Pope Peter II

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

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 the 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" or "Petrus Romanus" as the final pope, who would "feed his sheep in many tribulations" and in the days of the "final persecution". This note invests the name of Peter II with an apocalyptic connotation. The "Prophecy of the Popes" has no standing within Catholicism.

Peter II, Sovereign Pontiff, Vicar of Christ, Successor of Saint Peter, Servant of the servants of God, Patriarch of Palmar de Troya,de Cruce Aplcalyptica, Herald of the Lord God of Hosts, Aflame with the Zeal of Elias is the name adopted by Manuel Alonso Corral of the Palmarian Church or the Order of Carmalites of the Holy Face.

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

* [http://www.geocities.com/prakashjm45/michaeline.html 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")