Jay spent five years pining for Daisy in The Great Gatsby, and Noah waited seven years for another chance with Allie in The Notebook.

For decades, pop culture has used ‘the one that got away’ as a trope, romanticising missed opportunities, what ifs, and long-lost loves.

In the most iconic of these films, it’s often the male character’s yearning and heartache over the loss that’s highlighted, which got us wondering… How often does this actually happen in real life?

In a bid to find out, Metro asked men how often they think about ‘the one that got away’, and some of the answers might raise a few eyebrows.

Here’s what they had to say…

I’m happily married, but I think about my ex daily

Ciaran, 37, tells Metro he thinks about an ex ‘almost daily’, despite being ‘happily married’. 

‘I’ve been with my wife for 18 years, and we’re extremely happy. But I think about the one that got away almost daily – 21 years on!

‘We are still really good friends, but only really chat online now.’

Another married man, known only as Oscar, is in a similar situation.

He admits that there was a time when he would think about the one that got away ‘every hour’ of the day. 

The 45-year-old said: ‘I’ve been happily married for 12 years, but still think about the one that got away.

‘I’m kind of over it now, but at its height I thought about them every hour.’

He claims it was a classic ‘right person, wrong time’ situation.

‘I was everything she needed, but not what she wanted,’ he explains. ‘I was an emotional crutch, bought her presents, went on dates, and helped her so much in her life.

‘We never took it to the next stage, despite it feeling so right. She didn’t want me, but she didn’t want anyone else to have me (her words, not mine).’

I can’t help but wonder how different my life could have been

For Alex, there are two people from his past who ‘regularly’ cross his mind. 

The 35-year-old has been married for a decade with two kids, and while he loves his family and ‘wouldn’t trade them for the world’, he admits he can’t help but think of how different his life could have been.

‘I have two people that got away, one I dated, one I didn’t, and I usually think about them a couple of times a month.

‘The one I didn’t date was the ultimate girl next door type; she was very smart, very funny, and very beautiful. We were really close friends who, on multiple occasions, professed to have feelings for one another but always found the timing was never right between other relationships and life just getting in the way. 

‘The one I dated was different; we didn’t necessarily have much in common, and I’d go so far as to say she was out of my league, but when we were together just the two of us, we worked and had fun. The problems always came in wider society and larger groups as we just seemed to stop working.’

Alex continues: ‘I think of them both in terms of the happy memories we shared and the times we were living in. The world isn’t what it once was, and these two girls represent a simpler time for me. 

‘Thinking about the ones that got away can bring back the way things felt back then, even if just for a moment.’

He adds: ‘I also think about the person I’d be now if they had worked out, what our lives would be like; it’s a curiosity that can’t be ignored but will never be fulfilled.’

She didn’t get away; I let her go

Ahaan, 23, is currently single, but has an ex he thinks about ‘more often than he’d ever admit out loud’.

He tells Metro they dated in college, but their relationship ended after he cheated.

‘The worst part is knowing that she didn’t get away; I let her go,’ he says.

‘At the time, I thought she’d always be there, even after I was unfaithful to her. 

‘A few years later, I saw her building the life she wanted with someone else and realised none of her expectations were impossible. She just found someone willing to meet them.

‘All the things she wanted from me, like consistency, effort, reassurance, and commitment, she ended up getting from someone willing to give them. By then, there wasn’t really anything left for me to say.’

What do relationship experts think?

With so many married men professing to still think about a lost love, you might think this means their relationships are doomed.

But, according to sex and relationship expert Gigi Engle, this isn’t necessarily the case.

‘Thinking about or missing an ex doesn’t mean that you’re broken, or that there’s anything wrong with you, or that you’re not happy in your relationship,’ she explains.

‘You could be perfectly happy, perfectly secure, and perfectly content with your stable partner, and still be tempted by the idea that there’s something shiny out there that you can’t have.’

This, she claims, is because it’s ‘difficult for our brains to want what they already have’.

‘It’s something psychotherapist Esther Perel has said, and what it essentially means is that we aren’t going to lust over and desire something we’ve already attained,’ Gigi says.

The expert also believes nostalgia plays a key role, as it’s something we’re very prone to.

‘We tend to long for someone in the past, in an idealised way. Our brains have a real tendency to hone in on the positive aspects of a past relationship or the positive qualities of an ex, ignoring the negative stuff, like arguments or lack of compatibility. That’s why we often miss our toxic ex, even though we know we shouldn’t be with them.’

BACP-registered counsellor and author, L.J Jones, agrees that there’s no issue with people in happily married and committed relationships ‘occasionally’ thinking about a former partner.

‘A passing thought is completely different from wanting to leave a current relationship,’ she says.

‘Memories are often triggered by life events, anniversaries, songs, places, or even reaching a new stage in life. Sometimes the former partner symbolises a younger version of ourselves, roads not taken or unanswered questions, rather than a genuine desire to rekindle the relationship.’

However, if you find these thoughts are becoming more frequent, you might need to dig a little deeper to work out what they’re really telling you.

‘They may reflect unmet emotional needs, nostalgia during a stressful period, or dissatisfaction in another area of life rather than actual feelings for that person.

‘Looking beneath the surface is often far more helpful than focusing on the individual from the past.’

Gigi agrees, adding: ‘It’s ok to miss that person, but becoming so incredibly fixated on the one that got away to the point that you’re sabotaging yourself or your relationship or comparing everyone to an ex, isn’t healthy and needs to be addressed.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

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Serena Williams’ daughters and husband watched on with a smile yesterday – even as the tennis legend bowed out of Wimbledon Singles. 

For almost two and a half hours, Centre Court dared to dream that Williams had one more miracle left in her. 

Instead, the seven-time champion’s long-awaited return ended in first-round defeat as Australia’s Maya Joint held her nerve to win 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3. 

Even then, the 44-year-old star still had a smile on her face as she waved to adoring fans, friends and family as they cheered her off the court. 

Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian was seen clapping with their daughters Adira, two, and eight-year-old Olympia at his side. The girls beamed as they watched their mum. 

Sister Venus wasn’t far away, cheering her younger sibling on.   

Four years after many assumed they had seen her final singles appearance at the All England Club, Williams walked back through the famous gates to a reception befitting one of the sport’s greatest ever players.

From the moment she stepped onto Centre Court, she was greeted by a standing ovation that rippled through the 15,000-strong crowd. 

The seven-time champion’s husband remained by her side on Tuesday night, living every point with trademark intensity, while daughters Olympia and Adira were also part of the occasion as their mother returned to the stage

Williams was edged out by the 20-year-old rising star, Maya Joint, who delivered a composed, mature performance beyond her years to secure the biggest win of her career

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Every winner drew a roar. Every shift in momentum was seized upon by spectators desperate to will her towards another famous comeback.

Ultimately, though, the physical demands of top-level singles tennis after four years away proved too much.

And Williams was edged out by the 20-year-old rising star, who delivered a composed, mature performance beyond her years to secure the biggest win of her career.

There were familiar faces watching from Williams’ courtside box, but life has changed considerably since she last played singles here in 2022.

Not only has she welcomed a second child with husband Alexis but she had also co-founded a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team and danced at the Super Bowl.

Williams is now also a fashion red carpet regular, attending her tenth Met Gala in May wearing a Marc Jacobs minidress with gladiator heels, to support her sister Venus – co-chair of the event.

She’s also written a children’s book, something she has in common with the Duchess of Sussex, to whom she was at one point very close.

And more recently she has been open about using the skinny jab Zepbound, which is similar to Mounjaro – quickly becoming one of the most famous celebrities to endorse the controversial weight loss drug.

On Oprah Winfrey’s podcast last August, Williams said she had not wanted to take ‘the shortcut’, but she was not losing weight after her two pregnancies through training alone.

‘I couldn’t beat the weight. It was the one opponent I couldn’t beat,’ she said.

Ohanian remained by her side on Tuesday night, living every point with trademark intensity, while their daughters were also part of the occasion as their mother returned to the stage where she built so much of her sporting legacy.

Sister Venus, who will partner Serena in the doubles later this week, was also among those cheering every point.

But for Williams, this was never simply another first-round match. It was a return to the place where she became a global sporting icon, winning seven singles titles and six women’s doubles crowns alongside Venus.

The Centre Court crowd knew it too. They rose as one when she emerged, creating an atmosphere that felt more like a celebration than the first round of a Grand Slam.

At 44, and making her first Wimbledon singles appearance in 1,462 days, there were inevitable questions about what remained of the explosive power and movement that once intimidated an entire generation. Early on, those concerns appeared justified.

Joint, ranked world No. 87, settled quickly. The Australian’s crisp groundstrokes repeatedly exposed Williams in longer rallies, and once she secured the crucial break midway through the opening set she rarely looked troubled, taking it 6-3 with impressive composure.

