Aberdeen bishop expands Traditional Latin Mass access as a former religious community moves toward schism and illicit episcopal consecration.
Newsroom (21/07/2026 Gaudium Press) Bishop Hugh Gilbert, OSB, of Aberdeen has broadened access to the Traditional Latin Mass in his Scottish diocese just days before an illicit episcopal consecration is scheduled to take place within a traditionalist religious community that has increasingly embraced sedevacantist positions.
The bishop has authorized the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form every Sunday at the Church of Our Lady of the Garioch and St. John the Evangelist in Fetternear, Aberdeenshire. Previously, the liturgy had been offered only once each month. The Masses will now be celebrated by Father Yousef Marie, F.SS.R., and Father Peter Mary, F.SS.R., members of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Transalpine Redemptorists, who have separated from the community’s current leadership.
The move comes at a moment of significant tension surrounding the future of the congregation, which only a decade ago had been reconciled with Rome and formally integrated into diocesan structures.
From Reconciliation to Renewed Division
The Transalpine Redemptorists emerged during the 1980s under the influence of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), with encouragement from Cardinal Édouard Gagnon. Distinct from the historic Redemptorist order founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori in 1732, the community developed as part of the broader traditionalist Catholic movement.
Following Pope Benedict XVI’s promulgation of Summorum Pontificum, the community sought full reconciliation with the Catholic Church. That process culminated in 2012 when the institute was established as a congregation of diocesan right in the Diocese of Aberdeen. The congregation later expanded internationally, establishing a presence in New Zealand in 2017.
That reconciliation, however, began to unravel in recent years. In October 2025, the congregation’s General Chapter issued a public letter distancing itself from what it described as the “modernist Church.” The statement was signed by all 28 members of the community.
The rupture deepened further on May 2, 2026, with the publication of a 21-page manifesto that rejected the legitimacy of the post-conciliar papacies. The document referred to Pope Leo XIV and his predecessors as “pretenders to the papacy” and alleged that the Second Vatican Council had promoted what it called “the Masonic heresy of indifferentism.” The manifesto further accused the post-conciliar popes of causing “a spiritual catastrophe of the greatest possible magnitude.”
Between Sedevacantism and Sedeprivationism
While the manifesto stops short of formally declaring the Holy See vacant, its language places the congregation in a position that appears to lie between sedevacantism and sedeprivationism.
Sedevacantism maintains that no legitimate pope has occupied the Chair of Peter since the reforms associated with the Second Vatican Council. Sedeprivationism, meanwhile, argues that a canonically elected pope may lack the authority to exercise his office if he falls into heresy.
The Transalpine Redemptorists’ repeated references to “alleged popes” and “pretenders to the papacy” reflect elements of both positions.
As a proposed solution, the community has called for the convening of what it describes as an “imperfect general council.” The concept, while discussed within some sedevacantist and sedeprivationist circles, is not recognized within Catholic doctrine. Advocates often cite historical theological writings associated with figures such as St. Robert Bellarmine, Cardinal Cajetan and St. Alphonsus Liguori.
The congregation’s manifesto states that until such a council is convened, completes its investigations and receives corresponding papal clarifications, the community cannot recognize those it considers claimants to the papacy since the Second Vatican Council.
Bishop Consecration Planned on Papa Stronsay
The escalating dispute is expected to reach a critical point on July 25 when Father Michael Mary Sim, F.SS.R., the congregation’s founder and superior general, is scheduled to be consecrated a bishop on Papa Stronsay, a remote island in Scotland’s Orkney archipelago.
According to an announcement issued ahead of the ceremony, the initiative originated with Bishop Pierre Roy, who reportedly requested that Father Michael Mary accept episcopal consecration despite what was described as initial reluctance on the superior’s part.
Roy is a French-Canadian cleric associated with sedevacantist views. Ordained a priest in the SSPX by Bishop Bernard Fellay in 2011, he departed the society in 2016 over disagreements concerning negotiations with the Vatican. He later became associated with the Resistance movement linked to Archbishop Richard Williamson before embracing sedevacantism.
Roy himself was consecrated a bishop in São Paulo, Brazil, on January 7, 2024, by Bishop Rodrigo da Silva. Silva is expected to serve as co-consecrator during the upcoming ceremony alongside Bishop Fernando Altamira.
Roy currently leads Mission Notre-Dame-de-Joie in New Brunswick, Canada. Neither the Catholic Church nor the SSPX recognizes any canonical jurisdiction attached to his ministry.
In a letter explaining the planned consecration, Roy employed explicitly sedevacantist language, referring to “the current vacancy of the Apostolic See,” asserting that “the See of Rome is clearly occupied by the enemies of God,” and arguing that the consecration is necessary because of the absence of what he described as a true Supreme Pontiff.
Bishop Gilbert Issues Appeal for Unity
In response, Bishop Gilbert issued a pastoral letter that was read throughout the Diocese of Aberdeen during the weekend of July 18 and 19.
According to reports, the bishop warned that the planned consecration represents a serious rupture with ecclesial communion. He compared the event to recent episcopal consecrations conducted by the Society of Saint Pius X without papal approval.
“Recently, the Society of Saint Pius X decided to ordain four new bishops without the permission (or mandate) of the Pope,” Gilbert wrote. “This constitutes an act of schism. Next Saturday, July 25, something similar is planned to take place in the Orkney Islands. This also constitutes an act of schism and will place those who participate outside the Catholic Church.”
The bishop emphasized the importance of the papacy as a visible source of unity within the Church.
“The papacy saves us from a Christianity made in our own image, a Christianity that merely reflects our favorite ideas or the prevailing cultural ‘reading’,” he stated. He further warned that “to reject communion with him [the Pope] is spiritual suicide.”
As part of the diocesan response, Gilbert instructed priests to celebrate Masses using the prayers for Church unity found in the Roman Missal during the final weekend before the scheduled consecration.
According to reports, the Transalpine Redemptorists did not respond to requests for comment regarding the pastoral letter.
Canonical Consequences
Under canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law, the consecration of a bishop without an apostolic mandate constitutes a canonical crime. The law provides for latae sententiae excommunication, meaning the penalty is incurred automatically, for both the bishop performing the consecration and the individual receiving it.
The planned ceremony on Papa Stronsay therefore represents not only a deepening theological dispute but also a potentially decisive break between the leadership of the Transalpine Redemptorists and the Catholic Church from which the community had formally reconciled just fourteen years ago.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Infocatholica
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