Prophecy of the Popes
The Prophecy of the Popes according to Saint Malachy is a list of 112 short Latin phrases purported to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few antipopes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a future pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome and the Last Judgement.
Provenance
The prophecy was first published in 1595 by Arnold de Wyon, a Benedictine historian, as part of his book Lignum Vitæ. Wyon attributed the list to Saint Malachy, a 12-century bishop of Armagh in Ireland. According to the traditional account, in 1139, Malachy was summoned to Rome by Pope Innocent II. While there, he purportedly experienced a vision of future popes, which he recorded as a sequence of cryptic Latin phrases. This manuscript was then deposited in the Roman Archive, and thereafter forgotten about until rediscovered in 1590.
On the other hand, Bernard of Clairvaux's biography of Malachy makes no mention of the prophecy, nor is it mentioned in any record prior to its 1595 publication. This has led to the theory that they are a late 16th century forgery.
Skepticism and authenticity
Those who doubt the prophecy's authenticity claim that the prophecy's mottos fit the earlier popes much better than they do those popes elected after the document's first publication, and that whatever similarities exist between the later popes and their mottos are a product of coincidence and the mottos' vagueness; that is to say, the later prophecies are susceptible to a confirmation bias. For example, the motto De labore Solis, associated with John Paul II, can be an example of statistically likely postdiction, as an eclipse occurs twice or more times in a single year. Since there is no rule stating which event should coincide with the eclipse the odds of a "hit" are high. Using the date of funeral and not his date of death (which lacked any notable solar activity) is suspect and evidence of postdiction, as the date would otherwise be considered insignificant in the prophecy if it did not already fit the assumed interpretation. Ultimately, the rarity or high frequency of whatever type of eclipse is irrelevant, since the date chosen would have no significance if it did not already fit the assumed interpretation.
When Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger chose the name Benedict XVI, this was seen as fulfilling the prophecy for this pope (Gloria Olivae). However, prior to the Papal conclave, 2005, there were numerous speculations in the media as to what could be considered as "fulfilment of the prophecy".
It was said that any pope named Benedict (since Benedictines are known as Olivetans), or any pope from the Benedictine Order, or any Latin American pope (with olive complexion), or any black pope (coinciding with St. Benedict the Black), or any pope with links to Judaism would also fulfill the prophecy, thus giving a very broad array of possibilities.
Also, the choice of the name Benedict for the current pope, while interesting for those who predicted the choice of the name, was not statistically unlikely. The papal names are generally chosen from a fairly limited, traditionally closed list of names and 6% of past popes chose Benedict as their papal name. The only more popular papal name, John, has been chosen by 8% of popes. The media has commented on Pope Benedict XVI's choice of name, stating that Pope Benedict XVI seeks to emulate Pope Benedict XV's legacy of diplomacy and theological conservatism. Ultimately, however, the vagueness of the "Glory of the Olive" prophetic phrase makes postdiction a requirement now that we know the current pope has nothing to do with any of the previously suggested ideas.
The last entry about Petrus Romanus seems to have appeared sometime after 1820 and thus may not be part of the original prophecy. Obviously this calls into question the accuracy of the last motto. Consider also that the prophecy has been public knowledge since 1590. As such, it is easy to make a purposeful effort to fulfill that prophecy by electing someone who matches the prophecy well, or to cause an event that helps the pope match the prophecy. It is possible (although unlikely) Cardinal Ratzinger picked the name Benedict deliberately to fulfill the prophecy.
Interpretation
Interpretation of the mottos has generally relied on finding correspondences between the mottos and the popes' birthplaces, their personal arms, and the events of their pontificates. For example, the first motto, Ex castro Tiberis (From a castle on the Tiber), fits Pope Celestine II's birthplace in Città di Castello, on the Tiber. Pope Clement XIII, whose used a rose as his personal emblem, is called in the prophecy Rosa Umbriae, the rose of Umbria.
In recent times, some interpreters of prophetic literature have drawn attention to the prophecies, both because of their success in finding correspondences between the prophecies and recent popes, and because of the prophecies' imminent conclusion. Interpretations made before the elections of recent Popes have turned out not to accurately predict their papacies. (John Paul II was assumed to be predicted to be named Gregory by the People's Almanac in 1975.)
The Prophecy of the Popes according to Saint Malachy is a list of 112 short Latin phrases purported to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few antipopes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a future pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome and the Last Judgment.
