In a word, yes, although now ...."not so much"... as Borat might say.
The society had its own bishops who were consecrated without papal approval, which resulted in their excommunication. These were the four whose excommunications were recently lifted, sparking the furor.
The society has its own seminaries, its own parishes and its own schools which operate without the usual ecclesiastical approval.
So, were any/all of the priests these excommunicated Bishops ordained (Bishops ARE allowed to ordain Priests, right?), automatically excommunicated at the time they were ordained. And would they be automatically un-excommunicated as a result of the lifting of excommunication of the Bishops?
This is very confusing for me.