The Final Pope
St. Malachy was born in Armagh in Ireland about 1094. At a remarkably early age he became Bishop of Connor, and then became Archbishop of Armagh in 1132.
In 1139, Malachy was summoned to Rome by Pope Innocent II. While in Rome, Malachy experienced a vision of future popes, which he recorded as a sequence of cryptic phrases. This manuscript was then deposited in the Roman Archive, and thereafter forgotten.
On his last visit to the Holy See, in 1148, Malachy accurately predicted the place and time of his own death: Clairvaux, France, on All Souls Day, November 2, of that same year
After almost 400 years, in 1509, the prophecies was rediscovered and first published by Arnold de Wyon. It contained 112 short prophetical announcements which indicate some noticeable traits of all the future popes from pope Celestine II until the end of the world.
Except for the final apocalyptic note about Petrus Romanus, the prophecies are brief lines of no more than four words. They usually refer to a pope's family name, birthplace, coat-of-arms, or office held before election to the papacy. Some of the phrases contain ingenious wordplay or even puns; some are multiple prophecies. Pius III, who reigned for only 26 days in 1503, was aptly described as "De Parvo Homine," or "from a little man. " Pius s family name was Piccolomini, Italian for "little man."
Benedict 15th was given the chilling appellation "Religio Depopulata" (" Religion laid waste"). Unfortunately, it was accurate. Benedict 15th served from 1914 to 1922, when World War I "laid waste" the religious populations of several continents.
John 33rd occupied the Vatican from 1958 to 1963. Malachy called him " Pastor et Nauta," or "Pastor and sailor" Certainly a great pastor to his own people, John "modernized" his Church and wrote one of the most brilliant papal documents in history, Pacem in Terris. He was also a true pastor of the world, loved and admired by millions of non-Catholics, from 1953 until he became pope in 1958, John was the patriarch of Venice, a city full of sailors. When he convened the Ecumenical Council in 1962, John chose two symbols for the council badge-a cross and a ship.
"Flos Florum" represented his successor, Paul VI, in Malachy s vision: "flower of flowers." Paul's coat of arms depicted three fleurs-de -lis.
John Paul I, who succeeded Paul in 1978 and held office for only 34 days, was referred to as "De Medietate Lanae," or "from the half moon. "John Paul's papal mission was undoubtedly less than " half" completed when he died. His given name was Albino Luciani, or "white light"- such as that given off by the half-moon in Malachy s prophecy.
One of Malachy' s strangest predictions concerned the pope who would follow "De Medietate Lunae. " He is designated as "De Labore Solis,' or "from the toil of the sun." Applied to John Paul II, this phrase reveals nothing less than a double prophecy. He was the first non-Italian elected in 456 years, is a native of Krakow, Poland. Krakow is the city where, in the 15th and 16th centuries, Copernicus "toiled" for years to prove his heretical theory that the earth revolved around the sun. Many of Malachy s interpreters also suggested that the "sun" reference indicated a young pope. Fifty- eight years old at the time of his election, John Paul II is the youngest pope in over a century. Interestingly he was born on the day of a solar eclipse and was also entombed on the day of a solar eclipse.
John Paul II’s successor was to be the “Glory of the Olive” and was succeeded by Joseph Ratzinger. Ratzinger chose the regenal name “Benedict” after St Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine Order. The Benedictine Order is also known as Olivetans and the order's crest contains an olive branch.
According to St. Malachy, whose predictions have proven amazingly accurate so far, only one pope will succeed the current 111th supreme pontiff, Pope Benedict 16th. The last and 112th pope will be "Petrus Romanus," or "Peter the Roman," of whom Malachy wrote:
"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock among many tribulations; after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people".
What is striking about the prophecy is that at least one pope had a similar mystical vision: In 1909, while granting an audience, pope Pius 10th leaned back and closed his eyes. Suddenly he "awoke" and spoke: "What I see is terrifying. Will it be myself? Will it be my successor? What is certain is that this pope will quit Rome, and in leaving the Vatican, he will have to walk over the dead bodies of his priests."
If one looks at the prophecy concerning Petrus Romanus through the lenses of the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation, we can clearly see that this last pope will lead the Roman Catholic Church into the Tribulation. He will ultimately become the False Prophet of Revelation that will announce the Antichrist as Messiah. He will live through the destruction of Rome as prophesied in Revelation 17 and 18. Then finally, he will join the forces of the World in the battle of Armageddon against our Lord where Jesus’ judgement will befall all those who came against Him. The False Prophet and the Beast will be captured first and will be the first living beings thrown into the pool of fire.
What makes the above prophecy so relevant for us today is Pope Benedict 16th resignation on 28 February and that this last pope, “Peter the Roman”, will be elected within the next month or two. As can be deduced from the article so far, we are clearly living in the last days prophesied by the Bible and these End Time events are speedily approaching. Only one question remains: Are you ready to meet the Lord?
