 Prince Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma was present at the consecration ceremony and was the first to congratulate Lefebvre publicly.The day after the consecration, 1 July 1988, the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops issued a decree signed by Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, Prefect of the Congregation, declaring that Lefebvre, Fellay, Tissier de Mallerais, Williamson, and de Galarreta had incurred automatic excommunication.On the following day Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter "Ecclesia Dei", condemned the Archbishop's action.