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🇨🇭 Switzerland /Culture & Society

Clément XV, the Fake French Pope Who Excommunicated Paul VI

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Context piece
  • Michel Collin, a Lorraine priest who proclaimed himself Pope Clément XV after John XXIII’s death in 1963, died on June 23, 1974.
  • He joined the long history of antipopes and disputed pontiffs traced by theologians to the third century.
  • His death coincided with the 1974 plebiscite that led to the creation of the canton of Jura.

On June 23, 1974, two very different historical episodes shared the same date. The day marked the plebiscite that led to the creation of the canton of Jura, but it also marked the death of Michel Collin, better known by the name he had chosen for himself: Clément XV.

Collin was a priest from Lorraine who declared himself pope after John XXIII died in 1963. His claim placed him among the long line of antipopes and pontiffs whose status remains doubtful in the eyes of theologians.

That disputed tradition reaches back to the third century, with figures such as Novatian and, possibly, Hippolytus of Rome. Clément XV therefore belongs to a colorful but marginal chapter in the history of the papacy.

The episode is being revisited as Pope Leo XIV prepares to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on September 25. The comparison is not one of legitimacy, but of historical memory: alongside the official succession of popes, the Church’s past also contains figures who claimed the title without securing recognition.

About this summary

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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