How Pope Leo Changed the Future of the SSPX

Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist of religion and one of the world's leading scholars of new religious movements. He has written extensively on Catholic traditionalism, religious liberty, and the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), and has spent decades studying the movement, including interviewing Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, its founder. Following the SSPX's recent episcopal consecrations and the Vatican's declaration that they constituted a schismatic act, Introvigne offers a sociological perspective on what the future may hold for the movement.

In this conversation, Introvigne argues that the SSPX's deepest disagreement with the Catholic Church is not the Latin Mass but its rejection of the Church's teaching on religious liberty and relations with other religions. He explains why he believes the Society has likely passed its period of strongest growth, how Pope Leo XIV has changed the religious landscape that once benefited the movement, and why the SSPX faces increasing competition from groups even further to its right. The discussion also explores the Society's claims about its membership, the sociology of religious movements, why stricter religious groups often grow, Pope Benedict XVI's liberalization of the traditional Mass, Pope Francis' restrictions, and what Pope Leo might do to strengthen traditional Catholic communities while preserving communion with the Church.

Guest bio:

Massimo Introvigne is an Italian sociologist of religion, attorney, and internationally recognized expert on new religious movements. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) and has authored dozens of books and hundreds of scholarly articles on religion, religious freedom, and contemporary religious movements. His work has included extensive research on Catholic traditionalism and the Society of St. Pius X, as well as collaboration with the late sociologist Rodney Stark on the sociology of religion.