With this week’s excommunication of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) - a traditionalist sect who objects to the Second Vatican Council and the Ordinary Form of Mass practiced by 99% of Catholics in favor of the Traditional Latin Mass - many online commentators have claimed that such discipline only goes one way. They say that when priests and bishops flout Catholic teaching in a liberalizing direction (women’s ordination, LGBT issues, etc) the church does nothing and it is only when traditionalists break canon law that the church acts. This is a myth and this article will give a list of discipline taken under the last two pontificates towards clerics who openly flout canon law in a liberalizing direction.
In 2013, one of Pope Francis’s first acts as pope was to excommunicate a progressive priest, Father Roberto Francisco Danie, from Brazil who openly taught that homosexual sex is not a sin and advocated for open marriages.
Later in Pope Francis’s first year of his pontificate, a second priest, Father Greg Reynolds, was excommunicated for advocating women’s ordination, gay marriage and then refusing to stop celebrating mass after being suspended from using his faculties. So, two of the supposedly “liberal” Pope Francis’s first actions were to excommunicate two radically liberal priests.
In 2015, there was international news that the Vatican had dismissed a member of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), Msgr. Krzysztof Charamsa, after he came out as gay. He was sent to his home diocese in Poland where he was then suspended and removed from the priesthood.
In 2019, Fr. Pierre Valkering, a Dutch priest in the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, was suspended from his diocese after publicly coming out as gay. He appealed to the Vatican and initially won his appeal as the Vatican stated that some procedural steps had not been properly taken and asked the diocese to provide due process. But in the end, his suspension became permanent. Recent reports state that he is on welfare and suing the diocese.
In 2020, Fr. Emanuele Moscatelli, an Italian priest in the Diocese of Civita Castellana, conducted a gay “wedding” of two Lesbians. He was immediately suspended and then resigned on his own expressing remorse for the scandal he caused.
In 2023, Pope Francis issued warnings of “potential discipline” to the German Bishops Conference. As National Catholic Register reported,
“The Vatican has informed German bishops in writing that the ordination of women and changes in the Church’s teaching on homosexuality cannot be subjects of discussion in the upcoming meetings with delegates of the German Synodal Way in Rome.”
In this statement, it “reminded the bishops of potential disciplinary consequences for anyone defying the teaching of the Church.” Since that date, the Vatican has repeatedly warned the German bishops under both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV. Since 2023, the DDF has been regularly meeting with the German Bishops. They have received public corrections twice from Pope Leo XIV. And in May of 2026, the Pillar Magazine reported these corrections might be working as the Germans have delayed their “Synodal Way” meetings where they had intended to implement some of these progressive reforms and that they possibly had lost enough support to ever move forward.
In 2021, Pope Francis also oversaw a change in Canon law that explicitly stated that anyone who attempted to ordain a woman to Holy Orders would be automatically (latae sententiae) excommunicated along with the person they attempted to ordain. Canon law 1379.3 states,
“Both a person who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive the sacred order, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; a cleric, moreover, may be punished by dismissal from the clerical state.”
This formalizing of canon law is important and clarifying. It makes it clear that the church’s previous excommunications on this issue - such as the excommunication of seven women who attempted to be ordained by a schismatic bishop in 2002 - would be the rule going forward.
Upon his election in 2025, Pope Leo XIV has largely carried on the strong stances of Pope Francis. In his first significant interview, he told Crux magazine that the Germans were violating church teaching with their plan for liturgical blessings. Earlier in 2026, the Vatican made public a 2024 DDF document stating that the German plan was unacceptable to the Vatican. And Pope Leo recently in an interview again made it clear that the Vatican was not going to accept Germany’s plans.
But why not more discipline?
When I have pointed this out to people, they often say, “okay but there should be more.” They point to masses said with rainbow themes, scandalous statements and blessings that appear to give approval to gay “marriages” and other actions that clearly cause confusion in the church. Why, I am asked, has Fr. James Martin SJ of New Ways Ministries not been suspended? Why are the German bishops just being warned and not excommunicated like the SSPX? Why is any priest who celebrates “Pride” not removed?
