ROME — Peter Thiel delivered a four-night lecture series in Rome warning that the unification of the world under a single global state is essentially identical to the Antichrist. The invitation-only event earlier this year drew controversy, prompting Catholic universities initially linked to it to deny official involvement.

Recordings of the lectures have since leaked. In them, Thiel said, “The unification of the world under a single global state is essentially identical to the Antichrist.” He expressed concern that a “woke American pope” might align with a “woke American president,” potentially leading to world domination. Thiel linked this vision to biblical prophecy, citing 1 Thessalonians 5:3: “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

Thiel argued that contemporary “peace and safetyism” mirrors the conditions described in that scripture and serves as a precursor to the Antichrist’s rise. He claimed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission already function as de facto global regulators because other nations defer to American standards, illustrating what he described as the quiet expansion of a unified world order.

Thiel is a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” series. He co-founded companies named Palantir, Mithril Capital Management, Valar Ventures, Rivendell One, and Lembas LLC, all referencing Tolkien’s works. His venture-capital firm, Founders Fund, has been nicknamed “The Precious” as an in-joke referencing Tolkien’s mythology.