Trending Now - Thiel's Antichrist Lectures Draw Criticism Near Vatican

WHO:

Peter Thiel, Silicon Valley tech billionaire, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir

Vice President JD Vance, political associate of Thiel

Pope Leo XIV, previously known as Robert Prevost

Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association, Italian organization involved in the lectures

Cluny Institute at the Catholic University of America (CUA), involved in the lectures

Catholic University of America, which distanced itself from the event

WHAT:

A four-lecture series on the Antichrist given by Peter Thiel

The lectures are invitation-only and have generated controversy

Catholic universities initially associated with the lectures denied official involvement

Thiel's lectures will cover topics including theology, history, literature, and politics of the Antichrist

The lectures are reportedly modeled after a similar series Thiel gave in San Francisco in September 2025

WHERE:

Rome, Italy, specifically near the Vatican

Pontifical St. Thomas Aquinas University, also known as the Angelicum, initially considered as the venue

WHEN:

The lecture series is scheduled from March 8th to March 11th, 2026

Thiel spoke about the Antichrist in a November 2025 essay in the Catholic magazine First Things

Thiel was hosted at CUA in 2023 for a talk on René Girard

WHY:

The lectures aim to address the crisis engulfing contemporary Western society through classical and Christian thought

Thiel's interest in the Antichrist and Armageddon relates to existential risks facing humanity

HOW:

The event is organized by the Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association and the Cluny Institute at CUA

The lectures will draw on religious thinkers such as René Girard, Francis Bacon, Jonathan Swift, Carl Schmitt, and John Henry Newman

(UPDATED March 13, 2026 19:22 UTC)

In a controversial four-lecture series on the Antichrist held in Rome from March 8th to March 11th, 2026, tech billionaire Peter Thiel is joined by Vice President JD Vance and Pope Leo XIV, among others. Organized by the Vincenzo Gioberti Cultural Association and the Cluny Institute at the Catholic University of America, the lectures will explore themes of theology, history, literature, and politics, drawing on the works of notable thinkers like René Girard and Francis Bacon. Despite initial associations, the Catholic University of America has distanced itself from the event, which aims to tackle the crisis facing contemporary Western society through classical and Christian thought.