Yet those expecting the former champion to quietly fade away underestimated the competitive instinct that has defined her career.

Williams gradually found her timing, serving with greater authority and unleashing flashes of the thunderous hitting that once made her virtually untouchable on grass.

The second set became vintage Serena in spirit if not always execution.

Twice she recovered from a break down to drag herself back into contention, with Centre Court willing her forward, she saved a match point before forcing a tie-break, then somehow summoned enough quality to edge it 8-6.

Venus Williams is pictured ahead of watching her sister Serena Williams take on Maya Joint on day two of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships

Williams waves to the crowd after losing her first round match; smiling even as she bowed out of Wimbledon Singles

Serena Williams’ family including husband Alexis Ohanian, their two daughters Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and Adira River Ohanian watch her play

Those expecting the former champion to quietly fade away underestimated the competitive instinct that has defined her career

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Despite the weight of expectation pressing down from every corner of Centre Court, the Australian reset impressively in the deciding set

The noise when Joint’s final return drifted long was among the loudest heard all tournament, as 15,000 spectators dared to dream that one final Wimbledon comeback might still be unfolding before their eyes.

For a few magical minutes, time appeared suspended.

But greatness in sport also means recognising the next generation, and Joint refused to become overawed by either the occasion or the opponent standing across the net.

Despite the weight of expectation pressing down from every corner of Centre Court, the Australian reset impressively in the deciding set. 

She continued to target Williams’ movement, absorbing the crowd’s energy without allowing it to rattle her concentration.

Williams continued to fight, chasing every ball and refusing to surrender – even as fatigue inevitably crept in after almost two and a half hours of intense competition.

Ultimately, however, the physical demands of singles tennis after four years away proved too great.

Joint secured the decisive break before serving out one of the biggest victories of her young career, sealing a result she is unlikely ever to forget.

There was disappointment, especially as Williams had spoken before the tournament about embracing the opportunity to return, admitting she did not know whether Wimbledon would ever come calling again.

Yet defeat hardly diminished the occasion.

Williams graciously shakes hands with Australia’s Maya Joint. While her singles campaign may be over, Wimbledon is not quite finished with Williams

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Serena Williams will return this Thursday in a doubles pair with her sister, Venus

For long stretches, Williams reminded everyone why she became a seven-time Wimbledon champion. The serve still carried menace. The competitive fire still burned fiercely. Most importantly, the resilience that made her one of sport’s defining champions never deserted her.

And while her singles campaign may be over, Wimbledon is not quite finished with Williams.

As she will return this Thursday in a doubles pair with Venus.

The Williams sisters remain the most successful doubles partnership of the modern era.

Together they have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including six Wimbledon crowns, and completed the career Golden Slam by winning Olympic gold four times.

Their dominance helped redefine women’s doubles, with their combination of power, athleticism and instinctive understanding making them virtually unbeatable at their peak.

It will be the first time they have competed together at Wimbledon for a decade and offers fans another opportunity to watch two of the tournament’s most iconic champions share Centre Court once more.

Gene Wilder fans are in uproar after Netflix revealed that an AI recreation of the late actor’s voice is being used for their new competition show, Wonka’s The Golden Ticket.

The streaming service bills the show, which is set to be released September 23, as a “one-of-a-kind reality competition” where “lucky players step inside Wonka’s Chocolate Factory to face unpredictable games, tests and temptations.”

A new trailer for the series features an AI-generated voiceover created to sound like Wilder, who famously starred as Wonka in the much-loved 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Wilder died in 2016 at the age of 83.

In the teaser clip, a recreation of Wilder’s voice can be heard saying: “For the first time in decades, I’m opening my beloved chocolate factory… A whole new generation of real life golden ticket holders will compete for a life-changing prize, or say a most unfortunate goodbye.”

The reveal of the AI-generated voice has failed to spark wonder with fans of Wilder or the 1971 film. One wrote on X: “Gene is rolling in his grave.”

Another opined that the AI voice “almost sounds like gene wilder, but not really and is a plastic substitute that people will eat up because the robots have made them stupid, This is an obscenity.”

A third added: “Someone should have voiced this better, the ai voice lacks emotion, no soul no depth.”

While another wrote: “WORST VERSION OF HIS VOICE! WTAF… you couldn’t go with more than one take from the AI bot?! I could probably piece together an amalgamation of just things genes said in movies and get a smoother more natural dialogue feels… he said ‘extraordinary’ entirely WRONG… rip Gene.”

