A tiny island in the Orkneys. A renegade group of Catholic monks who have rejected every Pope since the 1960s. The planned illicit consecration of a bishop. The clandestine departure of three monks. And a mysterious death beneath the waves of the North Sea.

They seem determined to step into a schismatic chasm from which it will be very difficult to escape

They seem determined to step into a schismatic chasm from which it will be very difficult to escape

While this might seem like the elements of an enigmatic murder mystery, all of the above has in fact taken place on the island of Papa Stronsay, home to the monks of the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Transalpine Redemptorists. A small community which is on the brink of schism with the Catholic Church.Golgotha Monastery, where the monks live, has sheep, a diesel generator for electricity and kerosene burners for heating and hot water. The monks exclusively celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, the ancient form of the Catholic liturgy. The community was reconciled with the Church under Pope Benedict XVI, but has now signed up to full-blown sedevacantism – the position that the Holy See has been vacant since the mid-20th century. In other words, they view the current Pope as illegitimate.Unsurprisingly, this has brought them into conflict with the local Catholic hierarchy. On 25 July things will come to a head when the community plans to have its leader, Fr Michael Mary, consecrated as a bishop.........

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