Popes and corresponding mottos
The Prophecies of St Malachy
| Pope No. | Name (Reign) | Motto (Translation) | Historical Reference and Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | Celestine II (1143-1144) | 1 Ex castro Tyberis (From a castle on the Tiber) | Hist.: Celestine II was born in Città di Castello, Tuscany, on the shores of the Tiber |
| 168 | Lucius II (1144-1145) | 2 Inimicus expulsus | |
| 169 | Eugenius III (1145-1153) | 3 Ex magnitudine montis (Of the greatness of the mount) | Born in the castle of Grammont (latin: mons magnus), his family name was Montemagno |
| 170 | Anastasius IV (1153-1154) | 4 Abbas Suburranus | |
| 171 | Adrian IV (1154-1159) | 5 De rure albo (Field of Albe) | Educated in the St Albans School |
| Antipope Victor IV (1159-1164) | 6 Ex tetro carcere | ||
| Antipope Paschal III (1164-1168) | 7 Via trans-Tyberina | ||
| Antipope Calistus III (1168-1178) | 8 De Pannonia Tusciae | ||
| 172 | Alexander III (1159-1181) | 9 Ex ansere custode | |
| 173 | Lucius III (1181-1185) | 10 Lux in ostio | |
| 174 | Urban III (1185-1187) | 11 Sus in cribo | |
| 175 | Gregory VIII (1187) | 12 Ensis Laurentii | |
| 176 | Clement III (1187-1191) | 13 De schola exiet | |
| 177 | Celestine III (1191-1198) | 14 De rure bovensi | |
| 178 | Innocent III (1198-1216) | 15 Comes signatus (Signed Count) | Descendant of the noble Signy, later called Segni family |
| 179 | Honorius III (1216-1227) | 16 Canonicus de latere | |
| 180 | Gregory IX (1227-1241) | 17 Avis Ostiensis (Bird of Ostia) | Before his election he was Cardinal of Ostia |
| 181 | Celestine IV (1241) | 18 Leo Sabinus | |
| 182 | Innocent IV (1243-1254) | 19 Comes Laurentius | |
| 183 | Alexander IV (1254-1261) | 20 Signum Ostiense | |
| 184 | Urban IV (1261-1264) | 21 Hierusalem Campaniae (Jerusalem of Champagne) | Native of Troyes, Champagne, later patriarch of Jerusalem |
| 185 | Clement IV (1265-1268) | 22 Draca depressus | |
| 186 | Gregory X (1271-1276) | 23 Anguinus vir | |
| 187 | Innocent V (1276) | 24 Concionatur Gallus | |
| 188 | Adrian V (1276) | 25 Bonus Comes | |
| 189 | John XXI (1276-1277) | 26 Piscator Tuscus | |
| 190 | Nicholas III (1277-1280) | 27 Rosa composita | |
| 191 | Martin IV (1281-1285) | 28 Ex teloneo liliacei Martini | |
| 192 | Honorius IV (1285-1287) | 29 Ex rosa leonina | |
| 193 | Nicholas IV (1288-1292) | 30 Picus inter escas | |
| 194 | St. Celestine V (1294) | 31 Ex eremo celsus (elevated from a hermit) | Hist.: prior to his election he was a hermit in the monastery of Pouilles |
| 195 | Boniface VIII (1294-1303) | 32 Ex undarum benedictione | |
| 196 | Benedict XI (1303-1304) | 33 Concionator patereus | |
| 197 | Clement V (1305-1314) | 34 De fessis Aquitanicis (Ribbon of Aquitaine) | Archbishop of Bordeaux in Aquitaine |
| 198 | John XXII (1316-1334) | 35 De sutore osseo (Of the cobbler of Osseo) | Family name Ossa, son of a shoe-maker |
| Antipope Nicholas V (1328-1330) | 36 Corvus schismaticus (The schismatic crow) | Hist.: Note the reference to the schism, the only antipope at this period | |
| 199 | Benedict XII (1334-1342) | 37 Frigidus Abbas (Cold friar]]) | Hist.: he was a priest in the monastery of Fontfroide (coldfront) |
| 200 | Clement VI (1342-1352) | 38 De rosa Attrebatensi | |
| 201 | Innocent VI (1352-1362) | 39 De montibus Pammachii | |
| 202 | Urban V (1362-1370) | 40 Gallus Vice-comes | |
| 203 | Gregory XI (1370-1378) | 41 Novus de Virgine forti (Novel of the virgin fort) | Hist.: count of Beaufort, later Cardinal of Ste-Marie La Neuve |
| Antipope Clement VII (1378-1394) | 42 De cruce Apostilica | ||
| Antipope Benedict XIII (1394-1423) | 43 Luna Cosmedina | ||
| Antipope Clement VIII (1423-1429) | 44 Schisma Barcinonicum | ||
| 204 | Urban VI (1378-1389) | 45 De Inferno praegnanti | |
| 205 | Boniface IX (1389-1404) | 46 Cubus de mixtione | |
| 206 | Innocent VII (1404-1406) | 47 De meliore sydere | |
| 207 | Gregory XII (1406-1415) | 48 Nauta de ponte nigro | |
| Antipope Alexander V (1409-1410) | 49 Flagellum Solis | ||
| Antipope John XXIII (1410-1415) | 50 Cervus Sirenae | ||
| 208 | Martin V (1417-1431) | 51 Corona veli aurei | |
| 209 | Eugenius IV (1431-1447) | 52 Lupa caelestina | |
| Antipope Felix V (1439-1449) | 53 Amator crucis | ||
| 210 | Nicholas V (1447-1455) | 54 De modicitate lunae | |
| 211 | Callistus III (1455-1458) | 55 Bos pascens (Grazing ox) | Alphonse Borgia's arms sported a golden grazing ox |
| 212 | Pius II (1458-1464) | 56 De capra et Albergo | |
| 213 | Paul II (1464-1471) | 57 De cervo et Leone | |
| 214 | Sixtus IV (1471-1484) | 58 Piscator Minorita | |
| 215 | Innocent VIII (1484-1492) | 59 Praecursor Siciliae | |
| 216 | Alexander VI (1492-1503) | 60 Bos Albanus in portu | |
| 217 | Pius III (1503) | 61 De parvo homine | |
| 218 | Julius II (1503-1513) | 62 Fructus jovis juvabit | |
| 219 | Leo X (1513-1521) | 63 De craticula Politiana | |
| 220 | Adrian VI (1522-1523) | 64 Leo Florentius | |
| 221 | Clement VII (1523-1534) | 65 Flos pilaei aegri | |
| 222 | Paul III (1534-1549) | 66 Hiacynthus medicorum | |
| 223 | Julius III (1550-1555) | 67 De corona Montana | |
| 224 | Marcellus II (1555) | 68 Frumentum floccidum | |
| 225 | Paul IV (1555-1559) | 69 De fide Petri | |
| 226 | Pius IV (1559-1565) | 70 Aesculapii pharmacum | |
| 227 | St. Pius V (1566-1572) | 71 Angelus nemorosus | |
| 228 | Gregory XIII (1572-1585) | 72 Medium corpus pilarum | |
| 229 | Sixtus V (1585-1590) | 73 Axis in medietate signi | |
| 230 | Urban VII (1590) | 74 De rore caeli | |
| 231 | Gregory XIV (1590-1591) | 75 De antiquitate Urbis | |
| 232 | Innocent IX (1591) | 76 Pia civitas in bello | |
| 233 | Clement VIII (1592-1605) | 77 Crux Romulea | |
| 234 | Leo XI (1605) | 78 Undosus Vir | |
| 235 | Paul V (1605-1621) | 79 Gens perversa | |
| 236 | Gregory XV (1621-1623) | 80 In tribulatione pacis | |
| 237 | Urban VIII (1623-1644) | 81 Lilium et rosa | |
| 238 | Innocent X (1644-1655) | 82 Jucunditas crucis | |
| 239 | Alexander VII (1655-1667) | 83 Montium custos (Guardian of the Hills) | Had his family crest three hills with a star above them. |
| 240 | Clement IX (1667-1669) | 84 Sydus Olorum (constellation of swans) | Upon his election, he was apparently the occupant of the Chamber of Swans in the Vatican. |
| 241 | Clement X (1670-1676) | 85 De flumine magno | |
| 242 | Innocent XI (1676-1689) | 86 Bellua insatiabilis | |
| 243 | Alexander VIII (1689-1691) | 87 Poenitentia gloriosa | |
| 244 | Innocent XII (1691-1700) | 88 Rastrum in porta | |
| 245 | Clement XI (1700-1721) | 89 Flores circumdati | |
| 246 | Innocent XIII (1721-1724) | 90 De bona Religione | |
| 247 | Benedict XIII (1724-1730) | 91 Miles in bello | |
| 248 | Clement XII (1730-1740) | 92 Columna excelsa | |
| 249 | Benedict XIV (1740-1758) | 93 Animal rurale | |
| 250 | Clement XIII (1758-1769) | 94 Rosa Umbriae (The Rose of Umbria) | Served in Umbria before becoming pope - Umbria's emblem is the rose |
| 251 | Clement XIV (1769-1774) | 95 Ursus velox (Swift Bear) | Had the image of a running bear on his family crest |
| 252 | Pius VI (1775-1799) | 96 Peregrinus Apostolicus (Apostolic Wanderer) | Spent the last years of his life as a fugitive from the policial aftermath of the French Revolution |
| 253 | Pius VII (1800-1823) | 97 Aquila rapax | |
| 254 | Leo XII (1823-1829) | 98 Canis et coluber | |
| 255 | Pius VIII (1829-1830) | 99 Vir religiosus | |
| 256 | Gregory XVI (1831-1846) | 100 De balneis hetruriae (From the Baths of Etruria) | Prior to his election he was member of an order founded by Saint Romuald, at Balneo, in Etruria, present day Toscany. |
| 257 | Pius IX (1846-1878) | 101 Crux de cruce | |
| 258 | Leo XIII (1878-1903) | 102 Lumen in caelo | |
| 259 | St. Pius X (1903-1914) | 103 Ignis ardent (Ardent Fire) | Ignis ardens, which in English means "ardent fire", is the motto of St. Pius X, who ruled from 1903 to 1914. He was known for his great personal piety and strong devotion to the church, advocating reforms such as the codification of Canon law, daily communion and the Gregorian chant in the Catholic liturgy. |
| 260 | Benedict XV (1914-1922) | 104 Religio depopulata (Religion Laid Waste) | During Pope Benedict XV's reign, which began in 1914 and ended in 1922, two significant events occurred - World War I, which killed 15 million people in Europe, and the October Revolution in Russia, which established the atheist Soviet Union. |
| 261 | Pius XI (1922-1939) | 105 Fides intrepida (Intrepid Faith) | Fides intrepida, or "intrepid faith", corresponds to pope Pius XI.
This pope released the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge which condemned Nazi racism and also signed agreements with fascist Italy which, among other things, gave the Vatican sovereignty, established the pope as head of state, and added 700 million Lire to the church coffers. Pius reigned from 1922 to 1939. |
| 262 | Pius XII (1939-1958) | 106 Pastor angelicus (An Angelic Shepherd) | Pius XIII began his reign as Pope in 1939 and died in 1958.
His motto is Pastor Angelicus (angelic pastor). This pope was known to be very mystical, and it was believed that he received visions. Whenever he telephoned someone the recepient would always kneel. His writings added greatly to understanding of Catholic beliefs and church doctrine. |
| 263 | John XXIII (1958-1963) | 107 Pastor et Nauta (Pastor and Marine) | John XXIII, whose reign lasted from 1958 - 1963, bears the motto Pastor et Nauta (pastor and marine). Prior to his election he was patriarch of Venice, which is a maritime city, famous for is waterways and gondolas. |
| 264 | Paul VI (1963-1978) | 108 Flos florum (Flower of Flowers) | his arms displayed three lilies. |
| 265 | John Paul I (1978) | 109 De medietate Lunae (of the Half of the Moon) | Albino Luciani, born in Canale d'Ogardo, diocese of Belluno, (beautiful moon) Elected pope on August 26, his reign lasted about a month, from half a moon to the next half... |
| 266 | John Paul II (1978-2005) | 110 De labore Solis (of the Eclipse of the Sun, or from the Labour of the Sun) | Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920 during a solar eclipse. He also comes from behind the former Iron Curtain. He might also be seen to be the fruit of the intercession of the Woman Clothed with the Sun labouring in Revelation 12 (because of his devotion to the Virgin Mary). |
| 267 | Benedict XVI (2005-) | 111 Gloria olivae (The Glory of the olive) | *See below |
| 268 | ??? | In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis ciuitas septicollis diruetur, & Iudex tremêdus iudicabit populum suum. Finis. (In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The End.) |
Contemporary Popes and the Prophecy
Pope Paul VI (Flos florum)
Pope Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 - 1978, is described in the prophecies as Flos florum (flower of flowers). His personal arms bore three fleurs-de-lis. However, this disregards all the other papal arms that had flowers on them as well.
