In your scenario, it could well have been, that a priest in remote mission territory would not be aware that Leo XIII had died, and would still celebrate Mass una cuм Leone. He would not be schismatic, just inculpably uninformed, and acting in accord with the best information available to him. He wouldn't "refuse to submit" to Pius X, because he wouldn't be aware there is a Pius X.
Then he didn't *refuse* to submit to Pope St Pius X. He simply had no idea that there was such a Pope, through no fault of his own, that's fine.
What I'm trying to figure out is whether the sedevacantist thesis that the See is currently vacant (and has been for 62 years and counting) is in any way equivalent to the St Vincent Ferrer position, in other words, even if its wrong, the whole matter is doubtful and thus one could legitimately take either position without objective schism.
Like we're not talking about whether individuals can be in good faith here, we're talking about the thing's objective status.
Two or more plausible papal claimants = You aren't in sin regardless of which opinion you have, maybe even if you think they're all invalid.
One definite papal claimant (such as Pope St Pius X) = its schismatic to knowingly refuse submission. If you'd just never heard of St Pius X that would be one thing, but if you realized the whole Church accepted him as Pope and refused to accept it you were schismatic. Basically this is like the Assumption of Mary issue, a priest in a remote missionary territory might just not know about the ex cathedra pronouncement, but you can't reject it.
Post Vatican II Popes = ?
On the one hand, there are no plausible alternate claims (even if you buy Siri theory, Siri never tried to exercise any papal authority, if he had, that might create more of a point). The *Entire* world accepted John XXIII, and early Paul VI, as Pope. After that, some Traditionalists have dissented, ,but until Francis at least, there has been no dissent within the juridical hierarchy. *I don't see* how Lefebvre and Williamson having *doubts* (though even still, they did/do accept the Popes) really undermines the universal moral acceptance of the entire Church. Perhaps Lefebvre was incorrect to speculate along these lines, its possible.
*on the other hand* it seems wrong to say that someone who just can't square the idea that a Pope that worships Pachamama is a real pope, is in the same boat as somebody who would reject Leo XIII or Pius X just because they don't like authority... or something.
Also Lefebvre seemed to think it was acceptable to question, and while he could be wrong, he deservedly gets a lot of weight among traditionalists.
So yeah, a priest who simply hasn't heard of St Pius X would certainly be in the clear. And if there's some priest deep in the jungle who's somehow still praying una cuм pius XII because he's somehow never heard of *any* of the conciliar claimants, he'd be in the clear too.
Whether it follows that people who don't think Francis or JPII or whoever are Popes, and instead either think nobody is pope or that there's some hidden or secret pope, are covered, well I can't figure that one out, so I leave the judgment to God who is a good and righteous judge, and I trust that he'll handle the situation rightly.