William Kamm
Encyclopedia
William Kamm also known as The Little Pebble or the antipope Peter II the Roman (born Cologne
, Germany
, 1950; currently living in Australia
) is the leader of a religious group called the Order of St. Charbel
, which claims however to be part of the Roman Catholic Church
and due to be approved by the hierarchy. The Holy See
does not regard the group as being part of Roman Catholicism.
Kamm once claimed that Hollywood planned to make a movie about his life, purportedly starring Mel Gibson
. Kamm also submitted lyrics for Celine Dion
to sing.
, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saint
s, some of them being secret. He started an apparitionist group in 1985 and gained relatively little notice until being formally repudiated by the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Wollongong in 2002, a decision confirmed by the Holy See
. He favoured an apocalyptic view of Roman Catholicism that some feared paralleled the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
in Uganda
.
from Texas
, Malcolm Broussard, who in 2003 was consecrated a bishop
in Bavaria
. This episcopal ordination
was not authorized by the Roman Catholic Church
and resulted in his automatic excommunication
. Broussard had already been suspended on September 20, 1989, for abandoning his priestly assignment and was not a priest "in good standing." Broussard has ordained many of the men in the group to the priesthood, most of them not taking the traditional promise of clerical celibacy
. He ordained Kamm as a deacon
in 2003.
and his native diocese in Texas
. He was also said to have incurred excommunication
latae sententiae
because of having received episcopal ordination which was not approved of by the Holy See
.
The assaults occurred when the girl was living within Kamm's Order of St Charbel
, a community (living in a compound) near Nowra, New South Wales
. Kamm claimed to have received advice from the Blessed Virgin Mary that this girl should be chosen as one of 12 queens and 72 princesses who would all become his wives, with whom he would spawn a new human race after the world was cleansed and burnt by a ball of fire. Kamm himself continues to defend his polygamy, claiming to believe that Mary has instituted him to be the "new Abraham" spawning a numerous people.
Kamm's letters and diary entries to the 15-year-old girl, which were made public during the court session, display an explicit sexual style and were major evidence in his prosecution.
Kamm was also found guilty in May 2007 of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault in relation to another 15 year old girl. In August 2007, after losing an appeal on his original sentence, Kamm was resentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years. He is due to become eligible for release on parole on 13 April 2013.
" as a future pretender to the Holy See
; as such he is a future antipope
. He was also noted for a series of unusual "prophecies" which were never fulfilled (including the start of World War III
). Kamm claimed that Pope John Paul II
, who remains widely venerated throughout Kamm's movement, would consecrate Kamm a bishop
and appoint him as his official and sole successor to the papacy. When this prophecy was unfulfilled on Pope John Paul's death in 2005, Kamm quickly issued a press statement, saying "heaven clearly changed its plans" and declaring, that they would accept Pope Benedict XVI
as legitimate Roman Pontiff. They claim prophecies have changed and stated that Kamm is to be the successor to Benedict XVI, instead of to John Paul II as previously claimed. One of Kamm's claims is that Pope John Paul II will rise from the dead and re-appear on the surface of the world again to fight evil along with Benedict XVI, and possibly to appoint Kamm.
ish". He also said he could no longer believe the mystical claims and weird messages by Kamm, as he wanted to remain solely a devout Roman Catholic layman.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, 1950; currently living in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) is the leader of a religious group called the Order of St. Charbel
Charbel
Charbel, Sharbel, or Sharbel Makhluf, , born as Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in Bekaa Kafra in northern Lebanon, was a Syriac-Maronite monk and priest, canonized saint by the Roman Catholic Church and now venerated world-wide.-His Life:...
, which claims however to be part of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and due to be approved by the hierarchy. The Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
does not regard the group as being part of Roman Catholicism.
Kamm once claimed that Hollywood planned to make a movie about his life, purportedly starring Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
. Kamm also submitted lyrics for Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
to sing.
Beginnings
Since 1968, Kamm has claimed to have hallucinated heavenly messages from GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, some of them being secret. He started an apparitionist group in 1985 and gained relatively little notice until being formally repudiated by the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Diocese of Wollongong in 2002, a decision confirmed by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. He favoured an apocalyptic view of Roman Catholicism that some feared paralleled the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God
The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was a breakaway religious movement from the Roman Catholic Church founded by Credonia Mwerinde, Joseph Kibweteere and Bee Tait in Uganda. It was formed in the late 1980s after Mwerinde, a brewer of banana beer, and Kibweteere, a...
in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
.
