RATZINGER APPEARS TO FULFILL MALACHY PROPHECY [De Gloria Olivae]

SpiritDaily.com ^ | 04-19-05 | SpiritDaily.com

[Salvation]

RATZINGER APPEARS TO FULFILL MALACHY PROPHECY

The moment was one only the Church could pull off: a massive crowd, the ultimate in suspense, fantastic pageantry to match the glory of God.

In fact, even a Fox News commentator commented that on a cloudy day, the sun uncannily erupted at the time of announcement and Rome embraced spring.

It was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, dean of the College of Cardinals, close confidant of John Paul II, celebrant of the last pope's funeral, and keeper of the flame who became the 265th pontiff.

He is a man who will maintain an accent on orthodoxy as well as on the Blessed Mother -- whom he mentioned right away in his first moments as pontiff.

Pope Benedict XVI is an elderly but strong pope who will bring both immense intellect and force with an unwavering way of presenting the Catholicism of John Paul II.

The name Benedict seemed a strong signal on many levels. It was St. Benedict who was noted for his strong power against the devil -- this important at a time of heightened spiritual warfare -- and the order Benedict founded, the Benedictines, is also known as the "Olivetans." St. Benedict prophesied that the last pope would be from that order.

And it was allegedly St. Malachy of Ireland who prophesied that the Pope after John Paul II  ("Labor of the sun") would be "Glory of the Olives."

St. Malachy's list described a pope later identified as Leo XIII with the words lumen in caelo (light in the heavens), and in fact that pope's coat of arms included a shooting star. Benedict XV was supposedly religio depopulata -- "religion devastated" (he served during World War I); John XXIII, who had served in the port city of Venice, was pastor et nauta ("shepherd and sailor"); and Paul VI was flos florum, or flower of flowers, and his coat of arms indeed displayed the fleur-de-lis (a pattern of flowers). Pope John Paul I was depicted as de medietate lunae, which means "from half of the moon -- and the first two letters of his family name, Luciani, form half of the word "luna," while the current pope, John Paul II was de labore solis, from the labor of the sun (with no clear explanation, although perhaps there is a connection in that he was born the year of an eclipse, and also: his working devotion to the "woman clothed with the sun"). 

That left two popes on St. Malachy's alleged list. One was described as De gloria olivae (from the glory of the olive) and the last as Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman). It is Peter the Roman who is said to reign during tribulations that will include the destruction of Rome.

Whatever the merits of such claims, the last pope named Benedict came during great Church disarray and just before the tumult of World War I. Meanwhile, Cardinal Ratzinger -- who is responsible for rescuing the apparition site of Medjugorje from rejection by a local bishop -- is known for a strong stance on family value and life. He is also a strict disciplinarian who may well address the priestly crisis in a new and stronger way.

[see also: Taking a close look at that alleged St. Malachy prophecy]

[xzins]

Do you think this means that there is this pope and then one more pope, and that then there will be no more popes?

What will they do...change organizational styles? Rule through a council of Cardinals? Break up the Catholic Church?

Seriously, what's being suggested here?

[NeoCaveman]

Seriously, what's being suggested here?

The Apocolypse.

[GopherGOPer]

If you would have gone over there, you would see that what they see is real. Were you to talk with the visionaries, and see their radiant faces, you would know that they talk with the Blessed Virgin.

I knew I liked Cardinal Ratzinger for many reasons, but this is just awesome. I have no doubt the apparitions in Medjugorje are real. The over 120 people I've went there with over the course of the past 15 years would all agree.

If you were there, praying with the visionaries at the time of the apparition, or even nearby, you could tell Mary is present.

Anyway I don't want to start a fight, but hope that you have investigated yourselves, talked and prayed with the visionaries before you decide to declare them fake.

[xzins]

I'm an outsider...a sincere one...but that strikes me as odd.

I thought we weren't supposed to set dates on such things.

??? puzzled.

[netmilsmom]

>>Michael Brown is a bit on the conspiratorial side. Just look at the stuff he puts up.<<

I love reading SpiritDaily but I know to take it with a grain of salt.
Some people I have met take it as God's Word. It's a shame.

[sinkspur]

Were you to talk with the visionaries, and see their radiant faces, you would know that they talk with the Blessed Virgin.