Wilder quit feature films in 1991, decades before his death.

In his final interview, the actor said he left Hollywood behind because he “didn’t want to do the kind of junk I was seeing.”

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“I didn’t want to do 3D, for instance,” he continued. “I didn’t want to do ones where it’s just bombing and loud and swearing. So much swearing going on. If someone says ‘Ah, go f*** yourself,’ well, if it came from a meaningful place, I’d understand it. But if you go to some movies, can’t they just stop and talk, just talk, instead of swearing? That put me off a lot.”

Tim Burton’s version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was also dismissed by Wilder.

“I think it’s an insult,” he said of the reboot. “Johnny Depp, I think, is a good actor, but I don’t care for that director. He’s a talented man, but I don’t care for him doing stuff like he did.”

Though he also gave memorable performances in several Mel Brooks comedies, Wilder is perhaps best remembered for his outlandish turn as Wonka, typified by this classic, nightmarish tunnel boat ride scene.

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The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) Unicorn Centre in Hemlington, Middlesbrough, will hold its Unicorn Day on Sunday, 12 July, from 10am to 3pm.

The event promises unicorn-themed activities, fundraising stalls, and a look around the centre.

Unicorn (Image: Supplied)

Gabrielle Finn, chair of trustees, said: “Unicorns are so popular with children, and we will have plenty around the centre to meet and ride.

“Running a riding centre as large as ours is a massive financial undertaking and events like this play a huge part.

“We hope lots of people will come along to find out more about what we do, and support our fundraising.”

Children aged five to 12 can enjoy a unicorn pony ride in a magical indoor woodland glade for £15, with rides requiring pre-booking.

Throughout the day, visitors can take part in a hobby horse competition in the outdoor arena, browse craft stalls, and try their luck at the raffle or tombola.

Refreshments will also be available.

The centre welcomes donations of bottles or prizes for the raffle and tombola in advance of the event. Entry is free.

It is located on Stainton Way in Hemlington, beside the Cleveland Police Headquarters.

The centre is part of the national Riding for the Disabled Association and is supported by Team GB Olympic medallist Nicola Wilson, who serves as patron.

For more information, or to book a pony ride, call 01642 576222.

He appeared as Gail Platt’s long-lost father, Ted Page, on Coronation Street between 2008 and 2010.

In one storyline on the ITV soap, he memorably gave his unlucky-in-love daughter away at her wedding to Joe McIntyre.

Alongside that, he played SS Officer Ernst Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, sharing scenes with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.

RIP to the charming Michael Byrne who played Corrie’s (lovely, gay) Ted Page. pic.twitter.com/kkTam7Ezw7

— Stuart Beck (@StuartBeckMP) June 30, 2026

Other supporting roles included Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Smythe in Braveheart, Major Schroeder in Force 10 from Navarone and Admiral Kelly in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

A few people took to social media to pay tribute to Byrne, as one wrote on X: “So sad to hear about the death of Michael Byrne who played the glorious Gay Ted in #Corrie.”

In response, one person said: “Oh, he was always so lovely! Those eyes!”

A third posted: “RIP to the charming Michael Byrne who played Corrie’s (lovely, gay) Ted Page.”

The superb Michael Byrne has left us 💔 pic.twitter.com/8DxQ4bJFX9

— Lily May Sherratt (@IreneWildthyme) June 30, 2026

The veteran actor is survived by his former wife Carole, who cared for him towards the end of his life, alongside their daughters, Tara and Bryony, and three grandchildren, Tom, Chloe and Jasmine.

The life and career of Michael Byrne

Michael Byrne was born in Hampstead, London, the son of Helen Byrne, a single mother and cook from Kilkenny, Ireland.

Byrne attended the Anna Freud nursery and Burgess Hill school in Hampstead, and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama (supported by the Freud Institute), The Guardian reports.

He met his future wife, Carole Nimmons, when he toured Ireland with the Arena theatre company in 1962, marrying her in 1965.

Byrne appeared in many small roles on stage at first, as part of Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre Company.

He moved on to major roles at the Royal Court and West End and began to make appearances in numerous TV shows and films.

Film credits included Apt Pupil, The Eagle Has Landed, A Bridge Too Far, The Medusa Touch, The Saint, The Sum of All Fears and Gangs of New York.

Meanwhile, TV shows included Casualty, A Touch of Frost and Sharpe.

What are your favourite memories of Michael Byrne on screen? Let us know in the comments.

