In the history of Colombia–a country rich with eccentric characters and unusual episodes–few cases are as curious as that of Antonio José Hurtado, a man who, in the mid-20th century, proclaimed himself Pope under the name Peter II.
His story, a blend of mysticism, messianic delusion, and a certain popular ingenuity, is a vivid portrait of an era when the boundaries between reality and faith could blur with surprising ease.
Peter II: The story of Colombia’s self-proclaimed Pope
The story of Antonio José Hurtado begins in the department of Antioquia, where he was born in 1892. Although his life lacks comprehensive official records, oral accounts and some press and church archives allow us to reconstruct the profile of a man who considered himself God’s envoy and the legitimate successor of the Apostle Peter.
In Colombia, it’s said he began studies at the seminary of Santa Rosa de Osos, but his father’s death forced him to abandon his priestly training.
Later, he turned to dentistry in a self-taught manner, establishing a practice in Barbosa, north of Medellin, where he earned the community’s respect for his professional skill and charisma.
It was in 1939, during a turbulent time for the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Pius XI, and for the world, as that same year World War II would break out, when Hurtado decided to proclaim himself Pope.
Accounts say Hurtado sent three telegrams to the Cardinal Camerlengo, the official responsible for Vatican affairs during the sede vacante, lamenting the pontiff’s death and putting himself forward as successor, as canon law provides.
Receiving no response from the Roman authorities, far from the Vatican, his proclamation took place in his own town, in a symbolic act surrounded by a community of followers who listened to him with devotion.
A dental office turned into the papal headquarters of Peter II
According to historian Francisco Restrepo Toro’s account to BBC Mundo, Hurtado justified his decision with a categorical phrase: “He rules in Rome, I rule here. Just as Mussolini rules in Italy, here the Liberal Party rules.”
This act marked the beginning of a peculiar “papacy” that included transforming his dental office into an improvised papal headquarters, known as the “Vatican II.”
In this vein, he called himself Peter II (Pedro II), claiming to be the true pontiff after receiving a divine revelation that invalidated the authority of the new official pope in Rome, Pius XII.
According to Hurtado, God had chosen him directly to restore the true Church, which had been “corrupted by modern heresies.”
Restrepo Toro recounts that Hurtado remodeled his dentist’s chair to turn it into a papal throne, dressed in a white cassock, and began imparting blessings during religious celebrations like Christmas and Holy Week.
Additionally, he wrote encyclicals, appointed bishops and priests, and published a newspaper called El Emmanuel, where he shared his ideas and proposals for the Church.
Ultimately, the Vatican excommunicated him, first in 1939 and, as he persisted in his stance, again in 1944.
The ‘Papacy’ of Peter II: A parallel Church in Colombia
Unlike other false messiahs or religious leaders who end up forgotten or marginalized, Hurtado strove to structure his own “True Church” with a degree of institutional coherence.
Dressed in a handmade white robe, a rudimentary miter made of cardboard and homemade decorations, and carrying a wooden staff, he celebrated Mass, issued encyclicals to his followers, and even maintained a court of cardinals and bishops—whom he appointed himself from among local peasants and neighbours.
His papal headquarters was a simple house in the mountains, adorned with religious images and emblems he had reinterpreted. There he received his faithful, who made pilgrimages from nearby villages to hear his homilies or seek spiritual advice.
Hurtado was an educated man, with some knowledge of theology and Catholic liturgy, which allowed him to deliver elaborate speeches—though infused with a deeply personal vision of Christianity.
While many saw him as a harmless madman, others considered him a holy man. In a deeply religious rural Colombia, his figure was met with a mixture of fascination, respect, and mockery.
Religious authorities of the time considered him a case of fanaticism and heresy, though they generally chose to ignore him, perhaps to avoid giving him more visibility. The official Church never formally excommunicated him, but neither did it recognize his activities.
Antonio José Hurtado died from diabetes complications in May 1955, and with him, his ephemeral papacy ended. Some followers continued repeating his teachings for a while, but the lack of an enduring structure led to the movement’s gradual disappearance.
Today, his story survives in the oral memory of some regions of Antioquia and in contemporary press articles that documented his peculiar religious crusade with astonishment.
Anecdotes that portray the character
One of Hurtado’s most famous anecdotes occurred when he tried to send a letter to the Vatican demanding recognition as the legitimate Pope. The handwritten missive, carefully penned, was addressed “To the usurper of the throne of Peter, Rome.”
In it, Pedro II claimed his place in history and urged Pius XII to abdicate in favor of “God’s true chosen one.” The letter, of course, was never answered. Some claim it never even left the country.
Another story, told by former neighbors in the area, states that on one occasion Hurtado organized a conclave to elect his successor. However, he ultimately proclaimed himself Pope once more, claiming God had asked him to remain in office “until the end of time.”
The event, which lasted several days and featured prayers, improvised bell-ringing, and processions with saint statues, culminated in a grand celebration with music, tamales, and aguardiente.
A symbol of deep Colombia
The case of Pedro II, the Colombian Pope, reveals much about deep Colombia in the twentieth century: a society marked by religiosity, rural isolation, popular creativity, and the need for charismatic figures who gave meaning to everyday life. Though it seems extraordinary today, within its context it was a possible, even understandable phenomenon.
Beyond the eccentricity, Antonio José Hurtado represents a form of symbolic resistance against centralized institutions of spiritual power.
His papacy, though self-proclaimed, was for some a genuine source of comfort and purpose. In times when faith was the pillar of rural life, Pedro II offered a closer, more human version of the divine message.
Like so many unique characters in Colombian history, Hurtado embodies that strange frontier where faith, madness, and charisma intertwine to create myths that, over time, transform into legends.
And in Colombia—fertile ground for the implausible—Pedro II remains a Pope who, though he never set foot in Rome, found his Vatican among mountains and coffee fields.