The Vatican recently excommunicated members of the Society of Saint Pius X, a dissident Catholic sect, thus reigniting an old conflict within the Catholic Church.
This decision comes ahead of the state visit of Pope Leo XIV to France, where the ultra-conservative group has a wide network of schools and has gained several thousand followers.
According to France 24, this split casts a shadow over the papal trip, highlighting ongoing tensions between the Vatican and this dissident faction.