The Incarnate Pope?

In a new twist on the old routine of men not elected to the office claiming to be pope, one Puerta Rican man has claimed to be the incarnation of the late John Paul II.  According to CNN, he has now been excommunicated by Mayaguez Bishop Ulises Casiano Vargas.

"A Roman Catholic bishop here has excommunicated members of a communal sect whose leader allegedly claims to be a manifestation of the late Pope John Paul II.

"Sect leader Edwin Gonzalez Concepcion and his followers can no longer receive communion or participate in [C]hurch activities, according to the order issued by Mayaguez Bishop Ulises Casiano Vargas.

"Gonzalez, a former firefighter in the town of Aguada, has told his followers that he became a manifestation of John Paul when the pope died in April and that Pope Benedict XVI is the ‘antichrist,’ according to the order, which priests in the diocese read to their congregations Sunday."

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You’d think that someone claiming to be a "manifestation" of John Paul II would have done enough research into his role to know that the real JPII would never denounce Joseph Ratzinger as "the Antichrist."

NOTE:  The image accompanying this post was chosen because it reminded me of an old This Rock cover image of a Mr. Potato Head Pope that illustrated an article on "Do-It-Yourself Popes."

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