On June 29, 1994, a dozen people met in Assisi, Italy, to pursue a papal election, as they were convinced that John Paul II and his three predecessors were heretics and anti-popes and that the Holy See was vacant since Pius XII died in 1958. They held the theological position known as sedevacantism. As they claimed that no orthodox cardinals remained in the era of general apostasy, an ordinary conclave was out of the question. Still, the Holy See could not remain perpetually vacant, as St. Peter would always have successors until the end of time. Thus, they argued that it was lawful and, indeed, a duty for the faithful remnant–clergy, and laypeople–to restore the papacy and re-establish papal jurisdiction. This position is called conclavism. The participants in the Assisi conclave elected 41-year-old South African priest Victor Von Pentz (1953–2021), who took Linus II as his papal name.

See my research report:

On 29 July 2023, Archbishop Rogelio del Rosario Martinez Jr (b. 1970) was elected the successor of Pope Michael (David Bawden) and took Michael II as his papal name.

In February 2023, I wrote a substantial piece on Pope Michael for the World Religions and Spirituality Project. Pope Michael (David Bawden, 1959-2022) was elected in a small conclave in Kansas in 1990 and, for the last decade, based in Topeka. He claimed the papacy from his Vatican in Exile until his death on 2 August 2022.

From the time of his passing away, his group of adherents declared the Holy See vacant and began planning for a new conclave. Until recently, no date was fixed, but the group officially announced it in the June 2023 issue of the Olive Tree newsletter.

Continue reading “Habemus Papam!: Michael II” →