The Prophecies of Malachi were
first published in the year AD 1595 by a Benedictine monk named Arnold
Wion. The prophecies are a series of 112 short Latin phrases claiming to
predict some characteristics of the Popes of Rome.
Wion attributed these prophecies to St. Malachy, an Irish archbishop from the 12th century.
There
are people who genuinely believe these prophecies are authentic and
they have put considerable effort into determining how the various
prophecies line up with the popes they are supposed to represent.
On
the other hand, there are those who believe the Prophecies of Malachi
to be a forgery produced basically at the time it was first published.
And, by the way, that is the official opinion of the Roman Catholic
Church on this matter.
The
strongest evidence for them being a forgery is that the prophecies are
very accurate up to the year they appeared, 1595, and then very vague
and cryptic after that point.
A
survey of just a few of the most recent predictions shows how some of
the descriptions are intriguing, others seem far fetched and contrived.
As
an example, number 109 reads, "of the half moon" (de medietate lunae). This corresponds to
Pope John Paul I, who was pope for only one month. The mention
of a moon at all for a pope who served one month is intriguing.
Number
104 reads "religion destroyed" (religio depopulata). This corresponds to Benedict XV,
who was pope during world war 1 and the russian revolution, which led to
serious persecution of the church during communist rule. Again,
intriguing.
But
number 111, "the glory of the olive" (Gloria Olivae), is supposed to correspond to
Benedict XVI. And there is no compelling way to line this up with
Joseph Ratzinger at all.
What
makes these prophecies urgent and timely is that we are currently in
the reign of the last pope theoretically predicted by these prophecies.
In
the interest of full disclosure, I am going to state that I believe the
Prophecies of Malachi were indeed a 16th century forgery and that any
apparent similarity between the predictions and the popes they represent
is pure coincidence.
It
looks to me like this person tried to extrapolate the rest of the popes
into the future, maybe assuming the end of the world would happen in
the year 2000. He came close, the final pope on his list was elected in
2013.
But
for those who really want to believe in these prophecies, I would
suggest one could accept that the list was composed by a person with
some agenda in 1595, but that doesn't mean that God couldn't provide
some occasional flashes of inspiration into that forger's work. Maybe
just enough to make the list be occasionally intriguing, while not being
reliably predictive.
And
that brings us to the last pope on the list. After prediction 111,
Glory of the Olive, which supposedly represents Pope Benedict XVI,
the Prophecies of Malachi read as follows.
In an extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit.
Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations. And
when these things have transpired, the City of the Seven Hills will be
destroyed, and the fearful judge will judge his people. The End.
(In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit. Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus, quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, & judex tremedus judicabit populum suum. Finis. )
Some
suggest that the list could be interpreted as allowing other
unmentioned popes prior to the final Pope, called Peter the Roman. But
that's not the likely conclusion.
So
this Peter the Roman supposedly corresponds to Pope Francis. Now let me
tell you what's going to happen in the next number of years. Rome is
not going to be destroyed. and I pray that Pope Francis lives a long and
productive life.
I
actually pray that after he has accomplished everything he feels called
by God to do, that he, like his predecessor, can retire and spend his
twilight years in peace and enjoy well deserved leisure.
And
when he is no longer Pope, the Church of Rome will elect another Bishop
for itself. And when that happens, will the Prophecies of Malachy be
finally proven false?
I've
already told you my opinion of these Prophecies, but for those who want
to believe them, let me suggest an interpretation of the final prophecy
that could still reconcile them with our reality.
Last
week, while speaking at a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary
of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis called for a radical
decentralization of the Roman Catholic Church. He described how being a
"Synodal Church" would involve re-envisioning the exercise of the
papacy, and this would have implications for the relations of the
Catholic Church with other Churches.
If
he puts this vision into practice, and I pray he does, he will be, in
some respects, the last Pope of Rome. By which I mean that he would
become the last Pope elected under an understanding of the papacy that
was the belief when that forger made these prophecies in 1595.
Pope
Francis, Peter the Roman. He is of Italian descent, but grew up in
Argentina. That's sure Roman enough in my book. Peter. If he redefines
the papacy and heals a thousand year schism with the Orthodox Church, he
will indeed be exercising that ministry Our Lord gave to Peter,
Strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:32)
And the fearful judge will judge his people and judge them favorably that once again, they are unified.
If
that actually happens, and I pray it does, I may yet end up believing
that God shared with us a glimpse into the future through a 16th century
forgery.
