Christianity: Details about 'Antipope'
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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; in the twentieth century, their special secret meeting, called conclave, however applies the age limit for eligibility). Some self-appointed leaders of smaller churches are also called "antipopes."
HistoryDuring certain periods of turbulence in the Roman Catholic Church, controversial Papal elections were conducted. Some such elections were considered invalid, either because a large majority of papal electors claimed the election was invalid (such as the election of Felix V), or because they have subsequently been declared invalid (such as Clement VII). The earliest antipope, Hippolytus, was elected in protest against Pope Callixtus I by a schismatic group in the city of Rome in the 3rd century. Hippolytus was exiled to the mines on the island of Sardinia in the company of Callixtus' successor Pope Pontian, and was reconciled to the Catholic Church before his death and has been canonized by the Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia also mentions a Natalius, before Hippolytus, as first antipope, who, according to Eusebius's EH5.28.8-12, quoting the Little Labyrinth of Hippolytus, after being "scourged all night by the holy angels", covered in ash, dressed in sackcloth, and "after some difficulty", tearfully submitted to Pope Zephyrinus. The period when antipopes were most numerous was during the struggles between the Popes and the Holy Roman Emperors of the 11th and 12th centuries. The emperors would frequently sponsor antipopes in order to further their cause. (The popes, likewise, frequently sponsored rival imperial claimants in Germany in attempts to disrupt imperial policy.) The late 14th and early 15th century saw a series of rival popes elected, one line of which is counted by the Roman Catholic Church as popes and the other as antipopes. The scandal of multiple claimants added to the demands for reform that produced the Protestant Reformation at the turn of the 16th century. (See Western Schism, Antipope Benedict XIII.) It was not evident, during periods when two (or three) rival claimants existed, which was the antipope, and which was the pope, and the clear-cut distinctions made between them in retrospect can give a false sense that certainty existed among their contemporaries. Supporters might offer assistance to a given candidate, but could not know which would be determined to have been an antipope, and which the pope, until events had run their course. There has not been an antipope since 1449 (unless Sedevacantist antipopes are counted - see below). Other schisms such as the Church of England, the Old Catholic Church and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association began in a rejection of a primary dogma of the papacy. Today the act of becoming an Antipope is considered a schismatic act by the Roman Catholic Church. This would result in automatic excommunication for the person who became Antipope. List of antipopes
Sedevacantist antipopesSome 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 sedevacantists 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. Sedevacantist antipopes frequently refer to the conventional successors of Pope Pius XII as a series of antipapacies. There is a significant number of antipopes self-proclaimed Peter II, due to the special meaning of this name; see Antipope Peter II. Antipopes of the 20th-21st centuriesPalmarian Catholic Church
Reformed Church of Christ/Apostles of Infinite Love
Conclavist movementsThese antipopes are (for the most part) not self-proclaimed in the strictest sense but organized and held elections of 'faithful' Catholics. The verifiable smallest of these 'Conclaves' was attended by only 6 electors, the size of the largest is not known but claimed to be at least larger than the conclave which elected Pope Pius XII.
Independents and Antipopes of other groups
See also
Sources and References
Antipapa Vzdoropapež Modpave Gegenpapst Antipapa Vastupaavst Vastapaavi Antipape Antipapa Antipapa 対立教皇 Géigepoopst Antipopiežius Tegenpaus Motpave Antypapież Antipapa Antipapă Антипапа Motpåve Антипапа 對立教宗
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