Aberdeen bishop excommunicates Fr. Michael Mary Sim after a canonical process found him guilty of schism and illicit episcopal consecration.
Newsroom (27/07/2026 Gaudium Press ) The founder and leader of a traditionalist Catholic community based on a remote Scottish island has been declared excommunicated after a diocesan canonical process found him guilty of schism, marking a dramatic escalation in a dispute over Church authority and doctrine.
Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen announced on July 25 that Fr. Michael Mary Sim, F.SS.R., founder of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Transalpine Redemptorists, had been excommunicated, removed from his ecclesiastical office as superior of the community, and prohibited from celebrating Mass or administering the sacraments.
According to the bishop, the penalties followed the priest’s embrace of sedevacantism, a position that rejects the legitimacy of popes elected since the Second Vatican Council and denies the authority of the current pope, Leo XIV.
In Catholic canon law, excommunication is regarded as a medicinal penalty intended to encourage repentance and eventual reconciliation rather than serving solely as punishment.
Canonical Process Centered on Sedevacantist Position
Gilbert said the Diocese of Aberdeen had been pursuing a canonical process against Fr. Michael Mary for some time, citing statements and actions originating from the community on Papa Stronsay, a privately owned island in Scotland’s Orkney archipelago.
The bishop stated that the community’s adoption of sedevacantism was central to the case. He said the position rejects Pope Leo XIV as a legitimate pope and denies recognition to bishops in communion with him. He also pointed to statements questioning the validity of ordinations conducted under post-conciliar rites and assertions that placed an opposition between what supporters described as an “old” and a “new” Church.
Gilbert characterized such positions as fundamentally incompatible with Catholic ecclesiology and Church unity.
“Regrettably, I find Fr. Michael Mary guilty of the charges brought against him, most notably that of schism,” Gilbert said in a statement announcing the outcome of the diocesan process.
The bishop added that relevant Vatican dicasteries had been kept informed throughout the proceedings and indicated that the penalties could be lifted if Fr. Michael Mary demonstrated a sincere change of heart and made reparation.
Illicit Episcopal Consecration Intensifies Dispute
The situation intensified with an episcopal consecration conducted on July 25 on Papa Stronsay without papal authorization.
Fr. Michael Mary was consecrated a bishop during a ceremony livestreamed from the island. The principal consecrator was Canadian sedevacantist Bishop Pierre Roy. He was joined by co-consecrators Bishop Rodrigo Henrique Ribeiro da Silva of Brazil and Bishop Fernando Altamira Alaníz of Spain. All three bishops are associated with sedevacantist circles and trace their episcopal lineage to Vietnamese Archbishop Ngô Đình Thục.
Gilbert described the ceremony as a further violation of Church law, noting that none of the participating bishops had permission to operate within the Diocese of Aberdeen and that the consecration lacked the required papal mandate.
“This is a clear break with the Church,” the bishop said, warning that those involved exposed themselves to additional canonical penalties.
He further stated that the congregation and its deposed superior had effectively removed themselves from communion with the Catholic Church and advised the faithful of the diocese not to engage with them.
At the same time, Gilbert emphasized that the Church continued to call those involved to repentance and reconciliation.
Small Island Community at the Center of Growing Rift
The dispute represents the culmination of a deteriorating relationship between the diocese and the Transalpine Redemptorists, a traditionalist religious institute that has occupied Papa Stronsay since 1999.
Distinct from the worldwide Redemptorist congregation founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori, the Transalpine Redemptorists emerged in 1988 from circles associated with the Society of St. Pius X. The community combines devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass with the spirituality of St. Alphonsus.
Relations with Rome improved significantly after Pope Benedict XVI broadened access to the Traditional Latin Mass. The community was reconciled with the Holy See in 2008, and Bishop Gilbert formally established it as a clerical religious institute of diocesan right in 2012.
However, tensions resurfaced in October 2025 when the community issued an open letter rejecting several major documents promulgated during the pontificate of Pope Francis. Gilbert responded at the time by saying the positions expressed were incompatible with the Catholic understanding of ecclesial unity.
The divide widened further with a May 2 declaration signed by 28 members of the community, including Fr. Michael Mary, which referred to post-conciliar popes as “papal pretenders.”
Appeals for Church Unity
In the weeks leading up to the episcopal consecration, Bishop Gilbert took several public steps aimed at preserving unity within the diocese.
After learning of the planned ceremony, he issued a statement describing it as unlawful and a grave act of disobedience. He subsequently asked priests throughout the diocese to celebrate Masses using prayers for the Unity of the Church. A pastoral letter read in parishes on July 18 and 19 warned of the damage that an episcopal consecration without papal mandate could inflict on Catholic unity.
Meanwhile, the diocese expanded provision for the Traditional Latin Mass in Aberdeenshire. The liturgy had previously been celebrated by members of the Transalpine Redemptorists at a church in Fetternear. Following concerns about the community’s movement toward sedevacantism, a diocesan priest took over the celebrations. The Masses are now offered every Sunday by priests who have distanced themselves from the community.
Fr. Michael Mary Defends Community’s Course
In a sermon delivered on July 26, one day after his episcopal consecration, Fr. Michael Mary defended the community’s direction.
The 72-year-old New Zealand-born cleric said the Transalpine Redemptorists had attempted to remain within the wider Catholic Church but ultimately concluded that the differences were irreconcilable.
He argued that changes in Catholic worship had produced corresponding changes in belief, invoking the principle lex orandi, lex credendi. Among the examples he cited were the use of guitars, folk music and overhead projectors during Mass, as well as the practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand.
Fr. Michael Mary also criticized Bishop Gilbert’s recent expansion of Traditional Latin Masses in the diocese, describing the move as political rather than pastoral.
Calling the diocesan hierarchy a “false hierarchy,” he stated that he viewed separation from it as a blessing.
As of press time, Fr. Michael Mary had not responded to requests for comment regarding the bishop’s July 25 declaration. Bishop Gilbert also declined further comment when contacted on July 27.
The case marks a significant rupture between the Diocese of Aberdeen and a community that, after years of reconciliation and recognition within the Catholic Church, now finds itself formally separated from ecclesial communion following a finding of schism and an unauthorized episcopal consecration.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from The Pillar
