The 40 ANTI-POPES.

     
 1. There were more than 40 anti-popes.
     Historians made the list. They had no way of finding out the true list. Saints pointed out during their time who was true Pope and who was not. But the saints never made their own list. So the list of Popes at present is not reliable. To attempt to purify the list is possible but it could be tedious. 

2.  As of lately, some considers Pope John XXIII up to the present, Pope Francis, as anti-popes. This claim is made mostly by Protestants. What is their basis for saying so? St. Robert Bellarmine says that this conclusion comes from the Protestant’s own erroneous beliefs. 

3. Most of those who wrote saying John XXIII up to Pope Francis  are anti – Popes  do not base their conclusion on the only acceptable and valid norms, i.e. the four visible signs found in the Nicene Creed.  Nor on the expanded versions of the four visible signs written by St. Augustine or Vincent of Lerins, both Fathers of the Early Church.  
     Most, if not all, made their own personal, private judgments; the basis of which is acceptable only to themselves while unacceptable to the rest of the world.

4. St. Robert Bellarmine wrote; most look for signs that their sect already have and then declare that those are the signs of the true Church. Hmmm. Very convenient. They, alone have those signs.   
     The Catholic Church did not do it that way. The Fathers studied Divine Revelation and the lives of Christ and the Apostles.  And from such study they chose what were the signs that the early Church had;  and incorporated them into the earliest Creed, the Creed of Nicea and Constantinople. There were no other christian heretical sect at that time. It was God’s way of pre-empting all the other Protestant sects. In other words, in the beginning, all Christians believe that the four visible signs found in the Nicene Creed were the only way to prove which is the true Church. 
     Having decided what were the four visible signs  that points to the true Church which excludes all other religions, the early Church incorporated the four visible signs, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic,  into the Nicene Creed. This Creed had been  recited in the Mass since then……..until recently it was abbreviated into the Apostles Creed; which is shorter, which is still the Creed but which does not describe the four visible marks of the Church. This is the reason almost nobody knows how to check which is Catholic and which is not.
      
5. The only proof of Catholicity are the four visible signs and as they are expanded by the saints. One of particular interest is the expanded 15 signs mentioned by St. Robert Bellarmine, Jesuit saint and doctor of the Church.  
     I have applied those four visible signs and further confirmed them by applying the 15 Marks by St. Bellarmine, first, on Popes John XXIII up to Benedict XVI. They all passed with flying colours. The five Popes are indeed Catholics in that they had all the visible signs; both the four signs of the Nicene Creed and the 15 Marks of St. Robert Bellarmine. These signs were applied on their writings, on their autobiography, their speeches and addresses. 
     It was a little difficult with Pope Paul VI due to some indiscretions he committed but he, still, passed the test of authenticity. Pope Benedict XVI got the highest points. 
     After the election of Pope Francis, as usual, we applied the visible signs on him, on his work, words and behaviour and we had a very difficult time. He did not have any of the four or 15 signs mentioned above. To make matters worse, he had the opposite signs mentioned by St Bellarmine, signs of him being a Protestant. 

      All those who accused the five Popes of being anti-popes did not have any of the visible signs of true Catholicity. So they had no right to describe them as anti-popes.  On the other hand,  critics of Pope Francis, not only called him anti-pope. They, also, called him anti-Christ, the destroyer, the second beast, etc. And it was nearly impossible to defend him because, not only did he not have the visible signs of true Catholicity, he had the signs what people were accusing him to be, like being a Mason.
     In summary, those accusing John XXIII to Benedict XVI were not Catholics at all. They had not right to accuse the Popes for being anti-Popes because they did not have any basis for their accusations, neither theological or Patristic or even mere Philosophical arguments. 

6. The four and 15 signs of the true Church can be used to solve countless problems.
     It is used for canonisation. A candidate for canonisation must first be a Catholic. So he must have the four visible signs. Next,   they must have the three theological virtues. Third, they must have practiced the theological virtues to a heroic degree. These three just mentioned points  is what makes the candidate for canonisation exhibit the four visible signs thus qualifying him for canonisation. The process of canonisation cannot proceed unless it is first proven that the candidate has the four visible signs of Catholicity. 
     Today, these guidelines are not used. The Vatican office concerned canonise saints for political purposes; like, to increase the popularity of the Pope or to please the crowd who are yelling ‘Santo Subito.’ Belief in the saints are no longer based on Faith because it is pronounced by the Pope who followed proper procedure. Without proper procedure the Saints are no better than rock stars. 

     The Vatican Congregation on the canonisation of saints have lost, long ago, the ability to properly canonise saints. This inability was carried over in the approval of apparition. Again, the first step in approving an apparition is to prove that the people involved are showing the visible signs of being One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. If they are, the apparition is authentic. How can it be otherwise?
      The inability of the Office of the Vatican to properly study apparitions had made the Popes directly interfering in the approval of apparitions, i.e. like Pope Benedict directly interfering in the approval of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin in Kibeho. Why is it taking so long to approve Garabandal and Lipa when they all have the visible signs of being Catholic? Because the messages are derogatory stating that  Bishops and Cardinals are going to hell and dragging many souls with them? Note how they withheld a part of the Fatima message thought it is already approved. Because it speaks ill of bishops, cardinals, and even hints at the Pope as in LaSallete.

      This four or 15 visible signs are, also used to approve Rules of communities seeking for approval. As long as the rule and the way of life can lead the community to attain the four visible signs, then the rule and the community should be approved. 

      The visible signs can be used to check on Dioceses and parishes; used to check on priests and bishops if they are Catholic. And these four and 15 visible signs can be most effectively  used when we have a problem in having two Popes. Simply find out who has the four visible signs and who does not have them. If one of them says; ‘there is no Catholic God,’ he just showed he does not have the first sign of being Catholic according to St. Bellarmine. Without the first visible signs, he will surely will not have the rest of the signs.  

    Most importantly, the four and fifteen visible Marks of the Church can be used to check if we are going to heaven or to hell; since there is no salvation outside the Church. And to check if our dying love ones will go to heaven or to hell. Or if Cardinal Martini or Fr. Volpi is in heaven or hell. 

     There is no other reliable way of checking. Since the Catholic Church have had more than 40 anti-popes ( these are persons pretending to be Popes side by side with the true Pope,) it is important to know how to check. History informs us that absolutely no one but a saint pointed out to the people who was true Pope and who was the anti-pope. Ordinary people like you and me do not have the holiness to make that discernment. But with the four visible signs found in he Nicene Creed and the 15 Marks found in St. Bellarmine’s ‘in controversiis’ one can safely judge who is Pope and who is anti-Pope. I wonder why earlier bishops and cardinals did not do this during those times.