Read this in my e-mail today. Didn't really believe it, but the ending was a bit striking.Only Two Popes Remain!TAKEN FROM NewsMax.com
Sunday, April 3, 2005 6:01 p.m. EDT
Saint's Prophecy: Only Two Popes Remain
When the cardinals of the world pick John Paul II's successor, they may well be choosing the next-to-last pope.
The pope who then follows this choice in the Chair of St. Peter will be the last pope, and after his reign Rome will be destroyed.
Such has been the prophecy of St. Malachy, an Irish bishop who at his death in 1148 A.D. was discovered to have left behind a prophetic list of all future popes beginning with Pope Celestine II, whose papacy began in 1143 A.D.
Malachy included a single line in Latin identifying a characteristic of each pope.
Historians say Malachy's prediction - wherein he listed just 112 popes - has been amazingly accurate. According to his list, there are just two more popes after the late John Paul II.
Here are the seven last popes as identified from St. Malachy's list:
106. Pius XII 1939 - 1958
Eugenio Pacelli
Pastor Angelicus
Translated: An Angelic Shepherd
107. John XXIII 1968 - 1963
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli
Pastor Et Natua
Translated: Pastor and Mariner
108. Paul VI 1963 - 1978
Giovanni Battista Montini
Flos Florum
Translated: Flower of Flowers
109. John Paul I 1978 - 1978
Albino Luciani
De Medietate Lunae
Translated: Of the Half Moon
110. John Paul II 1978 - 2005
Karol Jozef Wojtyla
De Labore Solis
Translated: From the Toil of the Sun
111. The next pope
"Gloria Olivae"
Translated: The Glory of the Olive
112. The last pope!
"Petrus Romanus"
Translated: Peter the Roman
Wrote St. Malachy of the last pope: "In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge the people. The End."
According to his biographer St. Bernard of Clairvaux,in his book "Life of Saint Malachy," the saint was known to have the gift of prophesy and had even predicted the exact day and hour of his own death. Saint Malachy was canonized in 1190 by Pope Clement III.
While in Rome in 1139, Saint Malachy is said to have gone into a trance and received a vision in which he foresaw all the popes from the death of Innocent II until the end of time.
Afterward he wrote a few words about each pope and gave the manuscript to Pope Innocent II, who is said to have deposited it in Vatican Archives, where it lay forgotten until it was discovered in 1590 and published. At the time, some questioned its authenticity and it has been the subject of debate ever since.
The manuscript contains 112 prophecies, which scholars have matched with each of the 110 popes and anti-popes since Innocent II .
Here are the prophecies for the most recent popes:
Paul VI. The words of the 108th prophecy are "Flos Florum" (Flower of Flowers). The 108th pope after Innocent II was Paul VI (1963-78). His coat of arms included three fleurs-de-lis (iris blossoms).
John Paul I. The 109th is "De Medietate Lunae" (Of the Half Moon). The corresponding pope was John Paul I (1978-78), who was born in the diocese of Belluno (beautiful moon) and was baptized Albino Luciani (white light). He became pope on August 26, 1978, when the moon appeared exactly half full. It was in its waning phase. He died the following month, soon after an eclipse of the moon.
John Paul II. The 110th is "De Labore Solis" (Of the Solar Eclipse, or From the Toil of the Sun). The corresponding pope was John Paul II (1978-2005). John Paul II was born on May 8, 1920 during an eclipse of the sun. Like the sun, he came out of the East (Poland). Like the sun, he visited countries all around the globe.
Today the final two prophecies are yet to be fulfilled:
The 111th prophecy is "Gloria Olivae" (The Glory of the Olive). The meaning of the olive is unclear. The Order of Saint Benedict - not St. Malachy - has claimed that this pope will come from its ranks and Saint Benedict himself prophesied that before the end of the world his Order, known also as the Olivetans, will triumphantly lead the Catholic Church in its final fight against evil.
The 112th prophecy says, "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.
Do I believe this? Not really. One can always think that the choice of the name was to fulfill this "prediction". But personally, I don't really believe this is in any way or form something to be afraid of.
I'm more amused by the fact Pope Ratzinger can be nicknamed Papa Ratzi.
