{
  "id": 1697454,
  "title": "What led to the largest Catholic schism in 156 years?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/what-led-to-the-largest-catholic-schism-in-156-years",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T11:18:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/08/18/pope-leo-catholic-schism-big-story-podcast/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Catholic Church is experiencing its largest schism in 156 years following Pope Leo's excommunication of the Society of St. Pius X, an ultra-conservative sect that ordained new bishops against his orders. This move has effectively kicked out 600,000 Catholics from the church, reflecting the Pope's commitment to church unity amid a focus on the theme of unity during his pontificate. Dr. Catherine Foisy of the University of Quebec in Montreal discusses the reasons behind Pope Leo's decision, its implications for the state of the Catholic Church, and how it illustrates his approach to the current geopolitical moment.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}