The Pope has died. No, not that pope. The pope who died was Pope Pius XIII, who is more correctly an “anti-Pope”, which means he claims to be pope, but really isn’t. (Interestingly, the first known anti-pope ended up being a canonized saint).

You can read the whole sad story of Father Lucian Pulvermacher, OFM Cap. at his website which is tellingly called “True Catholic” . Fr. Pulvermacher was a missionary priest who ministered in Japan and Australia. In the 1970′s, however, he left his order due to his disillusionment with the reforms which came out of Vatican II. He tried to attach himself to other traditionalist groups, such as the Society of St. Pius X, but ultimately he determined that almost no one in the world was really a “true Catholic” like he was. Thus, he ended up making himself Pope of his own Catholic church.

As much as we might want to see Fr. Pulvermacher as some crank, we need to be careful not to fall into his schismatic tendencies in our own lives. Are we faithful to the Church today, or to a Church as we pictured it 50 years ago or to a Church as we picture it 50 years from now? God will not judge us on the reforms made (or not made) by the hierarchy, He will judge us on our faithfulness to the teachings of our legitimate leaders – the Pope and the bishops in union with him. How faithful have we been?

Be sure to say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Fr. Pulvermacher. May God have mercy on his soul.