Excommunication for traditionalist clergyman “ordained bishop” in the US without the Pope’s authorization
Father Anthony D. Ward revealed he was secretly consecrated a bishop without papal authorization, leading to automatic excommunication. The consecration was performed by Archbishop Telesphore G. Mpundu, adding a global aspect to the situation. Ward's community, the Servants of the Holy Family, has long been on the Church's periphery, advocating for traditional liturgical practices. The group's ambiguous status has been a concern for the Church, with previous warnings about their lack of communion and canonical standing.
10 days ago
The Servants of the Holy Family, founded by Father Anthony D. Ward in 1977 in Colorado Springs, operates as a traditionalist Catholic community focused on preserving pre-Vatican II liturgy and doctrines.1
The group has long maintained an ambiguous status within the Church, emphasizing fidelity to older Roman rites amid perceived modern erosions in Catholic practice.1
Local authorities, including the Diocese of Colorado Springs, have repeatedly warned Catholics against engaging with the group since 2004, citing its lack of canonical recognition.1
In March 2024, on the feast of St. Joseph, Ward was secretly consecrated as a bishop by retired Archbishop Telesphore G. Mpundu of Lusaka, Zambia, without papal authorization.1
This act violated canon law, rendering the consecration valid but illicit, and automatically incurring excommunication latae sententiae for both Ward and Mpundu.1
Ward had previously relied on sympathetic bishops for sacraments to avoid full separation, but this step marked a significant escalation in the community's independence.1
The Vatican, through Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, formally notified Ward of his excommunication, confirming the penalty for ordaining or receiving episcopal orders without Rome's approval.1
Excommunication serves as a medicinal penalty aimed at prompting repentance, with a 30-day response window provided in the letter.2
The Diocese of Colorado Springs, under Bishop James Golka, has declared the group schismatic since 2013, with a 2024 decree invalidating their sacraments including Eucharist, baptism, confirmation, matrimony, and holy orders.2
On November 16, 2025, Ward publicly disclosed the consecration to his congregation in a 40-minute speech, announcing his intent to ignore the excommunication.2
He described Church authorities as a "kangaroo court" of "heretics, schismatics, Freemasons," and enemies of core doctrines like the Real Presence in the Eucharist.2
Ward framed his actions as loyalty to "true Catholic faith," rejecting obedience to what he views as corrupted leadership while continuing to lead services.3
Despite diocesan warnings labeling attendance as a "spiritual danger," the Servants persist in Eucharistic celebrations and recruit minors and adults for priesthood training.2
Their website promotes fidelity to the Latin Mass and Catholic morals, claiming endorsement by bishops worldwide, though specifics beyond Mpundu are unclear.2
The community expresses hope for eventual regularization with Rome, avoiding outright schismatic declarations.1
This incident highlights ongoing global frictions in Catholicism between traditionalist factions and post-Vatican II reforms, echoing historical conflicts like those involving Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, under whom Ward was formed.1
It raises questions about retired prelates' roles in unauthorized acts and the challenges of regulating peripheral groups.1
The diocese urges prayer for reconciliation, while the group's defiance deepens its isolation from the universal Church.2
Excommunication and illicit episcopal consecration: canonical implications and doctrine
Excommunication stands as one of the most serious penalties in the Catholic Church, serving as a medicinal measure to correct grave offenses and restore unity within the ecclesial community. In the context of illicit episcopal consecration—where a bishop ordains another without the necessary papal mandate—this act triggers automatic excommunication, underscoring the Church's doctrine on apostolic succession, hierarchical authority, and the sanctity of sacramental orders. This analysis explores the canonical framework, doctrinal foundations, historical applications, and implications, drawing from established Church teachings to highlight the gravity of such disobedience and the paths to reconciliation.
Excommunication, derived from the Latin terms meaning "exclusion from communion," is the principal and severest censure imposed by the Church. It deprives the guilty party of participation in the common spiritual blessings of the ecclesial society, affecting only those baptized into the Christian community.<sup></sup> As a medicinal penalty rather than a purely vindictive one, its purpose is to correct the offender, prevent further harm to the Church's unity, and encourage repentance.<sup></sup> The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes that certain particularly grave sins, including those disrupting the Church's sacramental life, incur this penalty, which impedes the reception of sacraments and certain ecclesiastical acts.<sup></sup> Absolution from such excommunications is reserved to the Pope, the local bishop, or authorized priests, except in cases of imminent death where any priest may absolve.<sup></sup>
Doctrinally, excommunication protects the integrity of the Church as the Body of Christ, where unity under the successor of Peter is essential. It presupposes a grave offense that threatens this communion, such as acts of schism or unauthorized sacramental actions. The Church views it not as a rejection of the person but as a call to return to full participation, aligning with the merciful yet firm nature of divine justice.
