#USA #TX – Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio announced on August 14, 2026, that a former priest of the archdiocese, John Mary Foster, had been found guilty of schism, declared excommunicated, and removed from the clerical state. The decision stemmed from Foster’s public refusal to submit to the authority of the Roman Pontiff, including his repeated references to Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV as “usurpers.”
A tribunal of independent canon law experts, authorized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, conducted the judicial process. The trial began on April 10, 2025, and the sentence was pronounced on April 20, 2026. The tribunal declared that Foster had incurred latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication and dismissed him from the clerical state. Foster chose not to appeal the ruling to the Vatican. The Dicastery acknowledged the tribunal’s authority in the matter.
Foster, who was ordained a priest in 1987 for the Congregation of St. John and later incardinated into the Archdiocese of San Antonio on November 22, 2009, had founded the Mission of Divine Mercy in Canyon Lake, Texas, around 2001. The group, which received approved apostolate status in 2010, focused on retreats and claimed to share alleged prophetic messages received by one of its members, Sr. Maria Amapola de Jesús, beginning around 2016.
Tensions escalated in early 2024 when the group began publishing messages online that the archbishop described as containing scandalous claims and false teachings. These messages referred to Pope Francis as a “usurper” occupying the Chair of Peter and later extended the same characterization to Pope Leo XIV after his election, asserting that he “is also a usurper and not a true pope.” Archbishop García-Siller had previously removed Foster’s faculties for public ministry in March 2024 and suppressed the Mission of Divine Mercy’s official status after the group refused to halt the publications.
Despite these measures and repeated opportunities to repent, Foster continued to celebrate Mass publicly without authorization and intentionally omitted the names of both Pope Francis and later Pope Leo XIV from the Eucharistic Prayer. In his August 14 letter, Archbishop García-Siller stated that Foster had “chosen to reject the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church by his words and actions” and had selected “the path of disobedience.”
The archbishop prohibited all Catholics in the archdiocese from attending any Masses, liturgical activities, or events sponsored by Foster or the Mission of Divine Mercy, describing participation as a formal act of disobedience. He also urged the faithful to cease all financial support for Foster and the group, warning that such contributions would enable continued efforts to undermine the Church’s mission. García-Siller called on the faithful to pray for Foster’s repentance and reconciliation with the Catholic Church.
Foster no longer holds faculties to celebrate the sacraments, except in limited circumstances outlined in canon law for cases of danger of death. The Mission of Divine Mercy continued its activities following the announcement, with reports indicating that Foster and the group viewed the sanctions as unjust and elected not to appeal.
Image: John Mary Foster, former priest now laicized due to schism.
