Antipope

An antipope is one whose claim to being Pope is the result of a disputed or contested election. These antipopes were usually in opposition to a specific person chosen by the papal electors (since the Middle Ages, the College of Cardinals). Some self-appointed leaders of smaller churches are also called "antipopes."

Sedevacantist antipopes

Some breakaway Catholics today, called sedevacantists, claim the current Popes are heretics for various reforms which sedevacantists see as innovations in the practices of Roman Catholic Church which were adopted during the reigns of Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI, including aspects of the Second Vatican Council. Chief among these criticized reforms is the replacing of the Tridentine Latin Mass with the Novus Ordo Missae. Many sedevacanists also object to the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular, despite the fact that various provisions existed for the celebration of the Mass in the vernacular prior to the reign of Pope John XXIII. Since the opinion of many Catholic theologians is that a heretical Pope would cease to be Catholic and therefore cease to be Pope, sedevacantists believe the current Bishops of Rome are not actually popes. Some sedevacantist groups have their own popes to replace the popes they reject. They are sometimes called antipopes, although it should be noted that in contrast to historical antipopes, the number of their followers is minuscule. Some of these antipopes have developed their own religious infrastructure in recognition that the conventional popes are not likely to consider ceding authority to them, thus being at once antipopes of the Universal Church and popes of their particular sect.

Related Topics:
Sedevacantists - John XXIII - Paul VI - Second Vatican Council - Tridentine Latin Mass - Novus Ordo Missae - Vernacular - Heretic

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Sedevacantist antipopes frequently refer to the conventional successors of Pope Pius XII as a series of antipapacies.

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There is a significant number of antipopes self-proclaimed Peter II, due to the special meaning of this name, see Antipope Peter II.

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Sedevacantist antipopes of the 20th-21st centuries

Palmarian Catholic Church

• Clemente Domínguez y Gómez (Gregory XVII), self-proclaimed from 1978–2005 in Spain, pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church.
• Manuel Alonso Corral (Peter II), succeeded Gregory XVII as the Pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church in 2005 in Spain

Reformed Church of Christ/Apostles of Infinite Love

• Michel-Auguste-Marie Collin (Clement XV), self-proclaimed 1963 in Clémery, France (later at St. Jovite, Canada), Pope of the "Renewed Church of Christ" or "Church of the Magnificat"
• Jean-Gaston Tremblay (Gregory XVII), succeeded Clement XV in 1968 in Canada; not to be confused with the Canadian politician Gaston Tremblay

Conclavist movements

• David Bawden (Michael I), self-proclaimed in 1990 in Kansas, United States of America
• Victor Von Pentz (Linus II), self-proclaimed in 1994 in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
• Lucian Pulvermacher (Pius XIII), self-proclaimed in 1998 in Montana, United States of America, Pope of the self-proclaimed "true Catholic Church"

Tridentine Latin Rite Church/Religious Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI)

• Francis Konrad Schuckardt (Hadrian VII), self-proclaimed in 1984 in Washington, United States of America before leaving the TLRC (later the CMRI) in Washington State, U.S.A.

Independents and Antipopes of other groups

• Gino Frediani (Emmanuel), self-proclaimed from 1973–1984 in Italy, Pope of the "New Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus"
• Valeriano Vestini (Valeriano), self-proclaimed in 1990 in Chieti, Italy
• Roberto Carnevale (John XX), self-proclaimed in 2005 in Italy
• Reinaldus Michael Benjamins (Gregory XIX) self-proclaimed in 2001 in New York, United States of America
• Maurice Archieri (Peter II) of Le Perreux, self-proclaimed in 1995 in France
• Julius Tischler (Peter II) of Germany
• Aime Baudet (Peter II) of Brussels, Belgium
• Pierre Henri Bubois (Peter II) of Brussels, Belgium
• Chester Olszewski (Peter II), self-proclaimed in 1980 of Pennsylvania, USA
• William Kamm (Peter II) of Australia, Pope of the "Order of Saint Charbel" movement.