AN order of Catholic monks based in Orkney is being punished by the Catholic church after consecrating a bishop without approval from the Pope.
The Sons of the Holy Redeemer, a Transalpine Redemptorist community of Catholic traditionalists sparked a major crisis with the Vatican after their superior, 73-year-old Father Michael Mary, was consecrated as a bishop in a four-hour ceremony streamed online on Saturday.
The group own the island of Papa Stronsay, where their Golgotha monastery is located.
The move drew a sharp rebuke from the Diocese of Aberdeen, which has jurisdiction over the Order, who branded the consecration an “act of schism”.
In a pastoral letter to all parishes, the Bishop of Aberdeen, Rt Rev Hugh Gilbert, warned the monks that they were “breaking the unity of the Church” and described the event as “spiritual suicide” for those who take part.
In a fresh statement, Gilbert said the Diocese had completed a "canonical process and pronounced its judgement".
He said: "Regrettably, I find Fr Michael Mary guilty of the charges brought against him, most notably that of schism.
"He is therefore declared to be excommunicated, dismissed from ecclesiastical office, and prohibited from the celebration of Mass or the other sacraments.
"In the event of a sincere change of heart on his part and the making of reparation, these penalties may be lifted."
The Order is already under investigation by the Vatican. The monks are Catholic traditionalists who deny the legitimacy of Pope Leo XIV and his predecessors stretching back around 60 years, rejecting changes brought in after the Second Vatican Council.
In a recent blog, Mary attacked what he called a “new religion” within the contemporary Catholic Church, accusing it of “the obliteration of the Latin Mass, the Catechism and the Sacraments of the True Church.”
American traditionalist commentator Stephen Kokx, editor-in-chief of Integrity magazine, said the monks serve as a thorn in the side of “the squatters who currently occupy positions of influence in the Vatican”.
He added: “If they are excommunicated, they should consider it a mark of honour.”
