Well, as everyone should know by now, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has been chosen as the Pope to lead the Roman Catholic Church. As an academic, theologian, and German, I can respect the decision of the cardinals to elect an academic, theologian, and German. I am eager to see what direction this newest Pontiff will take the Catholic church and hopefully I will be able to watch his inaugural mass this week to hear the agenda he is likely to set in his homily.
My brother-in-law, Paul, who pontificates at Attitude Central on a wide range of popular culture, political, and occasionally religious issues called my attention to the Prophecies of Saint Malachy. Apparently, this saint of the Catholic Church prophesied epithets concerning 112 popes from his own day to the destruction of Rome or "the End." Since the days of this prophetic speech, there have been 111 popes, including the newly elected Pope Benedict XVI. We are, therefore, now only one Pope away from "the End," assuming that the 111th and 112th popes follow in sequence and are not separated by unprophesied popes.
Not surprisingly, eager eschatologists have found reason to identify each of the 111 popes to date with the epithets prophesied by St. Malachy. With respect to the 111th, St. Malachy named him "Gloria olivae": the Glory of the Olive. The olive is the emblem of the Benedictine Order, and though as far as I can tell Ratzinger is not member of that order, he did take the name of its patron: Saint Benedict. For more theories and coincidences, see also Wikipedia's Prophecy of the Popes.
The next pope according to St. Malachy: Petrus Romanus. He will lead the flock in the day of tribulations. Considering that Pope Benedict XVI is 78 years old, I guess the end will arrive, God willing, in my lifetime.
Interesting and provocative? Certainly. Believable? Hmmm... Malachy and malarky look and sound very similar to me. Of course, if the next pope takes the name Peter the Roman, I'm repenting of my lack of faith and joining the Catholic Church.
UPDATE: According to a wonderfully sensational website, the "problem with the prophecies as listed in The Prophecies of St. Malachy, published by the Thomas A. Nelson, a Catholic Publishing House, is that Malachy's original works listed only 111 Popes, not 112, as given in the TAN version of the prophecies." The prophecy concerning Peter the Roman is a subsequent addition to the work. Hmmm... no end times yet? Or, maybe, the Gloria olivae is the last Pope?
Pope Benedict XVI: Gloria olivae?
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