Joseph Odermatt

{{short description|Fourth pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = Antipope

| honorific-prefix = Palmarian Pope

| honorific-suffix =

| name = Peter III

| title = Supreme Pontiff of the Palmarian Catholic Church
Patriarch of El Palmar de Troya

| image = Papa Pedro III Iglesia Palmariana (cropped).jpg

| alt = Portrait taken on his 59th birthday, 13 March 2025

| caption = Official portrait, 2025

| term_start = 22 April 2016

| term_end =

| predecessor = Gregory XVIII

| successor =

| opposed = Francis (2016–2025)
Leo XIV (2025–present)

| other_post =

| ordination =

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| cardinal =

| created_cardinal_by =

| rank =

| birth_name = Markus Josef Odermatt{{sfnm|Lundberg|2016|Mayer|2016}}

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Stans, Nidwalden, Switzerland{{sfnm|Mayer|2016|Macías|2016a}}

| death_date =

| death_place =

| buried =

| religion = Palmarian Catholic Church (claims to be the Catholic Church)

| residence =

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| alma_mater =

| motto = De Glória Ecclésiæ ("Glory of the Church")

| signature =

}}

Pope Peter III ({{langx|la|Petrus PP. III|}}; {{langx|es|Pedro III}}; born Markus Josef Odermatt), also known by the religious name Eliseo María de la Santa Faz, is the fourth pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church he is an anti pope who opposes the Roman Catholic Church. who, in this capacity, claims to be the 266th pope of the Catholic Church from 22 April 2016 to the present.{{sfnm|Lundberg|2016|Mayer|2016|Macías|2016a|Macías|2016b}}{{efn|It is difficult to obtain reliable and verified information about the Palmarian sect, according to religious studies scholar Jean-François Mayer, since the sect neither makes public announcements nor had an online presence until 2018.{{sfn|Mayer|2016}} Little is known about what happens inside the sect compound, according to ABC newspaper journalist Alberto Flores, who described the usual behavior of the sect as "habitual secrecy" ({{lang|es|habitual ocultismo}}).{{sfn|Flores|2016}}}} He succeeded Ex-Pope Gregory XVIII (Ginés Jesús Hernández), to whom he had earlier served as Palmarian Secretary of State, after Hernández left the Palmarian Church and reconciled with the Vatican.{{sfnm|Lundberg|2016|Mayer|2016|Macías|2016a|Macías|2016b}}

Life

Odermatt was born in Stans, Canton of Nidwalden, in Switzerland. He claims to be a descendant of Saint Nicholas of Flüe. He joined the Order of Carmelites of the Holy Face in 1985 and worked for eighteen years as a missionary in South America. He served as the order's secretary of state from 2011 until 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.palmarianchurch.org/his-holiness-pope-peter-iii/|title=His Holiness Pope Peter III – Iglesia Cristiana Palmariana}} In 2016 he succeeded Ginés Jesús Hernández as pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church, taking the papal name Peter III. He is seated at the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Crowned Mother of Palmar.

Some months later he published an encyclical letter, in which he accused his predecessor of discrediting his former church and of stealing two million euros from the Palmarian Catholic Church, alongside several goods (including a BMW X6): he subsequently declared him an apostate, excommunicated him and declared all of his acts to be null and void. Hernández denies the charges of stealing.{{Cite news|last=Martín-Arroyo|first=Javier|date=2016-06-09|title=El Papa de la Iglesia Palmariana acusa a su predecesor de robar joyas y un papamóvil|language=es|work=El País|url=https://elpais.com/politica/2016/06/09/actualidad/1465467438_693721.html|access-date=2021-11-29|issn=1134-6582|archive-date=2021-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129164916/https://elpais.com/politica/2016/06/09/actualidad/1465467438_693721.html|url-status=live}}

Odermatt disbanded the papal guard corps instituted by his predecessor, deeming it unnecessary for his security.{{cite web |first=Magnus |last=Lundberg |title=Papal Management by Fear:The Palmarian Pontificate of Gregory XVIII (2011-2016) |date=2016 |url=https://magnuslundbergblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/the-papacy-of-gregory-xviii-final.pdf |access-date=2021-11-29 |archive-date=2022-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317112523/https://magnuslundbergblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/the-papacy-of-gregory-xviii-final.pdf |url-status=live }} In 2018 he travelled to the United States for the first time to participate at a "Eucharistic, Marian and Josephine Congress".{{Cite web|title=O Papa Pedro III – Iglesia Catolica Palmariana|url=https://www.igrejapalmariana.org/o-papa-pedro-iii-2/|access-date=2021-11-29|website=www.igrejapalmariana.org}}

