Ken Carpenter (1)

This film has little to do with Holy Orthodoxy, at least, not in any overt manner. Are the prophecies attributed to Maelmhaedhoc Ó Morgair, otherwise known as Saint Malachy, in any sense legitimate? Sometimes they are so arcane as to be impossible to find a clear connection with the particular pope referenced. Other times, the correspondences can be somewhat striking. In the succession of popes listed in the prophecies, Pope Francis I would appear to correspond to the last pope described by Malachy as Petrus Romanus in the following words:

LATIN
In persecutione extrema Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, et Judex tremendus judicavit populum suum. Amen.

ENGLISH
In the last persecution of the Holy Roman Church, Peter the Roman will sit, who will shepherd the flock in many tribulations: and when this happens the City of Seven Hills will be destroyed, and the Dreadful Judge will judge His people. Amen.

So end these prophecies attributed to Malachy. Most Roman Catholics who have studied this particular prophecy in connection with the "Third Secret of Fatima" believe it foretells a pope, rivaling the Apostle Peter in saintliness, who will die a martyr's death in connection with the destruction of the Vatican, of Rome, or of the Roman Catholic Church. On the other hand, Protestants intrigued by this prophecy think "Peter the Roman" is either the Beast of Revelation or the False Prophet and that he is called "Peter" because he, like Simon Peter in a moment of weakness, will oppose the Cross, be worthy of the title "Satan," and betray Christ.

People are trying now to find some symbolic association between Pope Francis I and the title "Peter the Roman." One such person, who has since changed his views, is Thomas Horn, a premillenial, pre-tribulation-rapture contributor to this film. In the film, Mr. Horn makes the claim that Francis of Assisi's birth name, Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, "can literally be translated 'Peter the Roman." How Horn came to this conclusion is not at all evident. If we were to translate the name literally into English, it would be "John of Peter of Bernardone" or "Peter of Bernardone's John." This does not mean "Peter the Roman." Pietro (Peter) is not really Francis of Assisi's name. It is his father's name. Apparently, Mr. Horn has since recognized his error because he now claims that Pope Francis, like Benedict, his predecessor, will step down from his office to make way for the False Prophet to occupy it. Such an idea is not completely contrary to Catholic teaching. Some Roman Catholic visionaries have prophesied the apostasy of the papacy.

"Peter," or "Petrus" in Latin, is the only name mentioned in the prophecies of Malachy. The other prophecies are highly symbolic, often referring, it seems, to the heraldry of the popes, though not always. If the other cryptic descriptions of the popes are symbolic, why would we take the name "Peter the Roman" to be more than symbolic? Some have pointed out that Assisi's fortress is called "Rocca Maggiore," meaning "Big Rock," which they wrongly claim is the meaning of "Peter" (Πέτρος). While Petros in Greek does mean "rock" or "stone," it does not necessarily mean "Big Rock," which would be "Petra" like the name of the ancient rock fortress in southern Jordan. Matthew 16:18 states, "And I tell you, you are 'Petros' (a Stone), and on this 'Petra' (Rock of Refuge) I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." The Italian "Rocca Maggiore" could be translated into Greek as "Petra." So we might call Francis of Assisi "Francis of Petra," when referring to his birthplace, or "Francis of Peter," since he is Pietro's son. Another association between the Roman Catholic name "Francis" and Matthew 16:18 pertains to a dream which Pope Innocent III is said to have had regarding Francis of Assisi and three corporeal locutions Francis is said to have received at the delapidated Church of Saint Damian near Assisi.

The Franciscans relate that in 1205, Francis felt moved to enter the Church of Saint Damian to pray. While praying in front of the Crucifix, he heard with his bodily ears a voice from the Crucifix, saying three times, "Francis, go, repair My church which, as you see, is all in ruins!" Francis initially thought this simply referred to the old Church of Saint Damian and went about repairing it. Later Francis traveled to Rome to request the Pope's blessing upon his new "Order of Friars Minor." Pope Innocent did not immediately authorize this new order until he later had a dream. In his dream, Innocent saw the most ancient Church in Rome, the Lateran Basilica, given by Constantine the Great to the city of Rome. The basilica started to teeter towards collapse, but Francis of Assisi appeared in the dream, braced the falling Church with his shoulder, and straightened it back up, causing it to stand upright again.

If the dream given Innocent and the locutions given Francis were from God, we can conclude the following: 1) The Church under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, that is, the Western Church, which had gone solo, cutting itself off from the Eastern Churches, was teetering into collapse. In retrospect, most Orthodox Christians would probably agree with that spiritual diagnosis. 2) God was communicating to both Pope Innocent and Francis that the Church, that is, the Western Church under the pope was in disrepair. The Lateran Basilica is the Cathedral of the "Patriarch of the West"--a title renounced by Benedict XVI on March 2, 2006. The Lateran Cathedral predates the papal claims of universal supremacy. 3) It is that Church, the ancient Church of the West in union with the Eastern Churches, which Francis was being called to repair.

Pope Benedict XVI took another great step away from the Holy Orthodox Church when he renounced his official and traditional title "Patriarch of the West." Why would he do that? Well, if he is "Patriarch of the West," that title seems to detract from his recently-concocted title "Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church." Likewise, Roman Catholic apologists, while acknowledging that Saint Gregory the Great denigrated the title "Universal Bishop," allegedly employed by the Constantinopolitan Patriarch John the Faster to refer to himself, saying that John the Faster was saying that he was the only true bishop in the whole world!!! Meanwhile, these apologists wish us all to believe that Pope Gregory, nevertheless, conceived of himself as "Universal Bishop," meaning all bishops were subject to him. If God was calling Francis of Assisi to repair the Church under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of the West, represented by the Lateran Basilica, it seems that Francis tragically failed. From an Orthodox perspective, it seems the Roman Catholic Church has gone terribly off-kilter. But, perhaps, Francis, in some way, has kept the Roman Catholics from falling further away than they would have fallen had he and his order not exerted their influence.

