Vatican in Exile

Pope Michael II.

A Brief Biography

  • Rogelio Del Rosario Martinez, Jr. was born on October 31, 1970, in Sta. Cruz, Manila, Philippines.
  • Ordained Priest on April 12, 2003, in Novaliches, Quezon City.
  • Ordained Bishop on February 6, 2010. Principal Consecrator: Archbishop Joel Galang Clemente; Co-Consecrator: Bishop Heyward Bruce Ewart.
  • Elected Pope on July 29, 2023, at the Conclave held in Vienna, Austra. (Predecessor, Pope Michael I. (David Allen Bawden) died August 2, 2022)

Episcopal Lineage / Apostolic Succession:

“Have you an Apostolic Succession? Unfold the line of your bishops”

(Tertullian, Third Century)

  • Pope Michael II (February 6, 2010)
  • Archbishop Joel Galang Clemente (2009)
  • Archbishop Robert J. Russel (2006)
  • Bishop William Anthony Swyers (1992)
  • Bishop John Kelly (1990)
  • Bishop Patrick Michael Cronin (1988)
  • Patriarch Luis Fernando Castillo Mendez (1948)
  • Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa (1924)
  • Sebastiao Leme Cardinal da Silveira Cintra (1911)
  • Mariano Cardinal Rampolla del Tindaro (1882)
  • Edward Henry Cardinal Howard (1872)
  • Carlo Filippo Cardinal Fransoni (1822)
  • Pietro Francesco Cardinal Galeffi (1819)
  • Alessandro Cardinal Mattei (1777)
  • Bernardino Cardinal Giraud (1767)
  • Pope Carlo della Torre Rezzonico (1743)
  • Pope Prospero Lorenzo lambertini (1724)
  • Pope Pietro Francesco Vincenzo Maria Orsini de Gravina O.P. (1675)
  • Palazzo Cardinal Paluzzi Altieri Degli Albertoni (1666)
  • Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna (1630)
  • Luigi Cardinal Caetani (1622)
  • Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi (1621)
  • Archbishop Galeazzo Sanvitale (1604)
  • Girolamo Cardinal Pernerio O.P. (1586)
  • Guilio Antonio Cardinal Santorio (1566)
  • Scipione Cardinal Rebiba (1541)

Pope Michael II. on His Election:

On the night our Lord Jesus Christ was arrested in Gethsemane, after Judas Iscariot kissed Him, Peter, the first Pope, pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the Roman Soldier. Immediately, the Lord reprimanded Peter, “Keep your sword, Peter, don’t you know I can call thousands of angels to protect and defend me? ” (paraphrasing)

In Matthew’s gospel, Peter was rebuked by the Lord, “get out from me, Satan. You are thinking based on men not according to God’s.”

In both instances, we are taught by the Holy Gospel that the Lord’s thought are not our thoughts. The logic of God is far different from men. ( Book of Isaiah). And so what matters is our readiness to submit ones will to Him. What matters is our willingness to heed His call not because we are ready or not ready.

When I was asked by Fr. Francis Dominic during the conclave, “Do you accept your election?” I said “I accept”, immediately I added , “I’m not perfect!” Just to highlight that I may not be the ideal man for the job, I may not be the ideal man for the office but we serve a perfect God. And I believe God shall supply the necessary grace for what is lacking in me to accomplish what has to be done. More often, we are being called by the Lord, yet the problem lies on our hesitancy to heed His call immediately. We make so many excuses. “Lord, I am not yet ready, I do not have a Master’s degree, I don’t have enough money, I don’t have enough training.” But those excuses are not the most important thing but our obedience! Remember, “it is obedience that I want, not sacrifice. “( Hosea )

The book of Psalm says, “Today if you hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95). What matters is obedience. What matters is listening to the Lord. Obedience is listening. Listening is obedience. In the gospel according to Luke, the Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Mary, a 14 year old girl. Mary said,”fiat voluntas tua.”, “Be it done unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38). Mary did not question a lot. Mary did not make any excuses, “I’am 14 years old, I am not rich, I am not perfect …” She only said, “I’am the handmaid of the Lord …”

Nothing is impossible with God. Out of the desert, water flows. Out of two fish and five loaves of bread, 4,000 people ate. Out of a barren woman, a child is born. Imprisoned yet released by the angel. And so, even though we are not perfect, we serve a God who is perfect. And so, what is lacking, He will supply. It’s alright not to be alright. It’s alright not to be okay. By our weakness, power reaches perfection. By our woundedness, the power of God is made manifest. Let us offer to the Lord what we have and He shall multiply everything.

What matters is self-surrender to the living God. The Lord said to Peter in John 21, “When you are young, you go where you want to go, but now that you are old, you will be led to places you did not want to go.” It simply means I am crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer live, Jesus Christ remains in me.” ( Galatians 3:20 ). That is the reason why the Pope chooses his new name. To remind him that he has already died in the flesh and he is now begotten by God. He is now a new creature.

