Papal Prophecy & Probable Power
Well, this has been a hell of a week for fans of my favourite talk-radio show Coast to Coast AM The big subject has been, like in all other sectors of life, the death of the Pope.
As the world watched John Paul's health decline, a gentleman from Trumpeter's Mission decreed that the Pope would be cured by a "group of mystics" who would gain great influence in the Vatican. Of course, this didn't happen. The gentleman in question now attributes his erroneous call on other "mystics" who gave him false information.
Coast-to-Coast listeners are also making a big deal about the fact the Pope was born under an eclipse, and that his funeral also coincides with another eclipse. This is an interesting bit of trivia, and many predictions for the future of the Catholic Church are coming our way. In the meantime, I'll keep my up with the coming Conclave and hope that some of those Marxist Latin American cardinals don't get elected.
Of course, there's always the St. Malachy Prophecies. This interesting set of Latin phrases is supposed to describe the Pontiffs from the reign of Celestine II in the Twelfth Century all the way to the "Last Pope", described as "Petrus Romanus". A recent guest on Coast-to-Coast, self-described "rogue" astrologer John Hogue. Mr. Hogue wrote a book about said prophecies, entitled The Last Pope. According to these prophecies, we only have two Pontiffs left before judgment day. Here are the recent pontiffs described:
Pastor angelicus (An Angelic Pastor) Pius XII: 1939-1958
Pastor et nauta (Shepherd and Sailor) John XXIII: 1958-1963
Flos florum (A Flower of Flowers) Paul VI: 1963-1978
De medietate lunæ (From the Half Moon) John Paul I: 1978
De labore solis (From the Suns Labor) John Paul II: 1978-2005
Now, some of these are rather convincing - Paul VI had three lilies on his crest (hence the flower), and his Papacy represented the flowering of knowledge as Vatican II came into force. The John Pauls are also convincing- John Paul I lasted about a month, from one half-moon to another, and JPII's title can also be construed to mean "Laborer of the East", hinting at his Polish ancestry.
Conversely, a lot of them don't fit. Pius XII is known as the "Angelic Pastor". The Jews might wish to contend that, considering Pius XII horrific failure to condemn the Holocaust. John XXIII's title of "shepherd and sailor" only fits in the most cursory fashion- John was the pastor of Venice before he became Pope. This sort of cursory fit seems more or less typical of this list.
Given my cursory knowledge of Renaissance Popes, let's examine them:
Præcursor Siciliæ (A Forerunner from Sicily) Innocent VIII: 1484-1492
Innocent VIII was Genoese, not Sicilian, though he did spend time at the Neapolitan court. However, this court was in Naples, not in Sicily. His forerunner, Sixtus VI, was also Genoese, not Sicilian. A cursory fit at best.
Bos Albanus in portu (An Alban Bull in the Port) Alexander VI: 1492-1503
My least favourite renaissance pope (which is saying a lot), Alexander was a Spaniard named Rodrigo Borgia. Albanus might be a reference to Britain, which makes no sense. Amusingly, his successor refused to say mass for the departed Alexander, saying "it is blasphemous to say mass for the souls of the damned."
De parvo homine (From a Little Man) Pius III: 1503
Reigned for only twenty-six days. I know little about him, except that he tried to reform the corrupt Papacy after Alexander VI's orgies and nepotism. I have no information about his height.
Fructus Jovis juvabit (The Fruit of Jupiter Will Help) Julius II: 1503-1513
My favourite renaissance Pope, Julius was more a soldier than a priest. His operative quote might be his remark before riding off to meet the King of France in battle- "Let's see who has bigger balls." Julius was very king-like, and sought the unification of Italy under the Papacy. Jupiter is usually associated with kings, though an association with Mars might be more appropriate.
