When a priest of the Catholic Church is being consecrated as a bishop, the prelate elevating him is required to ask for the Apostolic Mandate — the formal approval of the pope for his new office — to be read aloud by a notary for all those in attendance.

But when the Society of St. Pius X defied the Holy See and consecrated four new bishops in a meadow of Écône, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta’s notary didn’t have an Apostolic Mandate to read. Instead, observers listened to a bizarre and mealy-mouthed statement about the “necessity” of the occasion, despite unambiguous orders from Pope Leo XIV not to proceed.