Romana Didulo, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” has been among the most successful in starting a new religion based on QAnon conspiracies. Using Theosophical ideas found in earlier new religious movements, such as the I AM and the Church Universal and Triumphant movements, Didulo, who is almost 50 years old and originally from the Philippines, has created an online ministry that applies these esoteric doctrines to QAnon. She came into the public eye through her anti-Covid activism, even making a foray offline to make a citizen’s arrest of Canadian police for committing treason during the government lockdowns. The silence and mystery involving the originator of the QAnon conspiracies is seen as confirming I AM teachings (propagated by Guy Ballard in the 1930s), which hold that “ascended masters” appear who will lead humanity into a realm of peace and harmony to displace evil in the world. As with other ascended masters, Didulo offers followers “Decrees,” which represent a form of amplified prayer between followers and such leaders. “The Queen” and her followers operate several channels and groups on the social media site Telegram, which is considered an underground platform for far right and jihadist movements.
Source: Saltwire.
Since setting up the channels in 2021, their followings have grown considerably (from a few hundred messages a day to thousands), especially during the Covid-19 controversies, such as the truck convoy protests in Canada in 2022. As in the I AM movement, visualization is also important, with followers able to turn their desires into tangible experiences. Didulo sees herself as working with extraterrestrials to eventually rule over Canada to create what she calls a “Canada 2.0.” A number of conspiracies converge in Didulo’s movement, from standard QAnon claims about child sex abuse to the idea that world leaders such as Justin Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth were replaced by clones. But Didulo also espouses positions supported by conservatives and nationalists involving curbing immigration, suppressing transgender activism and treatments, and banning sex education for those under 24 years of age. (Source: Studies in Religion, online in December)