Pope John Paul I (De medietate Lunae)
His successor, Pope John Paul I, corresponds to the prophetic motto De medietate Lunae (Of the half-moon). It could also be interpreted as de media aetate lunae, meaning of the average age of the moon. He was elected on August 26, 1978, the day after the moon reached its last quarter, and reigned for 33 days, approximately five days longer than a lunar cycle. He died the day before the new moon. However, a much simpler explanation might be that he was born on the day of the half moon: on October 17, 1912, the moon was in its first quarter. Other point to the translation of his native diocese, Belluno, as "beautiful moon", or his name before becoming pope, Albino Luciano, or "white light".
Pope John Paul II (De labore Solis)
The prophetic motto corresponding to Pope John Paul II is De labore Solis, which literally means "Of the labor of the sun", but "labores solis" also means solar eclipse. Pope John Paul II was born on May 18, 1920, the day of a partial solar eclipse over the Indian Ocean, and buried on April 8, 2005, the day of a rare "hybrid" eclipse over the southwestern Pacific and South America.
It has also been suggested that the associated Latin phrase could also be a cryptic term for de borealis sol, of the northern sun, being a luminary coming from Poland to the north; this would be very ungrammatical Latin, however. It has also so happened that an abnormally high number of sunspots have been recorded throughout all the many years of his pontificate. Another interpretation points simply to the sun rising in the east and his being the first Pope from Eastern Europe. Yet another is that he was the first Pope to go around the world, as the Sun does.
Pope Benedict XVI (Gloria Olivae)
The next motto is Gloria Olivae, the glory of the olive. Prior to the papal conclave, this motto led to speculation that the next pontiff would be from the Order of Saint Benedict, whose symbols include the olive branch. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, selected in April 2005, is not a Benedictine, but did pick Benedict XVI as his papal name, which might be regarded as a fulfillment of this prophecy.
It must be noted that, probably thanks to the Prophecy, the betting site PaddyPower accurately predicted that Benedict would have the highest odds of being the future papal name.
Yet there can also be a different meaning. Pope Benedict XVI had his birthday on the April 16 and on that day is celebrated the feast of Saint Benedict Joseph Labrè (March 26 1748 - April 16 1783), also known as the Holy Pilgrim. His first name was already Joseph and together with Benedict, which he has now assumed, his Christian namesake is now complete. Moreover, the Order of St Benedict is also known as that of the Olivetans.
Alternatively, less specific interpreters have predicted that he will promote world peace (as in an olive branch). The late self-proclaimed Pope Clemente Domínguez y Gómez of the Palmarian Catholic Church used to claim that he was the glory of the olive.
There had already been, before the election of pope, a concomitance in two unrelated events occurring on the opening date of the 2005 Conclave. First, a Turkish presidential candidate won overnight the northern Cyprus elections favouring re-unification peace talks of the two sectors; the Cyprus flag has two inter-locking olive branches in it. Secondly, the Italian Prime Minister has seriously been considering resigning and holding early general elections succumbing to pressure from the leftist opposition called l'Ulivo.
Petrus Romanus
The longest and final motto reads, "In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis ciuitas septicollis diruetur, & Iudex tremêdus iudicabit populum suum. Finis." (During the final persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep in many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed, and the terrible Judge will judge his people. The End.) According to some sources, this was not a part of the original prophecy but was added in the early 19th Century by a publisher.
There are several interpretations regarding the last Popes listed by St. Malachy taken by those who believe the prophecies:
- Regarding whether additional Popes, not listed by St. Malachy occur between Gloria Olivae and Petrus Romanus the following differing views are held:
- Gloria Olivae is immediately followed by Petrus Romanus.
- there is a gap of unknown length between these two Popes, about which Malachy did not write.
- Regarding whether the Papacy ends with Petrus Romanus, the following differing views are held:
- Petrus Romanus will be the final Pope. The end of his papacy will mark either the end of the papacy, the end of the Church, or the end of the world.
- There will be additional Popes following Petrus Romanus, about which Malachy did not write. There is also possibility that these additional popes might be considered antipopes, which could justify their omission in St. Malachy's eyes.