POPE FRANCIS: FIRST AND LAST?

According to the prophecies of St. Malachy, the 112th Pope from the time of his prophecy would be the last to serve, and his name would be Petrus Romanus, Peter of Rome.  His prophecy concerning the newly elected Pope reads:  In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.  Before I address this prophecy, lets look at what has just occurred.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergolio was elected as the 112th Pope, and because it is said that he chose the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi (118?-1226), people are quick to point out that St. Malachy was wrong.  However, St. Francis was born Francesco di Pietro (Peter in Latin) di Bernardone! 

In addition, it is equally possible that he chose the name to honor another Francis who is connected to the name Peter.  The man who coined the phrase, "the Dark Ages," in the 1330s, who, also known as the "Father of Humanism," was the Italian scholar Francesco Petrarca (Francis Peter).  It was during "the Dark Ages" that the other five Popes resigned.  Because Pope Francis is following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the first Pope to resign in nearly 600 years, and because of the state of affairs within the Church and in the world itself, one cannot help but think of our times as a new "Dark Age."  

According to the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis is the first Pope, other than Peter, to be a non-European, and the first Jesuit to lead the Church.  It is noteworthy that the Jesuits are also known colloquially as "God's Marines," and their leader is called "the Superior General." The Jesuits were founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1551, to fight against Mohammedanism, but it "coincidentally" began at the time of the Protestant Reformation.  Islam and Protestantism are the two greatest threats to the Roman Catholic Church today.

 

So was St. Malachy wrong?  Look again at the prophecy.  The last Pope will serve during the Tribulation (the Church of Laodicea - Rev. 3:11-22).  The "city on seven hills" is described in Revelation 17:9-18.  The "dreadful Judge" will be Jesus Christ (Rev. 18:8; 19:2, 11).

 

Believe St. Malachy or not, the time of the end is at hand:  turn from sin to Christ!