According to Osho, the Antichrist is already enthroned in the Vatican—the Polish pope and, symbolically, the entire priestly institution. Priests distort living truth into dogma, wage crusades, burn 'witches,' and block direct contact with the divine. By opposing birth control and perpetuating war and poverty, they serve death, not Christ’s peace; authentic spirituality bypasses priests and meets truth directly.
Osho says the antichrist is the pope and the priest system because they twist truth and cause harm, so find truth directly rather than through them.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Nostradamus, the traditional seer, wrote that the antichrist will come before the end of this century. Do you have any idea who the so-called antichrist could be?
Right now there are five billion people on the earth -- and the earth is capable of supporting joyously not more than one billion people. One billion people can live on this earth in a dance, in ecstasy -- but five billion people? And by the end of this century the population will be six billion. Out of sheer overpopulation -- no nuclear weapons are needed -- humanity can commit suicide. My answer is absolutely clear: Pope the Polack is the antichrist; all the popes have been -- and not only in Christianity but in every religion. If you look into the history of religions, you will be surprised: Gautam Buddha rebelled against brahminism because it was creating a very dead society in India through the caste system. Somebody was born high, somebody was born low and the lowest class was untouchable. Not only were the people untouchable, even their…
Osho, please talk about the antichrist and tell us what it could be. I have always heard it being commented upon with great fear and with no explanation. People don't know what it is and yet they fear it.
In the middle of the night the archbishop came with a candle in his hands, fell down on the earth in the feet of Jesus and said, "I had recognized you, but I cannot do it in a public place. You will destroy our whole business! Forgive me, and listen to my advice: you are no more needed -- we are doing perfectly well -- and if you don't listen to my advice, we will have to crucify you again." Jesus could not believe his eyes, his ears, what he is seeing, what he is hearing. He said, "You belong to me, you serve me, you pray to me... I have seen you kneeling down before my statue. And now I am here alive in front of you, and you say you have recognized me -- and still you don't want me to appear before the people?" The archbishop said,…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT IS THE ANTICHRIST? AND WHO IS IT? It is Paul who founded Christianity. He was the first pope. That's why you will find many popes, when they become pope, using Paul's name in their name. That is the most glorious name, the first founder. So you will find many popes... somebody is John Paul, somebody is something else, but they use Paul, because Paul is the most glorious person in their history. In fact they are not connected with Jesus. And this Paul who was going to kill Jesus and his friends, now turned towards the enemies of Christianity. He declared that Christ would come again -- just the old Jew he was, his whole life waiting for the messiah, although now he has become a Christian.... But you can change only the clothes, you cannot change those ideas so easily.
Beloved Osho, one of the things I have heard some people say about you is that they think you are the antichrist. Would you please comment?
In Italy, sixty-five eminent people in different fields -- Nobel prize winners, painters, dancers, directors of world fame, actors, actresses, writers, poets, all kinds of creative people -- have signed a petition to the government that I should not be prevented from entering Italy -- why am I not being given a visa? But the pope is preventing it. The government does not say yes or no because that will create a great uproar all over the country. They cannot say yes because the pope is against it, and Catholics may not support them in the coming elections so they want to just keep it in limbo. But they should see that their most talented people and their geniuses are asking that I should be allowed and I should be listened to. I have said to my sannyasins, "You go to the pope too with the protest to sign. If…
Osho, why are the common masses against you, when what you say appears to us the very truth?
The king simply slipped away, took his fastest horse and rushed as fast as it was possible, away from the palace where the dream had happened. By the evening he had gone hundreds of miles, and he was very happy that he had come so far away: "Now it will be difficult for death to find me at the place, at the fixed time." The sun was setting. He had reached the outskirts of the city of Damishk. Just to rest... because the whole day he had not eaten, he had not even taken a cup of water. Time was so precious! Thirst is not going to kill you just in one day, hunger is not going to kill you just in one day. He was going to rest in a garden just outside of the city. He went into the garden and was tying the horse to a tree,…