A priest from the Society of St Pius X (SSPX), a traditionalist Catholic splinter group, has expressed confidence that the organisation will eventually be reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church under a future pope.

Speaking during a Mass in Wil, Switzerland, Father Georg Kopf said he believed another pontiff would restore the group's place within the Church, much as Pope Benedict XVI did when he lifted previous excommunications in 2009.

The SSPX was excommunicated again after four bishops were ordained without the approval of Pope Leo, a step the Vatican regards as a grave breach of Church law that results in automatic excommunication.Despite the disciplinary action, the group insists it did not intend to establish a separate church or reject the authority of Rome.

Instead, Kopf argued that the ordinations were carried out out of loyalty to the Church and the pope, with the aim of ensuring the spiritual care and salvation of the faithful.Founded in 1970 and based in Switzerland, the Society of St Pius X maintains that the Catholic Church has departed from traditional doctrine.It continues to celebrate the Latin Mass and rejects formal dialogue with non-Catholic faiths.

The current dispute echoes an earlier split in the late 1980s, when founder Marcel Lefebvre consecrated bishops without papal approval, leading to excommunications that were later lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in an effort to promote unity.

The Vatican has stated that it offered dialogue before the latest schism but regarded the unauthorised episcopal ordinations as too serious to overlook.