The Pope may be in Washington D.C., but Jesus himself is most definitely headed to its suburbs -- Alexandria, Virginia, to be exact.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The Walking Dead" has cast "Luck" alum Tom Payne as Jesus -- real name Paul Monroe -- for its upcoming sixth season. This casting should garner significant interest from "Walking Dead" comic fans, as Jesus will up the show's official tally of gay characters to three (next to Alanna Masterson's Tara and Ross Marquand's Aaron)... and of course, there's also the very distinct possibility that his arrival means we're one step closer to meeting the series' most nefarious villain, Negan.

In Robert Kirkman's comic books, Jesus, who is a skilled martial artist, plays a key role in the Alexandria Safe Zone's war against Negan's squad, The Saviors. Negan's arrival to the AMC series is yet to be announced, but a casting call posted on The Spoiling Dead Facebook page -- which asks for "a physically imposing, charismatic, brutal, smart, ferocious, frightening, hilarious, inappropriate, oddly friendly, fun loving sociopath that is both a leader of men and a killer of men" -- has fans convinced that the biggest bad yet is on his way.

... Which is cool and all, as long as Negan absolutely in no way touches a single hair on the head of the character he brutally murders in the comics. Not. A. Single. Hair.

Anyway, even without Negan, Jesus and the rest of the Alexandrians will have a lot on their plates in the beginning of season six, with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Morgan (Lennie James) on the outs, and The Wolves prowling the woods for human victims. But until that ish goes down (the season premiere is on October 11), here's Jesus himself in all his splendor and glory: