POPE PETER II

'Pope Peter II' is a hypothetical papal name and a common antipapal name, particularly in recent times.

Contents

The name and its connotation

Fiction

References

The name and its connotation

Out of respect for the Apostle St Peter, no Pope has ever adopted the name 'Peter II'. According to Roman Catholic tradition, St Peter was installed as the first Pope by Jesus Christ. Though the adoption of that name is not canonically barred, it is considered unlikely that any future Pope would ever choose such a name.
The likelihood of such a choice may be further diminished by a passage in the controversial Prophecy of the Popes, that mention a "Peter the Roman" (''Petrus Romanus'') as the final Pope, who would "feed his sheep in many tribulations" and "final persecution". This note invests the name of Peter II with an apocalyptic connotation. The Prophecy of the Popes has no formal standing and is given little weight by most scholars.
==Modern antipopes==
Possibly related to this apocalyptic connotation is the fact, that several modern pretenders to the Papal throne have also taken the regnal name "Peter II", as they believe that they are now in the end times. These are:

★ Chester Olszewski, self-proclaimed in 1980 in Pennsylvania, USA.

★ Aime Baudet, self-proclaimed in 1984 in Belgium.

★ Pierre Henri Bubois, self-proclaimed in 1985 in Belgium.

★ Maurice Archieri, self-proclaimed in 1995 in Le Perreux, France as Vicar of Christ for the Last Days (not Pope of Rome) in 1995

★ Julius Tischler, self-proclaimed in 1998 in Germany.

★ Manuel Corral succeeded Clemente Domínguez y Gómez (the self-styled Pope Gregory XVII) as the Pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church in 2005. He does not claim the See of Rome but claims the Pope of Rome is excommunicated and that the cathedra Petri has been transferred to the see of Palmar de Troya.

★ William Kamm of Australia, (future) Pope of the "Order of Saint Charbel" movement of Australia.

Fiction

★ In the Left Behind series, Peter Mathews, a corrupt Catholic Bishop, is elected Pope Peter II and subsequently becomes a leader of the Enigma Babylon One World Faith. This is a deliberate inversion of the passage from Prophecy of the Popes.

★ In The Third Secret by Steve Berry, an ambitious Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Alberto Valendrea is elected pope, and chooses the name Peter II.

References

★ List of antipopes (from a Conclavist website supporting the claims of "Pope Michael"; it lists the four Roman Pontiffs between Pius XII and Benedict XVI as "Modernist heresiarchs")