The Code of Canon Law explicitly addresses illicit episcopal consecration in Canon 1387, stating that a bishop who consecrates another as bishop without a pontifical mandate, and the recipient who accepts such consecration, incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.<sup></sup> This automatic penalty—effective upon commission of the act—emphasizes the offense's severity without needing formal declaration. The consecrating bishop and the one ordained both fall under this censure, reflecting the shared responsibility in violating the Church's hierarchical structure.
This canon builds on the broader penal framework in Title II of the Code, which treats such acts as threats to the Church's unity and apostolic succession. The requirement for a papal mandate ensures that episcopal orders align with the universal mission entrusted to Peter's successor, preventing fragmentation. Related canons, such as 1384, extend similar penalties to priests who improperly attempt consecrations outside Eucharistic norms, reinforcing the principle that sacramental validity and liceity must stem from legitimate authority.<sup></sup>
The effects of excommunication are profound, as outlined in Canon 1331. An excommunicated person is forbidden from celebrating or receiving the sacraments, administering sacramentals, participating actively in liturgical worship, exercising ecclesiastical offices or ministries, and performing acts of governance.<sup></sup> If the excommunication is ferendae sententiae (imposed after judgment) or a declared latae sententiae one, additional restrictions apply: liturgical actions must be interrupted if attempted, governance acts are invalid, privileges are suspended, and the offender cannot acquire new ecclesiastical rights or titles.<sup></sup>
In the case of illicit consecration, these implications extend to the validity of the ordination itself. While the sacrament of holy orders imprints an indelible character and is thus valid despite the illiceity (per Church teaching on ex opere operato), the excommunication renders the new bishop unable to exercise his office licitly.<sup></sup> This creates a schismatic rupture, as the act rejects the Roman primacy in a matter vital to the Church's perpetuity.<sup></sup> Clerics involved may face further penalties, including potential dismissal from the clerical state, to safeguard the faithful from irregular ministries.
Church history provides clear examples of these canons in action, particularly in responses to traditionalist movements. In 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's unauthorized consecration of four bishops without papal approval led Pope John Paul II to declare that the act constituted disobedience in a grave matter, incurring latae sententiae excommunication for Lefebvre and the ordinands.<sup></sup> This event, detailed in the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei, frustrated efforts toward full communion with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (SSPX) and highlighted the ordination's role in perpetuating apostolic succession under papal authority.<sup></sup> The Pope noted the act's schismatic nature, implying rejection of the Roman Pontiff's primacy.<sup></sup>
Pope Benedict XVI later referenced this in Ecclesiae Unitatem, reaffirming the establishment of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei to facilitate reconciliation for those linked to the SSPX who wished to preserve their traditions while returning to full unity.<sup></sup> These documents underscore the doctrinal insistence on obedience to the Pope as a cornerstone of Catholic unity, echoing earlier teachings like those in Quo Graviora (1833), where Pope Gregory XVI imposed reserved excommunications for acts fostering division, such as joining illicit societies—analogous to schismatic ordinations.<sup></sup>
The Catholic Encyclopedia further contextualizes this as a "spiritual penalty" aimed at correction, distinguishing excommunication from lesser censures like suspension, and noting its historical evolution to protect against abuses threatening communal blessings.<sup></sup>
Absolution from excommunication for illicit consecration requires repentance and a profession of obedience to the Church's authority. Reserved to the Holy See, it involves a process that may include lifting the censure through papal intervention, as seen in offers extended to the SSPX.<sup></sup> The Catechism stresses that the Church's intent is merciful: excommunication clarifies the crime's gravity while inviting return, without limiting God's forgiveness.<sup></sup> In practice, this might entail dialogue, as facilitated by commissions like Ecclesia Dei, to restore sacramental and communal participation.
For the broader faithful, these cases serve as reminders of the Church's vigilance against division, encouraging prayer and support for unity.
Illicit episcopal consecration exemplifies how excommunication upholds the Church's doctrinal commitment to hierarchical unity and sacramental integrity, with Canon 1387 providing the key legal mechanism. Through effects that sever liturgical and ministerial participation, it acts medicinally to foster repentance, as illustrated in historical interventions like the 1988 Lefebvre ordinations. Ultimately, these teachings affirm the Pope's role in preserving apostolic succession, inviting all to embrace obedience as a path to ecclesial communion.