Antipope

Joseph Odermatt
Peter III, fourth pope of the
Palmarian Christian Church
ChurchPalmarian Christian Church
SeeEl Palmar de Troya
Papacy began23 April 2016
PredecessorGregory XVIII
Opposed toFrancis
Personal details
Born
Joseph Odermatt

(1966-03-13)13 March 1966
Stans, Nidwalden, Canton of Nidwalden,
Switzerland[1]
DenominationPalmarian Christian

Joseph Odermatt (born 13 March 1966), known by his religious name as Eliseo María and by his papal name as (Antipope) Peter III, is a Swiss Independent Catholic prelate and the current pope of the Palmarian Christian Church.[2][a] Odermatt succeeded Ginés Jesús Hernández (Pope Gregory XVIII) after Hernández left the Palmarian Christian Church and returned to the Roman Catholic Church.[2]

Biography

Odermatt was born in Stans, Canton of Nidwalden in Switzerland. He claims to be a descendant of Saint Nicholas of Flüe. He joined the Order of Carmelites of the Holy Face in 1985 and worked for eighteen years as a missionary in South America. He served as the Order's Secretary of State from 2011 until 2016.[5] In 2016 he succeeded Ginés Jesús Hernández as Pope of the Palmarian Christian Church, taking the papal name Peter III. He is seated at the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar.

Some months later he published an encyclical letter, in which he accused his predecessor of discrediting his former Church and of stealing two million euros from the Palmarian Christian Church, alongside several goods (including a BMW X6): he subsequently declared him an apostate, excommunicated him and declared all of his acts to be null and void. Hernández denies the charges of stealing.[6]

Odermatt disbanded the papal guard corp instituted by his predecessor, deeming it unnecessary for his security.[7] In 2018 he travelled to the United States for the first time to participate at a "Eucharistic, Marian and Josephine Congress".[8]

During his office, the Palmarian Christian Church established an online presence for the first time, opening a website and accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and a channel on YouTube.[9][10]

Notes

  1. ^ It is difficult to obtain reliable and verified information about the Palmarian sect, according to religious studies scholar Jean-François Mayer, since the sect neither makes public announcements nor had an online presence until 2018.[3] Little is known about what happens inside the sect compound, according to ABC newspaper journalist Alberto Flores, who described the usual behavior of the sect as "habitual secrecy" (habitual ocultismo).[4]

References

  1. ^ Mayer 2016; Macías 2016a.
  2. ^ a b Lundberg 2016; Mayer 2016; Macías 2016a; Macías 2016b.
  3. ^ Mayer 2016.
  4. ^ Flores 2016.
  5. ^ "His Holiness Pope Peter III – Iglesia Cristiana Palmariana".
  6. ^ Martín-Arroyo, Javier (2016-06-09). "El Papa de la Iglesia Palmariana acusa a su predecesor de robar joyas y un papamóvil". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  7. ^ Lundberg, Magnus (2016). "Papal Management by Fear:The Palmarian Pontificate of Gregory XVIII (2011-2016)" (PDF).
  8. ^ "O Papa Pedro III – Iglesia Catolica Palmariana". www.igrejapalmariana.org. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  9. ^ "Iglesia Catolica Palmariana". www.palmarianchurch.org. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  10. ^ "Palmarian Internet Presence". Magnus Lundberg. 2020-01-23. Retrieved 2021-11-29.

Sources

Religious titles Preceded byGinés Jesús HernándezGregory XVIII Palmarian Pope 2016–present Incumbent
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