up until the last day, I hoped for a gesture of goodwill, or at least of simple understanding, on the part of the Holy See. But the consecrations were condemned, and the harshness of the sanctions imposed is unprecedented. They are directed first at the bishops, but also at the members of the Society. Even the faithful are affected. This condemnation, wholly unjust, represents an immense humiliation for people who have no other aim than to defend the true Faith and to work for the salvation of souls. But I want you to know that this profound humiliation, which touches the members of the Society first, has a meaning in the eyes of God that must not escape you. In the final analysis, these consecrations were carried out for each one of you, dear faithful. Your souls are the true treasure entrusted to the Society, that which it cherishes most. A single soul possesses infinite value. If such a humiliation is the price that must be paid to secure the teaching of the true Faith and the administration of the true sacraments, then it is worth it, because a soul has no price. The feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord, the price of our salvation, reminded us of this forcefully on 1 July.

The sanctions are intended to strike you too, in a rather cruel way. This is certainly painful, but do not be too surprised by it. Ultimately, it is Tradition itself, which we cherish above all else, that is excommunicated in all those who embody it. It is evident that, before God, such a condemnation cannot be valid, for it would condemn what lies at the very heart of the life of the Church.

But then, in the midst of this new storm, a question arises: what does Our Lord expect of you now? It is in the soul of each one of you that the Faith must remain whole and alive. If Providence permits such a crisis that the teaching of the Faith becomes mysteriously obscured, that same Faith must continue to live in souls, despite all the contrary winds that seek to extinguish it. If the outward brightness of the official profession of Faith should disappear, the little candle that each of you received on the day of your baptism must remain lit in your heart and mind until your last day. That is, in the end, the only thing that matters. This little flame is the first thing we received at the beginning of our Christian life, and it is also the only thing we shall keep until the end.

I entrust you all to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, to whom the Society of Saint Pius X has been consecrated in a most particular way. May she always protect you amid all storms and all difficulties, and may she keep this little flame alive in your souls when all the contrary winds are unleashed. All graces come to us through her hands. It is her we must thank for the grace of the consecrations, and it is to her we must pray that the new bishops may be instruments ever more docile to her inspirations, and that they may persevere in this fidelity to the end.

The Society will never abandon you. Never will your souls lose their value and their worth in the eyes of its priests.

God bless you!

Davide Pagliarani