CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga- The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has not only been a shock to many worldwide. In the Christian world, it has also revived interest in two prophecies that revolve around who the next pope will be in the context of "the last times."
One prophecy revolves around St. Malachy who, in the 12th century, prophesied a succession of the popes—from Pope Innocent II who became pontiff in 1140 to the next pope expected to be elected after the recent resignation of Pope Benedict XVI effective this Feb. 28, by ascribing to them uncannily precise descriptions in Latin.
The other is linked to the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to four girls in the remote town of Garabandal, Spain from 1962 to 1965. One of the visionaries, Conchita Gonzalez, was reported to prophesied that after Pope Paul VI, there would only three more popes before the "end of times."
ST. MALACHY
St. Malachy was an Irish priest born in 1094. He accurately predicted his death in 1148. On July 6, 1199, he was declared saint by Pope Clemente III.
Prophetical interest in him is based on his vision when he went to Rome in 1139 to meet with Pope Innocent II.
He saw a list of the next 112 popes until the end of time. He was reported to have listed down the Latin description of each pope and gave this to the Innocent II. The list remained in the Roman archives until it was found its discovery in 1590.
While some have said the list was not authentic, its prophetic precision has remained undoubted.
For example, he described Pope Piux X (1903-1914) as Ignis Ardens or Burning Fire. It was during his reign that war ignited in Europe and spread to other nations.
He his description of Pope John XXIII [1958-1963) was "Pastor et nauta" or Pastor and Mariner.
The appropriateness of the appellation is made clear by the fact that John XXII was archbishop of Palestine around the birth of Israel in 1948 and his being later appointed as cardinal of Venice.
St. Malachy’s descriptions of more recent popes were as clear. Pope Paul VI [1953-1968) was "Flos Florum" or Flower of Flowers). Paul VI belongs to the Montini family who coat of arms depicts fleurs-de-lis.
On the other hand, Pope john Paul I, who reigned only 34 days after Paul VI, was "De Medietate Lunae or Of half Moon as he died during a half moon.
Blessed Pope John Paul II came next, with St. Malachy decribing him as De Loboare Solis or Of the Eclipse of the Sun. During his pontificate, there were no less than 16 solar eclipses on one side of the earth.
There was also a solar eclipse in his native Poland when he was born there on May 18, 1920 and during his funeral on April 8, 2005, the world experienced an unusual solar eclipse.
The saint also had a description of outgoing Pope Benedict XVI. He was Gloria Olivae or the Glory of the Olives.
The current pope’s name recalls the Benedictine Order, also known as Olivetans, whose coat of arms depicts the olive branch.
And now for St. Malachy’s last pope, some say before the "end of times." The saint was quoted to have said:
"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven- hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people."
The saint afterward concluded his list with the statement: "The End."
For many years, some followers of Garabandal theorized that Pope John Paul II’s reign would see “the end of the times”. Although plausible on the surface, this scenario did not come to pass as some expected.
While the pope’s passing is in many ways the end of an era or epoch – especially if considered from a moral perspective – there is nothing to indicate that his demise marks the fulfilment of any particular Garabandal prophecy tied to the warning or miracle.
GARABANDAL PROPHECIES
The Catholic Church has yet to pronounce verdict on it, but the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to four young girls in San Sebastian de Garabandal, Spain from 1961 to 1965 continue to gain following, even among the clergy. There, the Blessed Virgin issued calls for immediate conversion of mankind amid threat of chastisement.
Despite lack of Vatican’s approval, one of Garabandal’s visionaries named Conchita Gonzalez (now an adult with her own family in the US) was said to have been given the blessing of then Pope Paul VI in January of 1966.
Conchita was at that time in Rome for questioning by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, the Prefect of the Holy Office (now the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). Later, she was given a private audience with Paul VI who was noted to have told her: "I bless you and with me the whole Church blesses you."
And that gave credence to the Garabandal apparitions, if not to the prophecies there, especially now amid the shock on Benedict XVI’s resignation.
The story is that on June 3, 1963, visionary Conchita expressed some alarm over the death of John XXIII on that day, as church bells in her village tolled. She remarked to her mother Aniceta: “For sure…now there remain no more than three [popes]!”
Conchita then clarified to her mother that the Blessed Virgin referred to "the end of times" and not "the end of the world" after the three popes, although she admitted not knowing the difference.
There has been conflict on when to start counting the first of the three popes, although most researchers seemed agreed that the count should commence after the reign of Paul VI who succeeded John XXIII.
If this were to be the case, the present pope, Benedict XVI, would be the third after John Paul I who succeeded Paul VI, and John Paul II.
Interpretations on the "end of times" vary as well, with some saying that it refers to a period of tribulation, and not a single Apocalyptic stroke, that already started in the reign of Benedict XVI and will culminate in more forboding prophecies during the reign of his successor.
Indeed, the Garabandal prophecies has been underscored by its three prophesied events: the warning, the miracle and the chastisement whose gravity could be alleviated by conversion of mankind towards God.
The Garabandal visionaries said, however, that the chastisement could no longer be averted.
Details on the chastisement seemed to have been revealed in yet another apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan in 1972, in an event approved as worth of belief by the local ordinary.
But that’s another, albeit related, story.
