The Pope Has Left the Building (... Or Has He?)

Unless you've been under a rock (or just more focused on other world news, such as, oh, a huge insurrgency attack), you've already heard that Pope John Paul II died late on Saturday night, April 2. You can catch his bio here.

Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005) | May He Rest in Peace

Now, there are plenty of places on the web to read about JPII, the Papacy, and how the next Pope will be elected. Plus, it's been all over the news, so I don't need to re-hash it here.

But I will share some of the stranger stuff. Such as:

• For a small group of folks, the Pope died last week. They don't believe JP2 died last week, they actually have their own Pope! I don't know if they are watching the proceedings in Rome or not. They might be a bit busy. [More on 'Pope Gregory XVII'].
• Speaking of breakaway groups, there are at least two surviving clerics who claim to represent the "true Catholic Church".
• Pope Pius XIII of the True Catholic Church [wikipedia entry].
• Pope Michael of the Vatican in Exile (which is located in Kansas, of all places).
• Wanna bet on who will be the next Pope?
• Wall Street Journal Online: Photos and Bios of some leading candidates to succeed JPII.
• The Order of St. Benedict has said that the next Pope will come from their order.
• Others believe that the controversial (or cultish) order called "Opus Dei" will also be a big player in picking the next Pope in Rome. (I'll bet you thought Dan Brown made them up for his novel, The Da Vinci Code. Nuh uh.)
• Saint Malachy O'Morgair, [the Abbot of Bangor who later became the Archbishop of Armagh, (born 1095C.E., died 1148 C.E.)], prophesied that the next pope (not JPII's successor, but after him) is to be the last human pope, and his pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome and the Last Judgement. Read about the prophecies here and here.

That's it for now. If you were somehow affected by JPII's death, and many people were, I guess all I can say is that I am sorry for your loss. But keep your chin up, and watch for white smoke.