On the Name “Michael”

The name Michael comes from a Hebrew phrase which means, “who is like God?” declaring the essential sovereignty of almighty God. None can usurp His throne, and none can “play God.” It is a cry of magnification. The Pope has chosen the name Michael II for the following reasons:

  1. Magnifying God means Humility. The more a person is exalted, the more he should be humbled, and we become humble by magnifying God alone. Scripture and history attest to this. Such it was as at the Visitation, where we see the Blessed Virgin Mary praised by St. Elizabeth, “Who am I to be visited by the mother of my Lord?” and Mary immediately replied, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,” (“Magnificat Anima mea Dominum.”) In justice, we have to attribute all good things to God. He is so good all the time. He has blessed the world and His Church with good people. He has given us delicious food. He has given us the beautiful mountains and trees. He provides the good rivers and streams. We are blessed indeed! But do we appreciate it? Do we have the gratitude to recognize the God who is the source of all these things?
  2. Humility is acknowledging that you are a sinner. Without God, I am nothing: this must be our attitude. It is a sign of the soul that is drawing nearer to Him. Whenever a person is used to cleanliness, they can easily detect germs. But whenever a person is in a state of sin, he cannot see that he is sinning. St. Michael is a reminder to us not to play God. He reminds us not to be ahead of God in decision-making. When we pretend to be wiser than God by controlling our lives, we eventually pretend to be God.
  3. Humility is obedience. Obedience is derived from two Latin words, “ob” which means “to or towards” plus “audire” which means “listen”. Hence, obedience is to “listen to.” To listen is to obey. In the gospel of Luke, Mary was told by Gabriel that she will bear a child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary did not rationalize. Mary did not complain. When we follow the Lord Jesus Christ we cannot complain or ask many questions. We just follow Him. That is our business and nothing more. And so Mary said to the Archangel in reply, “Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.” (Be it done unto me according to Thy word).

Michael II is the name chosen by the Pope to signify a message: let us acknowledge God and magnify Him, let us admit our imperfections, and lastly, let us obey Him by renouncing everything. The sword of St. Michael reminds me and you to strike out whatever is not of God and contrary to the name Christian.

“My Vocation Story”

by Archbishop Rogelio Martinez, May 2022

In 1983 I was then Elementary School graduate when my parents decided to leave Manila and go back to my father’s province in Bulakan Bulakan, Philippines, due to closure of textile company they were working with. There, it was very lonely for me because I’m leaving my friends and classmates in Manila. That time I was already joining bible study groups with the Baptist Church. (I was baptized Roman Catholic and my family is a Roman Catholic).
However, out of respect for my parents, I stayed in Bulakan Bulakan. In September 1984, my brother and I became acolytes in our parish. Since I have a passion for apologetics, I found myself engaging in debates with my protestant classmates. That passion to defend the Catholic religion grew stronger so I decided to enter the seminary. That was in 1987 after I graduated from high school. I entered in Immaculate Conception major seminary.
My seminary life run smoothly from 1987 to 1997. Though I experienced difficulties in Latin and College Algebra. It took me almost ten years because I took a regency period after the second year in Theology to teach at a Catholic School.
After graduation from Theology, I didn’t submit myself for ordination to diaconate. I taught at Centro Escolar University. I got married to Lynn Jacinto and our union was blessed with one child. While teaching at the University, I enrolled in College of Law in the year 2000 and graduated in 2004.
Nevertheless, my desire to serve as a priest still lingered. All the while I thought priesthood was not for me, in 2002 a former nun helped me to get in touch with an Old Catholic priest that introduced me to his bishop, Bishop Joseph V. Galaroza of the Brazilian Church. I was ordained deacon on December 7, 2002 and a priest in 2003. I served as assistant priest at Novaliches, Quezon City and subsequently in Sta. Mesa Manila.
By the grace of God, I was installed first parish priest at Our Lady of Fatima Parish Church in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan in 2004. Seven years after, I was ordained a bishop by Archbishop Joel Clemente and Bishop Heyward Ewart on February 6, 2010 at St. Andrews Seminary in Quezon City.
Upon the retirement of Archbishop Joel Clemente as Archbishop of Catholic Charismatic Church (CCC) due to health, I was then appointed Archbishop by the Patriarch Augustine I (John Walzer) in 2012.

Part of my episcopal agenda was to be reconciled with the Pope. Yet, my research lead me to sedevacantism i.e. the see of Peter is vacant due to heresy. Since October 9, 1958 the Vatican drifted apart from the Catholic Faith. In 2017, I issued a motu propio that our congregation will embrace Tridentine Latin Mass and other traditional rites of the Catholic Church and Baltimore Catechism. We rejected the Novus Ordo Missae because it is protestant.

In 2019 I learned about His Holiness Pope Michael and immediately contacted him. After several months of exchange of ideas, I made my profession of faith and His Holiness has received me into full communion with him and to the Catholic Church in 2020.