There is a famous prophecy by someone which is attributed to St. Malachy, an 1139 Bishop of Armagh in Ireland. It predicts each Pope from Celestine II in the period of the saint until the present day by giving a Latin phrase that will help to identify the Pope. It is not terribly important who wrote the prophecy. It is much more important to decide whether the prophecy is true. In order to make some decision on the prophecy, one needs to look at several of the last popes to see if they met the prophecy.
Pope Benedict XV ruled during a time of particular unrest. The Latin Motto of the Prophecy of St. Malachy said of him Religio Depopulata, religion laid waste. Religion was laid waste during his papacy in the form of World War I, the Spanish flu, and the October communist revolution in Russia.
Pope Pius XI who ruled from 1922 until 1939 was called Fides Intrepida, intrepid faith. This Pope issued an encyclical letter condemning Nazi racism, signed the Concordat which created the Vatican City State and added 700 million lira to the Vatican treasury. He played with fire throughout his reign and very truly had an intrepid faith.
Pope Pius XII who ruled from 1939 until 1958 was called Pastor Angelicus, or angelic pastor. This pope was known to be very mystical, and it was believed that he received visions. His writings added greatly to understanding of Catholic beliefs and church doctrine. During his reign, Pius exercised Papal Infallibility in defining dogma when he issued, on November 1, 1950 an apostolic constitution, Munificentissimus Deus, which defines ex cathedra the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, on the request of the heavenly father.
Pope John XXIII who ruled from 1958 until 1963 was called Pastor et Nauta, or shepherd and sailor. Prior to his election he was patriarch of Venice, which is a maritime city, famous for its waterways and gondolas.
Pope Paul VI who ruled from 1963 until 1978 was called Flos Florum, or Flower of Flowers. His personal arms bore three fleurs-de-lis, the heraldic charge best known as that in the arms of the French monarchy. Fleur-de-lis literally means "flower of the lily": yet the medieval flower par excellence was the rose, not the lily; and many popes have borne various flowers in their arms.
The fleur-de-lys has the meaning of purity and chastity in Catholic religion. This is based upon scripture. Paul VI published his encyclical Humanae Vitae subtitled On Human Life, on July 25, 1968. In this encyclical he reaffirmed the Catholic Church's traditional condemnation of artificial birth control.
Pope John Paul I who ruled for 33 days in 1978 was called De Medietate Lunae, or From the midst of the Moon. Albino Luciani, who later became Pope John Paul I, was born in Canale d'Agordo, diocese of Belluno, which name is similar to bella luna or beautiful moon. He was elected on August 26, 1978, the day after the moon reached its last quarter, and reigned for 33 days, approximately five days longer than a lunar cycle. He died the day before the new moon. However, a much simpler explanation might be that he was born on the day of the half moon: on October 17, 1912, the moon was in its first quarter.
Pope John Paul II who ruled from 1978 until 2005 was called De Labore Solis or of the work of the Sun and may well relate to his travels. Everything important about the man was done in the full view of the public and therefore he labored in the sun. It also is important to note that this motto relates to laboring and this Pope came from the worker state of Poland while it was communist.
Pope Benedict XVI who is the current occupant of the Papal See of Rome is called Gloria Olivae or the Glory of the Olive. Probably this motto was met by taking the name Benedict. However, during his papacy we will see if other connections arise.
There is serious speculation about how the prophecy is put together at this point. It appears that it says:
“Gloria olivae, in persecutione extrema S.R.E. fedebit. Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis ciuitas septicollis diruetur, et Iudex tremẽdus iudicabit populum ſuum. Finis.”
This motto can be read Glory of the Olive. In extreme persecution, he will reign. Peter the Roman, who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the fearsome Judge will judge His people. The End.
The current difficulties of this Pope over his involvement in protecting pedophiliacs within the Church can have a number of results. There is an additional prophecy describing this Pope as dying in exile. In that result, the College of Cardinals could depose this Pope and send him into exile or he could be charged with a crime in Great Britain and held in house arrest there when he comes for an apostolic visit later this year. If this happened, one might say that the church was in extreme persecution and that his reign reflected that fact. In the additional prophecy, this Pope dies in exile so I think that it is more likely that he will be indicted in Great Britain and held there until his death. I do not see the Cardinals deposing him for his involvement in pedophilia and do not see him actually being convicted of conspiracy to commit pedophilia.
There is much speculation about the next Pope. Some say, seeing the last judgment occurring during Peter the Roman’s reign makes them very uncomfortable. However, the nature of prophecy is that one cannot foretell with certainty how it will play out. What if the prophecy means that Rome, the city of seven hills is destroyed by some disaster. While the Catholic Church would have us believe that the words “his people” means all humanity, in fact one might say that the god of the Roman Catholic Church is Apollo, the Sun G-d, and that the Catholic Church is Apollo’s Portion. (See Deuteronomy 32:8-9). If one understood the prophecy in this way, it would be the Catholic Church which would meet the fearsome Judge who will Judge the members of this Church. The Prophecy predicts the end of the Papacy, but it may not predict the end of the world.
I think it likely that Christianity and Catholicism will continue, but the organization of the Church will look much different, much more like Orthodoxy or Anglicanism, much less like Rome with its solitary head. I say that because none of the other signs of the end have been fulfilled and I do not believe that the end is near.
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