The "Glory of the Olives" - Revisiting St. Malachy's Prophecies

Ok, just to get this out in the open before you read it a hundred other places...from Catholic Planet regarding the prophecy of St. Malachy. If you recall, this is the controversial series of prophecies which reportedly predict the succession of popes up to the Apocalypse. Most wiseacres concur that JPII was the 3rd to last on the list, and that therefore the 2nd to last Pope will in some manner represent the phrase "Gloria Olivae", or "Glory of the Olives".

Take these prophesies for what you will, I just report it because it's appropriate to the theme of this website....

The First Pope After John Paul II

"Pope #111 on St. Malachy's list is given the phrase: “From the Glory of the Olive.” This prophetic phrase has several meanings which correctly apply to the next Pope after John Paul II.

a. What is the glory of the olive? The olive branch is a well-known symbol of peace. The glory of the olive is peace. The next Pope after John Paul II will be a man of great peace. Peace will be his banner, peace will be his work, peace will be his goal. He will seek peace among individuals, among nations, among Catholics, between Catholics and other Christians, and between Catholics and adherents of other religions. The next Pope after John Paul II will have a Pontificate distinguished for seeking Peace around the world. He is correctly called the Pope of Peace.

St. Malachy's prophecy about John Paul II fit his Pontificate well, once it began. But, before being elected Pope, Karol Wojtyla did not distinguish himself by traveling constantly. The next Pope after John Paul II may not have distinguished himself yet in works of peace-making. Or, he may have distinguished himself in peace-making in God's eyes, but not yet in the eyes of the world.

b. Some say that this prediction of St. Malachy, “From the Glory of the Olive,” refers to the Order of St. Benedict, because they have a well-known group within their order called the 'Olivetans.' There is some merit to this idea. But it does not mean that this Pope will come from the Order of St. Benedict, but rather that he will take the name of Saint Benedict and will live in imitation of him.

c. The next Pope after John Paul II will take the name Pope Benedict XVI, in imitation of Saint Benedict and also of Pope Benedict XV. Just as Pope Benedict XV was an emissary of peace, so will Pope Benedict XVI be an emissary of peace. Just as Pope Benedict XV sought peace and spoke of peace and wrote papal documents seeking peace, so will Pope Benedict XVI do also. Just as Pope Benedict XV failed to achieve peace in the world, so will Pope Benedict XVI fail to achieve peace in the world. Just as the Pontificate of Benedict XV began prior to World War I, so will the Pontificate of Benedict XVI occur prior to World War III. After the Pontificate of Benedict XVI, World War III will begin. The Arab nations will threaten and attack the United States; they will threaten, attack, invade and conquer Europe; they will threaten, attack, invade and conquer the northern part of Africa. It is God's will.

d. Pope Benedict XVI will be like Saint Benedict, who lived in the fifth and sixth centuries. He will be a man dedicated to peace and holiness. There is another Saint Benedict, a well-known Saint called Saint Benedict the Black (il moro santo, the holy Moor). Pope Benedict XVI will also be like Saint Benedict the Black. Pope Benedict XVI will be a black man, like Saint Benedict the Moor. He will be a holy Pope, who reinforces the teaching of the Church in opposition to the errors of modern culture. [Note added April 19, 2005: I was mistaken when I thought that the next pope after John Paul II would be black. I am fallible. My predictions are also fallible. By the way, the prediction that the next pope after John Paul II would be black is not a figure of speech, nor a metaphor. I was simply wrong.]

e. Pope Benedict XVI is mentioned in Sacred Scripture, in a hidden manner.

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.” (Mt 17:1-8).

This passage from Sacred Scripture describes both a true historical event, which occurred to Jesus and his disciples, and a future event which will occur in the Church. Concerning the future event, the figures of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah represent Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The transfiguration of Jesus represents a transfiguring event in the Christian Church. Peter represents the Pope of that time.

The Church will experience an event that will begin to transfigure the Church to greater holiness. Pope Benedict XVI will be Pope at that time. Very soon after that event, Pope Benedict XVI will suggest to the world that three booths, that is, three places, be built in Jerusalem: a Temple, a Church, and a Mosque. He will suggest that the city of Jerusalem become a place of peace and of worship for all three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Luke's Gospel adds a comment about Peter's suggestion: “not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33). This suggestion of Pope Benedict XVI will not take place, at least not anytime in the near future. Instead of peace, war will break out. First a small war will occur among the Arab nations (A.D. 2009). Then, a great war will begin between the Arab nations and the western nations (A.D. 2010).

