A prophecy by a 12th-century
Catholic saint that predicted characteristics of the last 112 popes appears to
have been strengthened by the election of the new pontiff today.
The prophecy labels the new pope
"the Glory of the Olive." The Benedictine Order is known as the
Olivetans and has as its symbol the olive branch. The new pope, though not of
that order, chose as his name Benedict XVI.
St. Malachy, an Irish Catholic
bishop, was known as a gifted prophet, even predicting the date of his own
death in 1148. He was canonized in 1190 by Pope Clement III.
WorldNetDaily columnist Hal Lindsey
wrote
on April 8 about Malachy, explaining that, according to his biographer, the
bishop was visiting Rome in 1139 when he went into a trance and received a
vision. Malachy wrote down this extraordinary vision in which he claims to have
foreseen all of the popes from the death of Innocent II until the destruction
of the church and the return of Christ. He named exactly 112 popes from that
time until the end.
St. Malachy wrote a few
prophetically descriptive words in Latin about each one of the popes. He then
gave the manuscript to Pope Innocent II and it was deposited in the Vatican
Archives where it was forgotten for several centuries. Then in 1590, it was rediscovered
and published.
Scholars have matched up the
descriptions with each pope since that time. "Though they are a bit
obscure, they have fit the general profile of each of the popes," wrote
Lindsey.
According to St. Malachy, there
will be only two more popes before the destruction of Rome, including newly
elected Benedict XVI.
Wrote Lindsey: "The prophecy
concerning the 111th pope says of him, 'Gloria Olivae,' which means 'the Glory
of the Olive.' Could it be that he will be from the Order of Saint Benedict,
also known as the Olivetans? Could he be an African, a continent symbolized by
the olive tree?
"The olive tree is also
frequently a symbol for the Israelites in the Bible. Could this mean that this
pope will be an Israelite who will be seen as the glory of his people? It bears
watching as to who will be this pope."
Joseph Ratzinger, 78, who was
elected pope today by the College of Cardinals, chose as his name Benedict XVI.
The name Benedict comes from the Latin word for "blessing."
"St. Malachy predicts, 'In the
final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign "Petrus
Romanus" (Peter the Roman), who will feed his flock amid many
tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the
dreadful Judge will judge the people,'" wrote Lindsey.
"If any of this is true, then
I suspect that the 111th pope will not live very long. We are just too close to
the final events before Christ's return for him to reign for a long
period."
The rest of Lindsey's column
analyzes how the last pope – the one after Benedict XVI, according to the
prophecy, called "Peter the Roman" – would fit in with End Times
biblical prophecy.
"The Order of Saint Benedict
has claimed that this pope will come from their ranks," states an analysis
on BibleProbe.com. "St. Benedict
himself prophesied [in the sixth century] that before the end of the world his
order, known also as the Olivetans, will triumphantly lead the Catholic Church
in its fight against evil."
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