Healing the Rift: Cubao Bishop Reaches Out to SSPX Community Following Excommunications

Photo Courtesy of Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao

In a major pastoral move following recent Vatican decrees, Bishop Elias Ayuban Jr. has announced that the Diocese of Cubao will open its doors to provide counseling and pastoral care to followers of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX).

The decision, detailed in a pastoral letter dated July 6, 2026, aims to support local Catholic faithful affected by the Vatican's recent latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication of SSPX leadership. The global penalty was triggered by an unauthorized episcopal consecration held in Switzerland.

SEE MORE: VATICAN DECLARES FORMAL SCHISM: SIX SSPX BISHOPS EXCOMMUNICATED AFTER DEFIANT ORDINATIONS

The directive carries immense local weight. The Diocese of Cubao holds territorial jurisdiction over the Our Lady of Victories Church in New Manila, Quezon City—the primary hub and provincial headquarters of the SSPX in the Philippines.

Creating Paths for Pastoral Transition

To address the immediate needs of local devotees, Bishop Ayuban outlined a series of concrete steps to ease their transition back into the mainstream fold of the Catholic Church:

• Dedicated Pastoral Team: The diocese is forming a specialized team of priests and lay leaders to offer spiritual counseling, accurate information, and transitional assistance to displaced SSPX followers.
• Expanding Traditional Latin Masses: Recognizing the deep attachment many devotees have to the older liturgical form, the diocese plans to increase the availability of Traditional Latin Masses using the 1962 Roman Missal, adhering strictly to the guidelines set by Pope Francis's motu proprio Traditionis Custodes.
• A Mandate for Charity: Bishop Ayuban explicitly ordered local clergy and the lay faithful to welcome returning individuals with "charity, understanding, and patience," cautioning everyone against isolation or condemnation.

Canonical and Sacramental Clarifications

The pastoral letter also provided crucial canonical guidance regarding the spiritual status of SSPX practices and its followers under the new Vatican ruling:

• Sacramental Standing: Following the global decree, confessions and marriages celebrated by SSPX ministers are now considered canonically invalid. Their Masses remain valid but are classified as illicit.
• Status of the Laity: The bishop clarified that lay faithful who attend SSPX services out of a preference for the Latin liturgy are not automatically excommunicated. However, he strongly urged them to cease participating in SSPX functions to protect their full communion with the Church.
• Clergy Reconciliation: The diocese reaffirmed that any SSPX priests or bishops who choose to distance themselves from the society are welcome to undergo a formal reconciliation process to be readmitted into active ministry within the mainstream Church.

Bishop Ayuban concluded his letter by emphasizing that the ultimate goal of the diocese's intervention is unity, healing, and ensuring that no local Catholic is left spiritually stranded during this period of global canonical transition.