He took part in the challenge with Bishopthorpe Palace staff to raise funds for York Carers Centre.

The challenge is part of a wider goal to raise £1,000 through a series of charity events.

A member of staff at Bishopthorpe Palace said: “Many people do not recognise themselves as carers, but see themselves as family members, friends and neighbours, doing what needs to be done for someone close to them.

“However, juggling this with work and family life, sometimes without the right information or support, can be really challenging and that is why organisations like York Carers Centre are so important.”

The Palace team was inspired to support the charity after learning of a colleague’s personal experience with York Carers Centre.

Events so far have included a staff brunch, with each fundraiser bringing staff together outside of their usual roles and helping to build stronger relationships across teams.

Fundraising activities will continue in the coming months, and organisers hope not only to reach their £1,000 target but also to raise greater awareness of the vital work unpaid carers do across York.

Donations can be made via the palace’s JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/page/york-carers-centre-1.

A recall has been made for products from Tesco Finest and Lidl’s Deluxe range over the possible presence of listeria monocytogenes

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Leading supermarkets Tesco and Lidl have pulled products from their shelves due to the potential presence of listeria monocytogenes.

Both retailers have issued recalls affecting items from their premium own-brand ranges.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has recalled ham products from Tesco Finest and Lidl’s Deluxe range owing to the possible health risk.

Ham products manufactured under the Brady Family brand are also included in the announcement.

All products affected by the recall:

• Brady Family Wood Smokes Real Irish Ham 6 Slices – pack size 80g – batch code 235417.
• Brady Family Hand Crumbed Real Irish Ham 6 Slices – pack size 80g – batch code 235880 and 235765.
• Lidl’s Deluxe Triple Oak Smoked Carved Irish Ham 5 slices – pack size 130g – batch code 235461.
• Deluxe Honey Roast Carved Irish Ham 5 Slices – pack size 130g – batch code 235473.
• Tesco Finest Crumbed Shaved Ham 16 slices – pack size 120g – batch code 235412.

The use-by date on all of these products is July 16.

In-store notices will be displayed at the point of sale.

Shoppers have been urged not to consume the affected items and to dispose of them immediately.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause mild flu-like symptoms, or gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

Cold meats carry a particularly high risk of listeria contamination. Other susceptible foods include smoked and cured fish, shellfish and soft mould-ripened cheeses such as camembert and brie.

The NHS website states that the majority of those infected with the bacteria experience no symptoms, or only mild signs such as a high temperature, vomiting, aches and pains, chills or diarrhoea.

Those considered at higher risk include pregnant women, newborn babies and patients with weakened immune systems.

The risk also increases with age.

Parents are urged to dial 999 or visit A&E should children develop more severe symptoms, including a severe headache and stiff neck, discomfort looking at bright lights, seizures, sudden confusion or sleepiness, and a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it.

Most infections from the bacteria can be managed at home with rest and plenty of fluids.

“Starmer’s gift to Burnham”, external, is what The i Paper calls the £4.7bn pound black hole in the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP).

An ally of Andy Burnham is quoted in the Guardian likening the situation to an “unexploded bomb, external” – but sources say the Makerfield MP will not try to renegotiate the plan if he enters No 10.

“Indefensible, external” is the Daily Mail headline, with the paper accusing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of having “passed the buck” to Burnham.

The Times claims Burnham may now have to raise taxes or cut spending, external in his hypothetical first budget. The paper quotes the former head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Johnson, who says it’s “striking” the money has not been found.

In the Daily Express, external, the campaign group, Migration Watch UK, suggests the money could be available “at the stroke of a pen” if £5bn worth of immigration grants were axed.

The Metro, external leads on what it calls the “collateral damage” from the defence plan after the prime minister said road projects would have to be delayed or scrapped. The paper’s headline alludes to the famous World War One recruitment campaign. “Britain needs you…”, it says, “to queue”.

The Daily Mirror reports that the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, earned £270,000 for doing just 12 hours work as a brand ambassador for a gold bullion dealer, external. “Same gold Farage” is the paper’s headline, as it points out the figure is nearly eight times the average salary in his constituency of Clacton. A spokesperson for Farage said his work for Direct Bullion “has previously been declared”.

Pictures of Serena Williams on her Wimbledon comeback make the front and back pages. The Daily Telegraph, external shows her waving to the centre court crowd. “Serena falls at first hurdle” declares the Times, external, while the Guardian, external says there was “no fairytale”.