During his office, the Palmarian Catholic Church established an online presence for the first time, opening a website and accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest and a channel on YouTube.{{Cite web|title=Iglesia Catolica Palmariana|url=https://www.palmarianchurch.org/|access-date=2021-11-29|website=www.palmarianchurch.org|archive-date=2021-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123085625/https://www.palmarianchurch.org/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2020-01-23|title=Palmarian Internet Presence|url=https://magnuslundberg.net/2020/01/23/palmarian-internet-presence/|access-date=2021-11-29|website=Magnus Lundberg|language=en}}

Odermatt is considered an antipope, as the Roman Catholic Church states that its current head is Pope Leo XIV.{{Cite web |date=2025-05-08 |title=Leo XIV is the new Pope - Vatican News |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/cardinal-elected-pope-papal-name.html |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.vaticannews.va |language=en |archive-date=2025-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250508173230/https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/cardinal-elected-pope-papal-name.html |url-status=live }}

Notes

References

Sources

{{cite news |last=Flores |first=Alberto |date=2016-04-25 |title=El 'papa' de El Palmar de Troya pierde su fe y deja su 'orden' sin despedirse de sus seguidores |trans-title=The 'pope' of El Palmar de Troya loses his faith and leaves his 'order' without saying goodbye to his followers |website=sevilla.abc.es |language=es |location=Seville, ES |publisher=Diario ABC |url=http://sevilla.abc.es/provincia/utrera/sevi-papa-palmar-troya-pierde-y-deja-orden-sin-despedirse-seguidores-201604252108_noticia.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529114053/http://sevilla.abc.es/provincia/utrera/sevi-papa-palmar-troya-pierde-y-deja-orden-sin-despedirse-seguidores-201604252108_noticia.html |archive-date=2016-05-29 |access-date=2016-04-28 }}
{{cite news |last=Macías |first=Javier |date=2016-04-26 |title=Los cuatro 'papas' del Palmar de Troya |trans-title=The four 'popes' of Palmar de Troya |website=sevilla.abc.es |language=es |location=Seville, ES |publisher=Diario ABC |url=http://sevilla.abc.es/provincia/utrera/sevi-cuatro-papas-palmar-troya-201604261731_noticia.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529114047/http://sevilla.abc.es/provincia/utrera/sevi-cuatro-papas-palmar-troya-201604261731_noticia.html |archive-date=2016-05-29 |access-date=2016-04-28 |ref={{sfnRef|Macías|2016a}} }}
{{cite news |last=Macías |first=Javier |date=2016-04-27 |title=El 'papa' del Palmar niega haber robado el 'papamóvil': 'Es mio, estaba a mi nombre'{{thinsp}} |trans-title=The 'pope' of Palmar denies having stolen the 'popemobile': 'It's mine, it was in my name'{{thinsp}} |website=sevilla.abc.es |language=es |location=Seville, ES |publisher=Diario ABC |url=http://sevilla.abc.es/provincia/utrera/sevi-entrevista-exclusiva-papa-palmar-troya-201604271214_noticia.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6hEWVRiaR?url=http://sevilla.abc.es/provincia/utrera/sevi-entrevista-exclusiva-papa-palmar-troya-201604271214_noticia.html |archive-date=2016-05-03 |access-date=2016-05-03 |ref={{sfnRef|Macías|2016b}} }}
{{cite web|last=Mayer|first=Jean-François|author-link=Jean-François Mayer|date=2016-04-27|title=Église palmarienne: Grégoire XVIII perd la foi et va se marier, le nouveau pape Pierre III est un Suisse|trans-title=Palmarienne Church: Gregory XVIII loses faith and will marry, the new Pope Peter III is Swiss|language=fr|website=orbis.info|type=blog|publisher=Jean-François Mayer|url=http://www.orbis.info/2016/04/eglise-palmarienne-gregoire-xviii-perd-la-foi/|access-date=2016-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427233306/http://www.orbis.info/2016/04/eglise-palmarienne-gregoire-xviii-perd-la-foi/|archive-date=2016-04-27|url-status=live}}

{{succession box

| before = Pope Gregory XVIII

| title = Palmarian Pope
Patriarch of El Palmar de Troya

| years = 2016–present

| after = incumbent

}}

{{succession box

| before = Pope Gregory XVIII

| title = Pope of the Catholic Church
(claim in rivalry with Vatican)

| years = 2016–present

| after = incumbent

}}