Documents of Palmarian Pope Peter III

Documents of Palmarian Pope Peter III

On April 23, 2016, Pope Gregory XVIII left the Palmarian papacy and the church. He was succeeded by Bishop Eliseus Mary of the Holy Face and of Saint Joseph (Markus Josef Odermatt), who took Peter III as his papal name. In 2016, the new pope published a number of official documents, including four apostolic letters and several apostolic decrees. Below you will find scanned versions of the documents. Some of them are in German. Others are in English.

Update: I have been able to upload the sixth apostolic letter, issued in June 2017

Peter III: Apostolic letters 2016

Peter III: Apostolic decrees 2016

Peter III: Apostolic letter June 2017:

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Gustaf Knös och hans värld

Gustaf Knös och hans värld

Gustaf Knös (1773–1828) var i tur och ordning professor i grekiska och österländska språk i Uppsala, men också verksam som församlingspräst och swedenborgskt övertygad författare. Mot slutet av sitt liv sammanfattade han sina teologiska grundidéer i en bok med den fantasieggande titeln Samtal med mig sjelf om werlden, menniskan och Gud (1824), som efter en kritisk recension följdes upp av den dubbelt så omfattande skriften Försök att utreda några wiktiga frågor (1827).

Min artikel är emellertid ingen ingående studie av Gustaf Knös som teolog. Fokus här ligger istället på Gustaf Knös utbildning studier och hans verksamhet som vetenskapare, främst som orientalist. Dessutom behandlar jag kärleken i hans liv. Huvudkällorna är brev och dagboksanteckningar, men också andra dokument, inte minst ansökningshandlingarna till professurerna är väsentliga.

Fulltext

Recensioner i Kyrkohistorisk Årsskrift 2014-2016

Recensioner i Kyrkohistorisk Årsskrift 2014-2016

Under det senaste decenniet har jag skrivit en lång rad bokrecensioner i Kyrkohistorisk årsskrift. De flesta av dem handlar om latinamerikansk kyrkohistoria, men några rör Asien och Oceanien. KÅ, som ges ut av Svenska kyrkohistoriska föreningen, är nu inne på sin 116:e årgång, och dess recensionsavdelning har länge varit ett måste för den som vill hålla sig uppdaterad om kyrkohistorisk forskning. På föreningens hemsida är de senaste årens skrifter tillgängliga i fulltext. Där finns också information om hur man blir medlem. Här kan du läsa de elva recensioner jag publicerade i KÅ mellan 2014 och 2016:

Celia Cussen, Black Saint of the Americas: The Life and the Afterlife of Martín de Porres, Kyrkohistorisk årsskrift 116 (2016). PDF

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Modern Alternative Popes 23: Colombian Pedro II

Modern Alternative Popes 23: Colombian Pedro II

Antonio José Hurtado (Pedro II, 1939-1955) was a Colombian, self-trained dentist. After the death of Pope Pius XI in 1939, he proclaimed himself Pope Peter II, stating that he was elected by God. Hurtado’s claim to the papacy only ended with his death in 1955. Thus, his papal claim had nothing to do with the reforms in the Roman Catholic Church in the 1960s. The following text is not built on a detailed study of primary sources but mostly relies on secondary material, including some fine articles about this intriguing man (see list of references).

The future pope was born in 1892 in the small town of Barbosa, some 40 kilometres north of Medellín. As a young man, he studied at the Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Santa Rosa de Osos but left when his father died. Hurtado seems to have had great entrepreneurial skills and he was a quick learner. He moved to Bogotá, where he worked in many different areas without having formal training in any of them. Among other things, he became a carpenter, a tailor, a goldsmith and an ambulating photographer.

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Media Coverage of the Palmarian Church, April-September 2016

Media Coverage of the Palmarian Church, April-September 2016

Since news about the 22 of April escape of Pope Gregory XVIII from Palmar de Troya was made public by me and others, there have been many articles about the matter in the Spanish press. The combination of a hermetically closed religious group and a pope leaving  to live with his girlfriend, claiming that he does not believe in the church teachings anymore is of course thrilling to many, including me.

Below you will find links to a selection of articles published from late April onwards. Many are quite interesting and not too speculative, including several interviews with the ex-pope, who now wants to “turn the page”and leave everything behind him, presenting the Palmarian church as a “scam” (montaje).

By May 2016, one month after the departure of ex-pope Gregory from Palmar de Troya, several Spanish TV channels have broadcast longer documentaries about the history of the Palmarians and the current events.

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Podcast Iglesia Palmariana 1

Podcast Iglesia Palmariana 1

Descripción de El Palmar de Troya: La historia del nacimiento de una Iglesia.

Modern Alternative Popes 10: The Missionary Order for the Salvation of Souls

Valeriano Vestini (Valerian I, 1990-1995) was born Olinto Vestini, taking the name Valeriano when he joined the Capuchin order. He later became superior of the Mater Domini monastery in Chieti. In 1983, a local woman called Rita claimed to have dreams which featured Vestini as a representative of Padre Pio. The dreams included a divine command: that the group around her should work for the salvation of souls, joining forces with the seers of Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje. Rita left the group in 1989, and the role as the voice-box of heaven was taken over by Nicola Di Carlo and Alessandro Di Donato.

 

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Modern Alternative Popes 4: The Legio Maria

Modern Alternative Popes 4: The Legio Maria

Without any doubt, the Legio Maria, founded in Kenya in the early 1960s, is the largest of the churches in this overview. Although it is very difficult to estimate the numbers of followers, some researchers state around one million followers, while some give even higher estimates. During its existence, it has had at least three popes. The founder, Simeo Ondeto could be included, too, but he was also considered the Messiah, and today they are two claimants to the Legio Maria papacy.

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