Posted on 04/10/2010 10:44:02 AM PDT by Steelfish
The End of History and the Last Pope By George Neumayr
Post-Enlightenment liberalism has long regarded the Catholic Church as the last obstacle to its final triumph. The Enlightenment-era French dilettante Denis Diderot spoke of strangling the last priest with the "guts of the last king." The ceaseless attacks on Pope Benedict XVI over the last few weeks form the most recent scene in this historical drama. Unlike Napoleon, today's forces of secularization can't imprison a pope. Well, at least not yet; Christopher Hitchens is working on this, calling for the European Union to seize Benedict's traveling papers. But they can strangle him politically and culturally.
That his popularity poll numbers have apparently dipped below those of the most inane and rancid celebrities testifies to this perverse power. The children of Diderot at the New York Times understand the secularist Enlightenment project very well. Its executive editor, Bill Keller, telegraphed this in a 2002 column.
Since he wrote the column before he was promoted to editor, he didn't bother to hide his anti-Catholic bigotry with circumspect throat-clearing. He described himself as a "collapsed Catholic" -- "well beyond lapsed." He affected a false modesty about this, saying that for this reason he claims "no voice in whom the church ordains or how it prays or what it chooses to call a sin." But of course he does claim that voice -- and thinks all should obey it.
He made it clear that he was rooting for "reforms" that would reduce Catholicism to a captive of modern liberalism: "
the struggle within the church is interesting as part of a larger struggle within the human race, between the forces of tolerance and absolutism."
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Our catholic faith is stronger than satan and all his minions. Howl against the wind, you devils. Man can never destroy it, and will be ruined in the attempt.
Ya know, I think he’s on to something here.
Thank you for posting this excellent piece. The Church will endure by becoming more orthodox, not more “liberal.” More focused on the message of Jesus. More rigorous in its selection of priests. In the short term, the Church may get smaller - perhaps much smaller - but more pure. And in the long run, that will be its proof: how closely it adheres to the Word of God and the true call of Christ.
Benedictine motto: “When pruned, it grows”
My interpretation of Malachy's prediction indicates this man may be the last pope.
Yes, the next Pope could be black, says prominent African cardinal
I’m not Catholic, but I was surprised to see so many anti-Pope/Catholic Church pages on a Facebook search!! :-(
Some of them are really disturbing and actually call for his death!
Scary stuff. :-(
Mostly twits and twitterers.
The prophecies of St. Malachy have been remarkably accurate in predicting the popes since Celestine II (1143-1144). Many have dismissed the prophecies as forgeries, yet many still believe them to be accurate.
According to the prophecies, the current pope is next to last. It remains to be seen whether Benedict XVI will actually fulfill the prophecy for him (”Glory of the Olives”). The last pope’s prophecy reads:
“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 his people. The End.”
The line is of popes of this era - before the era of peace or the time of living in the Divine Will (as we pray in the Our Father) - when the scriptural prediction of Satan being chained for a period (symbolic 1000 years) after the defeat of the Anti-Christ and after the purification before the Era of Peace. When this period is over Satan will then again be released to roam the earth before the final judgment and end of world. This is not the last pope then but it could be the pope of prophecy who will be forced to flee Rome and go into hiding. The Church will be persecuted as we see it beginning and go underground during an eclipse of the sun for the Church during the New World Order’s attempt to eliminate all true faith.
I saw that liberal catholics during the 70’s had big troubles with their faith and as a consequence were very disturbed in their personnal behaviour....
Catholics, priests,bishops...must go forward strongly rooted and connected with the living Source
Who’s that?
Cardinal Turkson has said that "if God would wish to see a black man also as pope, thanks be to God".
The son of a Methodist mother and lone Scripture scholar among the 113 cardinal-electors, it's already known that Turkson has B16's eye. The Pope named the Ghanaian to the key task of Relator (spokesman) for October's Synod of Bishops for Africa, giving the cardinal his first major showcase before the global church's top rank. The move was particularly of note as, in the prior synods of his four-year reign, the pontiff's pointedly handed the high-profile post to two globally-known intellectual heavies among the College of Cardinals, both of whom enjoy Benedict's trust and, indeed, invariably appear on the shortlists for his successor.
This should be interesting to watch. As predicted by Malachy, "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church (as we see happening today) there will reign Petrus Romanus, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations".
I get the Petrus part, but how is he Romanus? That he’s a Roman Catholic doesn’t qualify as a distinction, because its presence in prophecy about this indicates it’s a geographical or familial connection to Rome, rather than being Roman Catholic, as all Popes would be.
He did a licentiate at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome from 1976 to 1980, and then from 1987 to 1992, he studied for the doctorate degree at the same institute.
He was appointed as a member of the Roman Curia, an administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the Catholic Church.
It has been awhile since I've researched this but IIRC, there is something about this final pope being a son of a turk (Peter Turkson).
Interesting. This is the first I’ve heard of it.
About the Turk part though, wasn’t there a prophecy from either Lourdes or Medjugorje that the Antichrist would rule from the Holy See at the end? Not directing this against Turks in general, but toward Mohammedans, as not believing in Jesus’ Christ aspects, only his prophet ones, thus making them anti-Christ. That’s the way I’ve heard the last part explained at least.
Funny you should mention that!
"Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana is now firmly in this group known as the papabili, or possible popes, thanks to an important job hes doing this month. Hes the relator, or secretary general, of the Synod for Africa, a major meeting of African bishops in Rome to discuss the Churchs future on that continent. Previous cardinals who served in such posts include the future popes John Paul II and Benedict. Like another African cardinal once tipped for the job, Nigerias Francis Arinze (now 77 and retired), he counts among his plus points an on-the-job familiarity with Islam."
Curiouser and curiouser... heh.
I think it would be hard to be an African religious and not have a working familiarity with Mohammedans. If I recall correctly, there are some in the north of his country, and some in the country bordering his to the west, Ivory Coast (or Cote d’Ivoire as the francophones insist we say it when speaking our own language, which doesn’t happen to be French).
Muslims and satanists push death to the Pope and Catholics big time on the internet.
I'm amazed by the number of prophecies (including bible prophecy) pointing to a common era that appears to be in the VERY near future.
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