Background
Tremblay was born on September 8, 1928 in Rimouski, Quebec. His father was a lumberjack.
Tremblay was born on September 8, 1928 in Rimouski, Quebec. His father was a lumberjack.
Raised as a Catholic, he moved to Montreal at 16, where he joined the Brothers of Saint John of God. The community moved from town to town for years, before settling in Saint Jovite, in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, in 1958. In 1961, Tremblay met Michel Collin, leader of the Apostles of Infinite Love, who had proclaimed himself pope with the title Clement XV, and Tremblay merged his community with the Apostles of Infinite Love.
The following year Collin ordained him a priest and soon afterwards consecrated him bishop.
The group attracted traditional Catholics unhappy with the Second Vatican Council. Initially only consisting of men, by the late 1960s it included whole families.
This prompted the Social Welfare Court of Saint-Jérôme to rule that it was unsuitable for children. Seventeen children were taken and handed over to social workers, but Tremblay went into hiding with 55 others, leading him to be listed as one of the ten most wanted men in Quebec.
In September 1968, Tremblay claimed that God had elevated him to the papacy, superseding Collin, with the title Pope Gregory XVII. Eight months later Collin acknowledged him as pope.
Tremblay linked his papacy with the prophecy of Our Lady of Louisiana Salette, as had Collin. One former member filed a civil suit for $25m in 2001, claiming physical and sexual abuse. Also in 2001, Tremblay and two others were charged with multiple counts of abuse dating back more than 30 years, but the case was dropped.
Tremblay died on December 31, 2011, at a hospital in Sainte Agathe, Quebec.
