What do you mean there is another pope??

Every now and then I stumble upon some interesting "catholic" websites. I know there have been anti-popes historically, but until I started researching for my novel, I didn't realize there were still some alive today. Today in comments at a post at Father Z's blog, I heard about two others I didn't know about. Pope Michael in Kansas and then a whole sect in Spain.

So who are the modern day Anti Popes? First off, there's Pope Pius XIII,
who had been an ordained priest of the Capuchin Order, who apparently left after the Novus Ordo came to be. I did find the "True Catholic" church's website a bit disconcerting as I was pretty certain the one true Pope lived in Rome, not in Washington State. Sad to say, that even his family didn't believe he was pope, as seven of eight of his siblings and distant relatives stayed in Communion with Rome.

But not to worry, there is Pope Michael. David Bawden and he lives in Kansas. Is there a place in Kansas named Rome? Well, wiki says: He was elected by a group of six lay sedevacantists, which included himself and his parents, to fill the vacancy they consider to have been caused by the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. Unlike other papal claimants, David Bawden's election did not involve any previously ordained clergy from the Catholic Church. Although Bawden attended two seminaries run by the Society of Saint Pius X, he was never ordained as a priest and has never offered a Mass as "pope."

Lastly, there are the Palmarians, from Spain. They have colorful vestments. Their first pope was an insurance salesman, who revised his own edition of the Bible and had visions. Their current Pope is Manual Corral, aka Peter II. In the Church's history there has never been a Peter II. Of course, this church is not in Communion with Rome.

I'm not trying to be uncharitable nor poke fun of these groups, but hearing about them did pique my interest so I had to look 'em up. They are reactionary groups that came to be after Vatican II and the Novus Ordo Mass came to be. So did the SSXP, but they are very different from the SSXP.

Now, I like the Novus Ordo Mass. Maybe because I am used to it, maybe I don't know any better, but in my life, I have really only encountered solemn, reverent NO masses. Having attended my first Latin Mass, (as an adult. I probably went as an infant and toddler but have no memory of it) I have every respect and understanding for it, but it will not be the Mass I seek out every Sunday. It is however, nice to know that if I want to, I can attend one in my Archdiocese without going to a "schismatic church". I think the "Real" pope recognizes the desire that many people want to attend TLM on a regular basis, so he loosened the restrictions. It never went a way, but it wasn't widely available in most dioceses. I'd like to see a return to some of the old traditions that have kind of slipped away, but I also don't want to lose many of the good things that came from Vatican II.