The Bishop of Mostar, Bishop Zanic, whose diocese includes Medjugorje, vehemently disagrees. And the Vatican has said there is no basis from which to conclude that the apparitions are genuine.

However, if they inspire prayer from you, that is a good thing.

[Romish_Papist]

I gotta disagree. The evidence seems to point to the "prophecies" of Malachy as being a pious fraud. The laguage prior to the 16th century predictions is much more concise, whereas those after are considerably more vague. Couple that with the fact that they were supposedly "found" in the Vatican archives at this time seems suspect. Malachy also said after 400 years of persecution of the Irish, England would come back to Catholicism. Hasn't happened. Even the "Peter the Roman" entry wasn't mentioned until 1820. As far as the Olivetan connection, it's backwards. Olivetans are Benedictines, but not all Benedictines are Olivetans. Past that, name or not, our new Holy Father is NOT a Benedictine.

Not saying it's not possible, just saying I'm not convinced.

[sinkspur]

I thought we weren't supposed to set dates on such things.

"We're" not, and "we" don't.

[xzins]

Thanks, sinkspur. See my #21...

[NeoCaveman]

I thought we weren't supposed to set dates on such things.
??? puzzled.

The dates are just one guys speculation and I put no stock in those at all. As to Malachy's list, well it looks awfully accurate, although I am a bit skeptical.

[netmilsmom]

My Uncle, who is a retired Bishop has major doubts about those "seers". The Bishop of the area and all but two Bishops of the former Yugoslavia have stated that there is nothing supernatural going on there. The Vatican has stated that there is to be no veneration of that site and no tours should go there for veneration. Yet the disobedience goes on.

Believe what you want but JPII refused to go there when he was in the former Yugoslavia.

I would rather listen to the Vatican.

[sinkspur]

Do you think this means that there is this pope and then one more pope, and that then there will be no more popes?

No. But, gloom-and-doomers are fascinated with "end times" nonsense. There's just no stopping it.

[netmilsmom]

>>However, if they inspire prayer from you, that is a good thing.<<

I fully agree with you, but geez, hold your cash!

[Dominick]

Salvation, Salvation, Salvation....

The fact is though Malachy lived in the 12th century, the "prophecies" surfaced in the 1600’s, and were never alluded to in the biography of Malachy. After 1600 people had to go to much greater lengths to find correlations.

Lets look at the whole stack of these lines listed in: Catholic Pages listing of the alleged Prophecies

After 1600 they are not even attempted to be applied, the listing doesn't really start until 1830, and even then they are pretty sparse. From 1600 to 1830 lets look at a few.

Pius VI has no description or interpretation to lead us to name him "Peregrinus Apostolicus". Innocent XIII has "De bona Religione", again, nothing in particular leads anyone to believe this would be a good description of this Pope. Urban VIII was "Lilium et rosa", so what leads us to apply that to that Pope? I can't think of anything but Urban's condemnation of Galileo for not publishing his work as an Hypothesis.

I believe these are spurious. I think they are indeed a pious forgery of the 16th Century. Prophecy and Apocalyptic pronunciations should not rank on the entertainment scale for a serious Catholic.

[sinkspur]

I fully agree with you, but geez, hold your cash!

LOL!! Exactly! Otherwise, you just feed the "seers" cigarette habits!

[murphE]

If I was going to promote apparitions, I would start with ones approved by the Church. The link I provided cites many sources and investigations that throw serious suspicion, to say the least, on these "apparitions". If there is "other worldly" phenomena occurring at Medjugorje, that does not necessarily mean it is supernatural, it could be preternatural. Satan will often mimic Our Lord to lead people astray. Skepticism is prudent here.

[xzins]

It's too much for me.

Guess I'll just sit back and lurk for a while.

[xzins]

I think I'll just go into lurk mode. I appreciate your response.

I'm not Catholic so I probably don't deserve an opinion on these things.

[Lazamataz]

That means the next Pope is gonna be named Peter and will be the Antichrist.

Which poses a dilemma for us Jews who don't think the Messiah's made it yet.

[sinkspur]

I'm not Catholic so I probably don't deserve an opinion on these things.

Of course you do. Anybody with a level head deserves an opinion, and you are among the most level-headed here.

There is one indisputable fact: every single "prophet" who has predicted the end times has been wrong.

They don't have a good track record.