Sedevacantist bishop illicitly consecrated in Scotland

July 27, 2026

Father Michael Mary Sim of the Transalpine Redemptorists was illicitly consecrated a bishop on July 25 on the Scottish island of Papa Stronsay.

The consecrating bishop was Bishop Pierre Roy; the co-consecrating bishops were Bishops Rodrigo Ribeiro da Silva and Fernando Altamira. All three are sedevacantists who trace their episcopal lineage to Archbishop Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục.

The Transalpine Redemptorists, a traditionalist community founded in 1988, reconciled with the Holy See in 2008 but adopted a sedevacantist position in May. They are distinct from the Redemptorists founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

In a July 18 pastoral letter, Bishop Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., of Aberdeen warned that the episcopal consecration without a pontifical mandate “constitutes an act of schism and will place those engaged in it outside the Catholic Church.”

 

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Further information:

• Bishop Michael Mary, F.SS.R. (Transalpine Redemptorists, 7/26/26)
• Episcopal Consecration of Most Reverend Father Michael Mary, F.SS.R. (Transalpine Redemptorists, 7/25/26)