The answer should be obvious. Canon law 1387 clearly states that ordaining new bishops without papal approval will result in an automatic excommunication.
"Both the Bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates a person a Bishop, and the one who receives the consecration from him, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.”
In contrast, there is no canon law about rainbows or using the word pride result in automatic excommunication. Maybe there should be. But there is not currently. There is a law (as discussed above) about an auto excommunication for attempting to ordain women to Holy Orders and that has been enforced (the so called Danube 7). So, in the case of the SSPX, the church’s hand is forced. Either they abide by canon law, or they do not which would be a horrible precedent. In the case of the use of rainbows and or statements on pride, the Vatican doesn’t have a clear statement. If a priest was to explicitly state, “The church is wrong on homosexuality and gay sex is totally fine” that would be a clearer situation. Although even in that case, the canon law on heresy (751) is defined as,
“the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith...”
This would mean that a single statement wouldn’t get an automatic excommunication but instead would require obstinately continuing to make statements after being corrected by a superior. So, it simply is not the same thing nor can the Vatican act as clearly and quickly. If the Vatican started to excommunicate, the guilty party could always back down.
And this brings me to a final point. What we see with the SSPX that is different than what we see with the progressive German Bishops or Fr. James Martin is that the progressives are pushing their agenda in a way that makes discipline harder for the Vatican. Even Fr. James Martin claims that he is not disagreeing with church teaching on the subject. This gives plausible deniability and would greatly complicate any effort to discipline.
Traditionalists seeking to move the church back in a more traditional direction would do well to learn from the German bishops and James Martin. The progressives are carefully (and one could argue sneakily) working within the rules of canon law. They do not directly violate it (even if violating it in spirit). When they get warned by the Vatican they back down. When the DDF asks to meet with them they meet with the DDF. In contrast, the SSPX directly violated canon law and refused to meet with the DDF which forced the Vatican’s hand on discipline. Traditionalists should instead seek to function within the church. They should promote traditional liturgical practices, faithful adherence to church teachings on gender and sexuality, and other traditional practices from WITHIN the church. As progressives have figured out, it doesn’t do anyone any good to give the Vatican no choice but to excommunicate. Work within the church. When commanded to back down, back down. Don’t get kicked out of the church.
So, it is simply not true that the Vatican only punishes traditionalists. The Vatican has a long track record of being slow to discipline except in cases of clear violations of canon law. When there are clear violations the Vatican has acted in both directions. Those who love the church and want reforms should stay in the church and not give the Vatican a reason to discipline. U
Another further point… the pope only really gets a say in any nonsense if the case gets appealed or referred to Rome. Ordinary discipline is the responsibility of the Bishop or superior if they are religious, unless the law automatically refers certain explicit cases to Rome.
An Example from Down Under: in the mid naughties there was a MASSIVE brouhaha when the Archbishop of Brisbane suspended and excommunicated a schismatic liberal priest and the congregation that went with him. Massive sob stories in the media about the Big Meanie Bishop ‘taking St Mary’s away’ from this congregation. It was a wildly liberal parish. The Priest who built a cult around himself wore all sorts of silly garments, let lay women do homilies and lay people conduct baptisms 'In the Name of the creator Redeemer, and sanctifier’ and worse.
After an escalating series of warnings and visitations, the Priest was unrepentant and so the Bishop declared and excommunication, suspended and laicisied the priest and booted him from the Parish property and facilities.
If Rome was involved at all, it was probably in Consultative capacity to ensure the Bishop’s procedures were air tight with no real case for recourse to Rome. Indeed there wasn't.
I think they would also do well to emulate Fr. Martin's attitude and approach. Every person I have read who has spoken or spent time with him has said he is an lovely person to be around. Thus comes from both critical and supportive voices. He seems to have a knack for making good friends.
I think Pope Leo's infamous words of "Attitudes need to change." Should be a guiding light to the traditionalists. In some sense it's a good way to put Vatican 2s whole evangelical message. We can't change people from without. We can't show salvation to those whos first instinct is to recoil in disgust.
Doctrines may not change but approach can.