Last week, the Vatican published a clarification asserting that the Pope should not be regarded as merely coequal with other world leaders because he is more than the head of a sovereign state. Rome declared that the Pope’s role extends far beyond the political realm. As the “Vicar of Christ,” the Pope is said to possess a universal spiritual and moral authority concerning the affairs of men. Therefore, when the Pope speaks on matters affecting society, he is not simply expressing a political opinion—he is proclaiming the gospel to the world.
Vatican News expressed the following on July 13, 2026:
• “Even when he speaks about war and peace, migration or how to remain human in the age of artificial intelligence, the Successor of Peter remains, above all, a spiritual leader. The fact that the Bishop of Rome, by virtue of the Lateran Pacts of 1929 that resolved the “Roman Question,” is also the sovereign of the world’s smallest state—less than half a square kilometer in the heart of the Italian capital—does not mean that he acts or speaks as a politician when addressing issues concerning the affairs of humanity.” [1]
• “He is independent of any sovereignty of this world.” [1]
• “The Bishop of Rome and Shepherd of the Universal Church would also be sovereign—and thus head of state. But this was, and remains, an arrangement designed to recognize precisely this need for independence from any other state.” [1]
• “Any glorification or exaggeration of the Pope’s role as head of state, any emphasis on the importance of this role, is therefore misleading because it comes at the expense of his one true mission as universal Shepherd. A Shepherd who speaks to Catholics, Christians, believers, and all people of good will with the sole intent of proclaiming the Gospel.” [1]
• “When he calls for human life to be respected and protected at every stage of its existence, when he speaks of peace with the good of all peoples in mind and calls for an end to the mad arms race—even going beyond the concept of a “just war”—when he calls for dialogue and negotiation by invoking the Magisterium of Social Doctrine … when he emphasizes the importance of caring for Creation so that we may pass it on to our children and grandchildren—the Successor of Peter is not speaking as a head of state. He is simply proclaiming the Gospel.” [1]
The Vatican has just affirmed and proclaimed the medieval doctrine of papal supremacy. This is the belief that the Pope possesses not only religious authority but also the authority to govern and rule over secular or temporal affairs. Rome wants to regain control over the world and use its position of power to shape society into an image of its own likeness.
Every true student of Bible prophecy and every defender of religious liberty should know what papal supremacy means. This is a system of power that requires the praise and submission of kings, emperors, religious leaders, and all people on the earth. This will lead to the temporary reign of the Antichrist, where dissent, freedom of expression, autonomy, and religious freedom will end under the new dictatorship.
The books of Daniel and Revelation identify the Papacy as the prophetic “beast” power (Revelation 13) that once held dominance during the Dark Ages and is foretold to regain its global influence in the last days. Prophecy being fulfilled before our eyes. It shows that the Papacy is not just tolerated or respected—it is admired, even by nations like the United States, which was founded on principles of religious liberty and separation of church and state.
“Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured” (Great Controversy, p. 581).
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