Enter Pope Francis I. Enter Peter the Roman? Today we see the Roman Catholic Church in much tribulation over the countless, worldwide cases of sexual molestation by priests which have been covered up by the Roman Catholic Hierarchy, from the lowest bishop clear up to the pope. This grave problem has and will certainly continue to result in "many tribulations" like those supposedly prophesied by Malachy the Celtic prophet. It seems though that something major must shift according to the prophecies. The prophecies speak of a "Holy Roman Church." Many Christians of both the East and the West were, at one time, called Romans. The Christians subject to the Roman Empire were certainly Roman. But there were other Churches, further east which were not subject to the Roman Empire. These Christians did not identify themselves as "Roman." In its most ancient usage, the phrase "Holy Roman Church" does not refer to the whole universal Church as the Roman Catholics would claim, but either, 1) to the Churches under the governmental rule of the Roman/Byzantine Empire(s) or Patriarchates, or 2) to the Churches under the Patriarch of the West, the Bishop of Rome, or, perhaps, 3) to the local parishes of the city of Rome. In other words, if Malachy the Prophet truly wrote of "the Holy Roman Church," he would have been speaking, not of a Universal Church throughout the world, but of a localized membership.

Currently, the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church is that the "Holy Roman Church" is the Universal Church. It is unlikely that Malachy would have had that in mind, especially being from the Holy Celtic Church. For Malachy's prophecy to be fulfilled, the pope called "Peter the Roman" will have to have renounced any papal claim to universal jurisdiction. He will have to have united himself and those under him to the Holy Churches of the East. He would then have a limited jurisdiction as the Patriarch of the West. Then the Lateran Basilica would stand once again as the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome and not of some "Supreme Pontificate" built on the shifty sands of the False "Decretals of Isidore" and the forged "Donation of Constantine."

There is an interesting prophecy written by French Roman Catholic Nostradamus, which could have possible implications in this regard if the prophecies of Nostradamus have any truth to them. Century 5, Quatrain 92 of his "Les Propheties" states,

French:
Après le siège tenu dix-sept ans,
Cinq changeront en tel révolu terme:
Puis sera l'un esleu de mesme temps,
Qui des Romains ne sera trop conforme.

English:
After the See held seventeen years,
Five will change at such a bygone term:
Then will be the one elected at the same time,
Who will not be too conforming to the Romans.

Pius XI held the papal See for 17 years. After him, the next five popes who completed their papacy with a "bygone term" like Pius XI on account of death were Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II. Then came Benedict XVI, but he did not complete his term so he cannot be counted among the five "bygone terms." Then came Francis I, "elected at the same time" since Benedict XVI remains alive. If Pope Francis I is the one predicted in this quatrain, Nostradamus prophesied that Francis I "will not be too conforming to the Romans." Does this mean he will not conform to the Romans, meaning the Eastern Christians? Or does it mean he will not conform to the Roman Catholic Church? It would seem to mean he will not conform to the standard "opus operandi" of the Roman Catholic Church since it would be no suprise that a Roman Catholic pope would not conform to the Holy Orthodox Eastern Church. Now would that be non-conformity with the Roman Catholics because he guides his flock toward the Orthodox Church or because he moves even further away?

Another prediction of Nostradamus's "Les Propheties" which may pertain to Francis I is Century 5, Quatrain 49:

French:
Nul de l'Espaigne mais de l'antique France,
Ne sera esleu pour le tremblant nacelle,
A l'ennemy sera faicte fiance,
Qui dans son regne sera peste cruelle.

English:
Not from Spain but from ancient France,
Will be elected for the trembling ship,
He will make a betrothal with the enemy,
Who will be a cruel plague during his reign.

Although Francis I speaks Spanish, he is from a former Spanish colony which is no longer a part of Spain. His parents were from Turin, Italy which once lay within the borders of "ancient France" and the name "Francis" (Francesco) means "Frenchman." He has been "elected for the trembling ship," the Roman Catholic Church, poetically described as "the Barque of Saint Peter," now trembling and reeling with all the allegations of clergy sexual abuse of children and cover-up by the hierarchy. If this prophecy of Nostradamus is speaking of Francis I, then it is said he will make some kind of alliance appearing to be a marriage of sorts with a person or community of persons whose "betrothal" will cause great suffering for him and "deaths" among his sheep during his papal reign. Could this refer to ecclesiastical changes through betrothal with either the Eastern Church or the devil, causing a revolution and schism among the ranks of Roman Catholics? If Francis I is truly prophesied here, these things must shortly come to pass because Francis is already 81 years old.

Of course, after all this is said, the prophecies of Nostradamus and those attributed to Malachy the Celtic Prophet must be taken with a grain of salt. As the Apostle Peter has said, "We have the more certain prophetic word, to which you do well taking heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until this day shall have dawned and the morning star shall have arisen in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation" (2 Peter 1:19-20). As Paul has said, "We know in part, and we prophesy in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9). "You are all children of the light and children of the day... Don't quench the Spirit. Don't treat prophecies with contempt. Test all things. Hold onto what is good" (1Thessalonians 5:5, 19-21). "Stand firm, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by spoken word, or our epistle" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). And as Christ the Lord has said, "Many will say to Me on that Day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name?!'" (Matthew 7:22). "Nevertheless, rejoice not in this..., but that your names are written in heaven!" (Luke 10:20). For "if I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge..., but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2).… (més)