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TheSSPX Resistance (sometimes shortened to the "Resistance") is a loosely organized group oftraditionalist Catholic priests and faithful, founded byBishop Richard Williamson, which broke away from theSociety of Saint Pius X ("SSPX").[1]
Bishop Williamson was expelled from the SSPX in 2012. Prior to his expulsion, Williamson had been convicted ofHolocaust denial by a German court in 2010.[2] After Williamson left the SSPX, the priests and faithful who followed him were dubbed the "SSPX Resistance."[3]
In his discussions with the SSPX, Pope Benedict XVI had indicated a willingness to grant the Societycanonical recognition. Certain priests within the SSPX accused their superiors of abandoning the group's traditional principles, for considering this offer of canonical recognition.[4]
The SSPX itself was established by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 in opposition to the changes brought by the Second Vatican Council.[5]
Bishop Williamson has consecrated five bishops to serve the Resistance. The first bishop he consecrated wasJean-Michael Faure in 2015. Williamson later consecratedTomás de Aquino Ferreira da Costa, Gerardo Zendejas, Giacomo Ballini, and Michał Stobnicki.[6] Williamson's 2017 consecration of Zendejas, at St. Athanasius Church in Vienna, Virginia drew condemnation from the local bishop, Bishop Michael Burbidge.[7]
Williamson also performed aconditional consecration ofArchbishop Carlo Maria Viganò.
There are also Resistance chapels in Ireland, headquartered in Cork, overseen by Bishop Giacomo Ballini.[8] Regarding the masses held in Derry, Bishop Donal McKeown warned the faithful: "The priests of SSPX Resistance Ireland are not in full communion with the Catholic Church and do not accept the full teaching authority of the Church."[8][9]
The SSPX Resistance also has a presence in England, including in London, Kent, and Berkshire.[10]
Traditional Dominicans ofAvrillé, France, who were formerly affiliated with the SSPX, have aligned themselves with the SSPX Resistance.[11]
