Lucian Pulvermacher
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Christian leader Lucian Pulvermacher (born Earl Pulvermacher, 20 April 1918 – 30 November 2009) was an American traditionalist schismatic Roman Catholic priest and a modern-day antipope. He was the head of the True Catholic Church, a small conclavist group that elected him Pope Pius XIII<ref name="Perrin2013">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Laycock2014">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="HodappKannon2011">Template:Cite book</ref> in Montana in October 1998. At the time of his death, he lived in Springdale, Washington, United States.
Life and career
Early life
Born on April 20, 1918, in Rock, Wisconsin, near Marshfield, Earl Pulvermacher was one of nine children of a farm family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His three brothers (Robert, Omer, and Gerald) also became priests in the Capuchin Order.<ref>"Parents and Siblings of His Holiness Pope Pius XIII", trueCarpentry.org; accessed August 19, 2021.</ref> <ref>"Obituary for Fr. Carl Pulvermacher"</ref>
Capuchin friar
In 1942, at the age of 24, he joined the Capuchin Order, taking the religious name Lucian. He was subsequently ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1946.<ref>The Messenger, vol. 9, no. 3 (March 1946)</ref> At first he was posted to a parish in Milwaukee, but in 1948 he was sent to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.<ref>Catholic Answers: Karl's E-Letter of April 6, 2004 (archived copy)</ref><ref name="lundberg">Template:Cite web</ref> He spent the greater part of his career as a Capuchin (from 1948 to 1970) in the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa. In 1970, he was transferred from Japan to Queensland in Australia, where he continued his missionary work until his disillusionment with the changes that followed the Second Vatican Council of 1962–1965.<ref name="autogenerated2">Warnung vor "Papst Pius XIII." - KzM(letter of Pulvermacher quoted on German sedevacantist website)</ref>
Traditionalist ministry
In January 1976 he left the Capuchin Order and returned to the United States to join forces with traditionalist priest Conrad Altenbach in Milwaukee. "I was without money," he later remembered, "without a home or anything. The few things I brought along with me I could carry in two bags." He left what he called "the Novus Ordo, bogus Council Vatican II Church" and began to collaborate with the Society of Saint Pius X, which rejected Vatican II, until he distanced himself from them as he adopted more extreme sedevacantist views. He later wrote that he had spent eight months "with the general Latin Mass traditionalists until I saw there was no unity. Hence, I am alone on the job here in the States since August 1976."<ref name="Perrin2013"/><ref name="lundberg"/><ref name="autogenerated2"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
From 1976 on, Pulvermacher lived with his parents in Pittsville, Wisconsin, celebrating Mass in the traditional rite in private chapels, until 1992, when he moved his ministry to Antigo, Wisconsin. By 1995 he had adopted conclavist views. In 1998 he moved to Kalispell, Montana, invited to say Mass in a chapel there.<ref name="lundberg"/>
In October 1998 a group of sedevacantist lay Catholics met in Kalispell, constituting a conclave for a papal election. They elected him, and he adopted the title of "Pope Pius XIII".<ref name="Perrin2013"/><ref name="spect">Template:Cite web</ref> From Montana he issued statements, appointed advisors as cardinals, and performed ordination rites. After 2005, he made no more public statements as his health declined.<ref name="lundberg"/>
Pulvermacher died on November 30, 2009.<ref name=death>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=death2>Template:Cite news</ref>
Holy Orders
Template:Self-published Pulvermacher claimed that by becoming Pope, he would become able to confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders despite not actually being consecrated a bishop before.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed He then ordained Gordon Bateman on June 13, 1999<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed and eventually consecrated him a bishop on June 20, 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed After this, Bateman consecrated Pulvermacher on July 4, 1999.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed Although Pulvermacher and Bateman claimed to be bishops, no other religion with apostolic succession has recognized them as such.Template:Citation needed
See also
- Sedevacantism for a more general discussion of this phenomenon
- David Bawden and Manuel Corral for other conclavist claimants to the papacy
References
External links
Template:Antipopes Template:Traditionalist Catholicism Template:Authority control