Illegal episcopal ordination
Kamm's order is sacramentally cared for by a former diocesan parish priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Malcolm Broussard, who in 2003 was consecrated a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. This episcopal ordination
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
was not authorized by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and resulted in his automatic excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
. Broussard had already been suspended on September 20, 1989, for abandoning his priestly assignment and was not a priest "in good standing." Broussard has ordained many of the men in the group to the priesthood, most of them not taking the traditional promise of clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy
Clerical celibacy is the discipline by which some or all members of the clergy in certain religions are required to be unmarried. Since these religions consider deliberate sexual thoughts, feelings, and behavior outside of marriage to be sinful, clerical celibacy also requires abstension from these...
. He ordained Kamm as a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 2003.
Expulsion from the official diocesan presbyterate
Broussard has since had his faculties as a priest revoked by the VaticanHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and his native diocese in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was also said to have incurred excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
latae sententiae
Latae sententiae
Latæ sententiæ is a Latin term used in the canon law of the Catholic Church meaning literally "given sentence".Officially, a latae sententiae penalty follows automatically, by force of the law itself, when the law is contravened....
because of having received episcopal ordination which was not approved of by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Rejection of priestly celibacy
Kamm claims the Latin Rite obligatory celibacy does not apply to him, not even if finally declared "pope" sometime in the future; nor does it apply to the priests of his order. His critics say that this rejection of normative church discipline proves the illegitimate and fraudulent nature of his revelations and religious order.Sexual assault: polygamy and mystical marriages
In October 2005, Kamm was sentenced to five years in prison with a non-parole period of three-and-a-half years for a string of sexual attacks including aggravated sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl. He claimed that she was one of his 84 mystical wives.The assaults occurred when the girl was living within Kamm's Order of St Charbel
Charbel
Charbel, Sharbel, or Sharbel Makhluf, , born as Youssef Antoun Makhlouf in Bekaa Kafra in northern Lebanon, was a Syriac-Maronite monk and priest, canonized saint by the Roman Catholic Church and now venerated world-wide.-His Life:...
, a community (living in a compound) near Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
. Kamm claimed to have received advice from the Blessed Virgin Mary that this girl should be chosen as one of 12 queens and 72 princesses who would all become his wives, with whom he would spawn a new human race after the world was cleansed and burnt by a ball of fire. Kamm himself continues to defend his polygamy, claiming to believe that Mary has instituted him to be the "new Abraham" spawning a numerous people.
Kamm's letters and diary entries to the 15-year-old girl, which were made public during the court session, display an explicit sexual style and were major evidence in his prosecution.
Kamm was also found guilty in May 2007 of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated indecent assault in relation to another 15 year old girl. In August 2007, after losing an appeal on his original sentence, Kamm was resentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 11 years. He is due to become eligible for release on parole on 13 April 2013.
Nature of prophecies
He has declared, that he will take the name "Pope Peter IIPope Peter II
Pope Peter II is a hypothetical Papal name and, in recent times, a common name for sedevacantist group leaders styling themselves as popes.-The name and its connotations:...
" as a future pretender to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
; as such he is a future antipope
Antipope
An antipope is a person who opposes a legitimately elected or sitting Pope and makes a significantly accepted competing claim to be the Pope, the Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At times between the 3rd and mid-15th century, antipopes were typically those supported by a...
. He was also noted for a series of unusual "prophecies" which were never fulfilled (including the start of World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
). Kamm claimed that Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, who remains widely venerated throughout Kamm's movement, would consecrate Kamm a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and appoint him as his official and sole successor to the papacy. When this prophecy was unfulfilled on Pope John Paul's death in 2005, Kamm quickly issued a press statement, saying "heaven clearly changed its plans" and declaring, that they would accept Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
as legitimate Roman Pontiff. They claim prophecies have changed and stated that Kamm is to be the successor to Benedict XVI, instead of to John Paul II as previously claimed. One of Kamm's claims is that Pope John Paul II will rise from the dead and re-appear on the surface of the world again to fight evil along with Benedict XVI, and possibly to appoint Kamm.
St. Joseph's School of the Order of St. Charbel
He functioned as the 'spiritual leader' of a primary school (St Joseph's School) built inside the Order of St. Charbel, which had 31 students and only one schoolteacher (David Williams) who also functioned as the principal.School principal left
David Williams left the school at the end of 2005, claiming Kamm's order and organisation were becoming increasingly "cultCult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
ish". He also said he could no longer believe the mystical claims and weird messages by Kamm, as he wanted to remain solely a devout Roman Catholic layman.