St Malachi was a 12th-century Irish archbishop who allegedly wrote a series of cryptic prophecies about the future popes of the Catholic Church. According to some interpretations, his prophecy predicts the demise of the Vatican and the Catholic Church, and has the potential to change the whole human consciousness of God. But how accurate are his prophecies, and what do they mean for the current and future state of the world’s largest religion?
The Origin and Content of the Prophecy
The prophecy of St Malachi, also known as the Prophecy of the Popes, is a list of 112 short phrases in Latin that describe the characteristics or events related to each pope from the papal reign of Celestine II in 1143 to the present day and beyond. The prophecy was first published in 1595 by a Benedictine monk named Arnold de Wyon, who claimed to have found it in the archives of the Vatican. However, some scholars doubt the authenticity of the prophecy, and suggest that it was a forgery or a hoax, possibly created to influence the papal elections or to promote a certain agenda.
The prophecies are notable for the fact that they mention the pope’s place of origin, coat of arms, name, motto, or the events of his reign, and that their content corresponds to historical facts, at least for the popes before the 16th century. For example, the prophecy for Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644) is Lilium et Rosa (Lily and Rose), which matches his coat of arms that features a lily and a rose. The prophecy for Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) is De bonitate terrae (Of the goodness of the earth), which refers to his birthplace of Bologna, known as the fertile city.
The Last Popes and the End of the Church
The prophecy of St Malachi has gained more attention and controversy in recent times, as it approaches its end. According to the prophecy, there are only two more popes after Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned in 2013. The current pope, Francis, is the 111th pope on the list, and his prophecy is Gloria olivae (The glory of the olive). Some interpreters associate this with the Order of Saint Benedict, also known as the Olivetans, or with the olive branch as a symbol of peace. Others see it as a reference to his birth name, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, which contains the letters O, L, I, and V.
The last pope on the list, the 112th pope, is described as Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman), who will shepherd his flock amid many tribulations, and then the city of seven hills (Rome) will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge (Christ) will judge his people. This is widely interpreted as a prophecy of the end of the Catholic Church, and possibly the end of the world, as a result of a great apostasy, a schism, a persecution, a war, a natural disaster, or a divine intervention.
The prophecy of St Malachi has been the subject of many speculations, interpretations, and criticisms, and its validity and reliability are highly disputed. Some believers see it as a warning and a guide for the faithful, while some skeptics see it as a self-fulfilling or a retroactive prophecy, that is, a prophecy that is either made or modified after the events have already happened. Some even suggest that the prophecy is a hoax or a forgery, and that it has no connection to the real St Malachi, who was a reformer and a visionary, but not a prophet.
The Implications for the Future of Humanity
The prophecy of St Malachi is not the only source of apocalyptic predictions for the future of the Catholic Church and humanity. There are many other prophecies, visions, and revelations, from various sources and traditions, that foresee a dramatic change or a crisis in the religious landscape of the world. Some of these prophecies touch on important events related to religion, such as inter-religious wars, the rise of the Antichrist, the conversion of the Jews, the emergence of a false prophet, the appearance of the Mahdi, the return of Jesus, and the changes in the certainty of the existence of God, which could affect the beliefs of humanity as a whole.
Whether these prophecies are true or false, they reflect the hopes, fears, and expectations of many people who are concerned about the fate of their faith and their world. They also raise important questions about the role and the relevance of religion in the modern society, and the challenges and opportunities that it faces in the face of globalization, secularization, pluralism, and diversity. How will the Catholic Church and other religions adapt and respond to the changing times and circumstances? How will they cope with the conflicts and the dialogues that arise from the interactions and the coexistence of different faiths and cultures? How will they contribute to the peace and the progress of humanity, and to the protection and the preservation of the planet?
These are some of the questions that the prophecy of St Malachi and other similar prophecies invite us to ponder and to explore, as we look forward to the future with curiosity and caution, with hope and humility, and with faith and reason.
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