ROME – A breakaway Catholic traditionalist group on Thursday rejected the Vatican’s offer of talks, suggesting a collision course with Pope Leo XIV over its planned consecrations of new bishops without his consent.

In a letter to the Vatican’s doctrine chief, the Society of St. Pius X said the Holy See’s threat of sanctions and schism if it goes ahead with the July 1 ceremony “is hardly compatible with a genuine desire for fraternal exchanges and constructive dialogue.”

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