And the Daily Star reports that Britain’s oldest curry house, Veeraswamy on Regent Street in London, is working on a plan to stay open despite fears it could be closed forever. “Curry on, external” is the message from the Star’s editorial, urging all those involved to “keep korma for now”.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The ultratraditionalist Society of St. Pius X is planning to defy Pope Leo XIV by consecrating four bishops without his consent. The move incurs an automatic excommunication for the bishops involved, and amounts to a “schismatic act” — or a willful rupture of unity in the Catholic Church.

The ceremony marks the first major crisis for Leo, who has prioritized church unity and healing tensions with traditionalists that worsened during the Pope Francis pontificate.

A group founded in dissent

The society, known by its acronym SSPX, was founded in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Among other things, the 1960s church meetings revolutionized the Catholic Church’s relations with other Christians, Jews and people of other faiths, and allowed Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular rather than Latin.

In 1975, the SSPX founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was suspended and the society was suppressed by the Vatican.

In 1988, Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent. The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four other bishops, and the group today still has no legal status in the church.

Despite that original schismatic act, the group has continued to grow and today poses a threat to the Holy See since it represents a parallel, ultra-Catholic, pre-Vatican II church. The SSPX counts two bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians training in five seminaries, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities, according to SSPX statistics.

An automatic excommunication for a schismatic act

Under the church’s in-house canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for both the people administering the consecration and the bishops receiving it.

The Vatican doesn’t have to declare the excommunications or issue a decree: It happens automatically. But some experts believe the Holy See will want to respond publicly in some form since the SSPX is making such a public show of the consecrations.

Excommunication is the harshest penalty under canon law. It is considered “medicinal” in nature, meant to teach those who incur it that “what you did was wrong and you must repent for what you have done,” said the Rev. Robert Gahl of the Catholic University of America.

“The medicine may be bitter tasting, meaning that there’s a harsh feature of it because it’s a penalty, but it’s meant to bring about a change in the one who receives it,” he said.

The excommunication, however, doesn’t affect the validity of the consecration itself: SSPX bishops, like their priests, are validly but illicitly ordained.

Leo could extend the excommunications to others attending the event, including rank and file Catholics, but few expect he will.

Pope Francis makes SSPX concessions amid crackdown

Despite his general distrust of traditionalists and a broader crackdown on the old Latin Mass, Pope Francis actually went out of his way to offer concessions to the SSPX.

In 2015, he decreed that Catholics could validly go to confession with SSPX priests, essentially recognizing as legitimate the absolutions granted to Catholics who confessed their sins to SSPX priests.

Francis had made the concession as a one-year gesture during his Jubilee of Mercy, but he then extended it indefinitely. He also made a provision to allow SSPX priests to celebrate marriages legitimately.

Experts say Leo could revoke some of the concessions that Francis granted the SSPX as part of the Holy See’s response to the new consecrations.

Pope Benedict XVI tries to reconcile

First as cardinal and then as pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI worked to heal the SSPX schism and bring the group back under Rome’s wing.

He made two major concessions as part of his outreach. In 2007, he relaxed restrictions on celebrating the traditional Latin Mass throughout the Catholic Church. And in 2009, he removed the excommunications of the four SSPX bishops.

The gesture, however, became an acute embarrassment for him and sparked a crisis with Jewish leaders because one of the four, Bishop Richard Williamson, was a known Holocaust-denier.

And in a television interview that aired on Swiss television just before the pope’s decree was made public, Williamson said he didn’t believe Jews were killed in gas chambers during World War II.

But a Holocaust-denying bishop causes embarrassment

Benedict later acknowledged a simple internet search would have turned up Williamson’s views.

Williamson later ran afoul of the SSPX, which expelled him in 2012 for insubordination. He had ignored a deadline to “declare his submission” to its authority and had called for the society’s superior to resign, the group said at the time.

Williamson, who was ordained a priest by Lefebvre in 1976 and had taught in the society’s seminaries in Europe, the U.S. and Argentina, died in 2025.

Relations with other traditionalists

Despite his concessions to the SSPX, Francis enraged many Catholic traditionalists by reversing Benedict’s relaxation on celebrating the old Latin Mass for the broader Catholic Church. Francis cracked down on its spread, arguing it had become a source of division in the church.

While the SSPX is one fringe group out of communion with Rome, plenty of other traditionalists are in full communion with the Holy See.

Leo, as part of his effort at promoting unity, allowed a prominent American cardinal to celebrate an old Latin Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica last year.

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