Who is the Brazilian priest who defied the Vatican and rebelled after excommunication

Françoá Rodrigues Figueiredo Costa is known for his academic work within the Catholic Church. A priest since 2004, he built a career as a theology professor, ran a Catholic college and published books on spirituality and doctrine.

Born in Redenção do Gurguéia (PI), he was born in 1979 and was ordained a priest by the Diocese of Anápolis (GO). He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy, a degree in ecclesiastical studies and a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Navarra, in Spain, one of the most prestigious institutions in the Catholic world.

Throughout his career, he taught systematic theology, held management positions at the Catholic College of Anápolis and served in parishes in Goiás and the Federal District. He also wrote books focused on religious formation and, for years, produced content about spirituality for believers on the internet.

In recent years, he began to get closer to the FSSPX (Saint Pius 10 Priestly Fraternity). The traditionalist group was founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and rejects part of the reforms implemented by the Church after the Second Vatican Council.

According to the Archdiocese of Brasília, Françoá officially announced her membership of the fraternity in April 2025. Since then, she has taken over the Santo Atanásio Chapel, in Ceilândia (DF), where she began to exclusively celebrate Mass in the Tridentine rite (ancient rite, in which Latin is used, among other differences) and publicly defend the organization's positions.

In a video released after the excommunication was confirmed, the priest stated that his membership in the Fraternity is not recent. He said he supports both the episcopal ordinations carried out by the group in 1988 and those in 2026 and declared that he will not accept the Second Vatican Council.

In the same statement, Françoá revealed that she maintains frequent contact with the global leadership of the SSPX. He said he lived with the superior general of the organization, Father Davide Pagliarani, with whom he claims to exchange emails, and stated that he receives visits from the superior of the fraternity in Brazil, Father Juan María de Montagut.

The priest also explained that today he considers himself a "friend or associate priest" of the São Pio 10 Fraternity and stated that he is in the process of integrating into the group. According to him, priests from dioceses go through a period of training before being fully incorporated into the organization.

In addition to broadcasting masses in Latin and religious training courses, Françoá publishes videos criticizing the so-called "modernism" in the Church. He defends liturgical tradition and challenges recent Vatican decisions.

"We will continue every day to pray the Holy Mass, to mention the name of the Holy Father in the canon of the Mass, to pray, here in the case of Brasília, for the Archbishop of Brasília, aware that we are Catholics. It is not us who have to justify our catholicity. It is you who have to justify your catholicity. It is not us who are sunk in this modernism. It is not us who are accepting these strange things that unfortunately make them gentlemen will have to justify", said Father Françoá Costa, in a video on YouTube.

Françoá's excommunication was not motivated by personal behavior, but by formal adherence to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius 10. At the beginning of July, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith confirmed that ministers belonging to the group are in a situation of schism and that lay people who formally join the fraternity will also be considered excommunicated. For the Catholic Church, schism occurs when there is a break in communion with the pope or a refusal to submit to his authority.

Priest rejected the punishment. Françoá Costa stated that he will continue to celebrate masses daily and said that he remains Catholic, despite the excommunication. The Archdiocese toughened its speech. The Church advised the faithful not to attend the Saint Athanasius Chapel and stated that the activities carried out there are irregular.

FSSPX defends the preservation of the Tridentine Mass in Latin and frequently criticizes what it considers a process of modernization of the Catholic Church. In practice, it works as a parallel structure. It has seminaries, schools, monasteries and training centers spread across different countries, in addition to hundreds of its own priests and religious. Although he claims to remain faithful to Catholicism, his canonical situation is considered "irregular" by the Holy See, as his ministers do not exercise a ministry officially recognized by the Church.

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