Page "Society of St. Pius X" Paragraph 4

Like the Traditionalist Catholic movement in general, the SSPX was born out of opposition to changes in the Catholic Church that followed the Second Vatican Council ( 1962 – 1965 ).

The founder and central figure of the society was the French prelate Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

Lefebvre had spent much of his career as a missionary in Africa and served as superior general of the Holy Ghost Fathers from 1962 to 1968.

He retired in 1968 when his congregation began to revise its constitutions in a manner that Lefebvre considered to be un-Catholic and Modernist.

Shortly after his retirement, Lefebvre was approached by French seminarians in Rome.

It is thought that they told him that they were being persecuted for their adherence to traditional doctrines and sought his advice on a conservative seminary where they could complete their studies.

He directed them to the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.