When the transfiguration of Jesus was completed, they arose and saw only Jesus. When the initial transfiguration of the Church is accomplished (by A.D. 2040), Christianity will be the dominant religion in Israel and in Jerusalem and in the world. When the transfiguration of the Church on earth is mature (in the mid 25th century A.D.), Christianity will be the only religion on earth. In that future time, everyone on earth will be a Catholic Christian.

f. Pope Benedict XVI will die prior to, or at the very beginning of, World War III. Therefore, he will die in either 2009 or 2010. His reign will be short, like the reign of the holy Pope who reigns after him. I am not certain when Pope Benedict's reign will begin. He must have some number of years in his brief reign, to accomplish his tasks of peace-making. He must therefore be elected soon. "

Here is a more complete listing of the St. Malachy prophecies for the succession of Popes, from Catholic-Pages.com. And the commentary there is well worth relating:

"The prevailing view today is that they are elaborate forgeries, probably perpretrated by a school of Jesuits in the 1600s. This is based on the clear relation of the mottos to the various popes until that period, and the need to find oblique references (such as the motto of the Pope's home diocese) to make the particular motto fit the particular pope. The inclusion of anti-popes would also appear to militate against the authenticity of the prophecies.

Nevertheless, as each new conclave comes and goes, people start to become a bit jittery about them (since the list runs out soon!).

Apparently, in 1958, before the Conclave that would elect Pope John XXIII, Cardinal Spellman of New York hired a boat, filled it with sheep and sailed up and down the Tiber River, to show that he was "pastor et nautor", the motto attibuted to the next Pope in the prophecies!

I think they are a bit of fun, and the semantic exercise of trying to fit the motto to the Pope that goes on in letters to the editor around the world is great reading!"

Now the prophecies of St. Malachy may very well be nothing but a "bit of fun" and a "semantic exercise", but nevertheless they are also very well known throughout the Catholic Church, and would certainly have been a consideration in one respect or another by the recent College of Cardinals (if nothing more than being the proverbial "elephant in the room" that everyone is aware of but no one wants to speak about). So it seems to me that the taking of the name Benedict seems, if nothing else, downright inappropriate....

But then, there is this interesting passage at Fatima.org, from a section regarding the un-released Third Secret of Fatima (the apparition of Mary, Mother of God to the three children at Fatima occurred, it might be noted, during the reign of the last "Benedict", Pope Benedict XV--presumably the one Ratzinger takes his name from):

"In an interview conducted in November 1984, Cardinal Ratzinger (of the Holy Office) confirmed that, with the Pope’s permission, he had read the Secret and that it concerns, in his words, "a radical call to conversion, the absolute gravity of history, the dangers threatening the Faith and the life of a Christian, and therefore the world. And also the importance of the last times." The Cardinal went on to explain that "if it is not published ... it is to avoid confusing religious prophecy with sensationalism. But the things contained in the Third Secret correspond to what has been announced in Scripture and are confirmed by many other Marian apparitions.""

The Blessed Virgin admonished that this Third Secret was to be revealed to the Faithful no later than 1960. Despite this, it has not been reported to this day. Nonetheless, it is widely regarded that the Third Secret foretells of a growing "spirit of dissolution" within the Church...and given the admitted "Apocalyptic" ties, it very likely speaks of the rise of the Anti-Church.

From here, I'll leave off further speculation for more serious conspiracy scholars than I (as a matter of fact, I see Jeff Wells at Rigorous Intuition already has a piece out...). But suffice it to say, the name Benedict would appear to be highly indicative that Ratzinger sees both himself and his place in Church history as being of pivotal importance....

Comments

[Delilah Boyd]

I linked to this excellent post from my online column (Blog Box), which will be published tomorrow morning (on www.democraticunderground.com). DU has over 60,000 registered members and lots more casual readers.

Just thought I'd give you a Heads Up.

Delilah Boyd
http://www.ascrivenerslament.blogspot.com/

[Howard Cain, Jr.]

I take this business quite seriously. St. Malachy's prophecy has withstood the test of time,over 800 years, much better than most. As cryptic and allusive as the prophecy may seem, it doesn't require nearly as much stretching and twisting as is needed to make Nostradamus' prophecies fit into reality. For example take the latest Pope, described as "from the labor or stress of the sun". This man was born during an eclipse, buried during another one, and, to the detriment of his own health, travelled the world relentlessly just like the sun. That connection is no stretch. The new pope, "the olives' glory", is making peace overtures already only a week into his tenure. He invited the Chief Rabbi of Rome to his installation ceremony. This is quite an overture considering his background in the Wehrmacht and the simmering feelings concerning the Catholic Church's position on the Nazis during that conflict. Popes previous to John Paul II fit in quite well too. This whole scenario bears watching.

[MoRae]

I am not Catholic but am a bible believing Christian and after briefly studying St. Malachy's prophesies I feel led to share with you and your fellow members something I stumbled upon a few months ago-on national prayer day/honesty day?

www.youtube.com enter... prophesy of the century (there are 2 apx 8 minuted videos, Part I & Part II) or here is the link...

Watch both of them and leave your take, please?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUH4fu4NheQ

St. Malachy is mentioned in these clips and I believe however controversial it may be that it is the downright truth! However, only God knows and only time will tell.