De craticula Politiana (From a Politian Gridiron) Leo X: 1513-1521
Leo X is the archetypical renaissance pope. A Medici, he remarked upon his accession to the Throne of Peter that "God has given us the Papacy. Let us enjoy it." He was corrupt, nepotistic, and used his anal fistula as an excuse to engage in hunting and mock poetic triumphs involving elephants. He came from a political family, which might make sense, though the Latin phrase is rather confusing.
Leo Florentinus (A Lion of Florence) Adrian VI: 1522-1523
This makes no sense whatsoever. Adrian VI was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II. He was a Dutchman, not a Florentine. His priestly career focused on Spain primarily, and the Spanish Emperor Charles V was instrumental in his election. He attempted to re-form the Church and was known for his modest habits. This didn't please the Italian noble families, and they were glad when he died after a short Pontificate. Most of his papers disappeared. My second favourite renaissance Pope, Adrian claimed that the Pope could err in matters of faith (haeresim per suam determinationem aut Decretalem assurondo). This doesn't sit well with many Catholics who like the Vatican I doctrines. It sits very well with me, however.
Flos pilæ ægri (From the Flower of the Ball) Clement VII: 1523-1534
Another Medici. This phrase actually fits well, as Clement was the better of the two Medici popes. The Medici family coat-of-arms has balls (palle in Italian) on it, and is still visible in many Florentine buildings. Was Pope during the Sack of Rome, during which he hid in the Castel Sant'Angelo and was almost killed by French musket-fire. He was a shrewd diplomat, but didn't fit in well. During his reign, Henry VIII broke off with the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England.
As you can see, this list is pretty spotty when it comes to predictions. Here are the last two Popes:
Gloria olivae (From the Glory of Olives) - ? : 2005-?
If taken at face value, it sounds like an Italian will re-capture the throne of St. Peter and will be well respected and do much for the Church. Though I'd prefer an African, anyone who continues in JPII's tradition will be respected. More reforms of the Roman Church would be nice though.
Petrus Romanus- 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 Roman church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will pacify the sheep in many tribulations, at the end of whose term the city of Seven Hills will be destroyed and the whole world (literally "populace") will be judged by the Great Judge. The End."
Doesn't bode well for the chances of the planet, does it?
On a happier note (and also on Coast to Coast), an extremely clever Australian has solved the efficiency issues regarding wind power by sending the windmill to 15,000 feet! The efficiency of this machine might be as high as 90% in some areas, and it's completely clean. It uses electric motors to stay aloft, which run off its own power. The rest of the power is transmitted via cable to the ground. There's no fossil fuel, no nuclear waste, and it's cheap.
As the world watched John Paul's health decline, a gentleman from Trumpeter's Mission decreed that the Pope would be cured by a "group of mystics" who would gain great influence in the Vatican. Of course, this didn't happen. The gentleman in question now attributes his erroneous call on other "mystics" who gave him false information.
Coast-to-Coast listeners are also making a big deal about the fact the Pope was born under an eclipse, and that his funeral also coincides with another eclipse. This is an interesting bit of trivia, and many predictions for the future of the Catholic Church are coming our way. In the meantime, I'll keep my up with the coming Conclave and hope that some of those Marxist Latin American cardinals don't get elected.
Of course, there's always the St. Malachy Prophecies. This interesting set of Latin phrases is supposed to describe the Pontiffs from the reign of Celestine II in the Twelfth Century all the way to the "Last Pope", described as "Petrus Romanus". A recent guest on Coast-to-Coast, self-described "rogue" astrologer John Hogue. Mr. Hogue wrote a book about said prophecies, entitled The Last Pope. According to these prophecies, we only have two Pontiffs left before judgment day. Here are the recent pontiffs described:
Pastor angelicus (An Angelic Pastor) Pius XII: 1939-1958
Pastor et nauta (Shepherd and Sailor) John XXIII: 1958-1963
Flos florum (A Flower of Flowers) Paul VI: 1963-1978
De medietate lunæ (From the Half Moon) John Paul I: 1978
De labore solis (From the Suns Labor) John Paul II: 1978-2005
Now, some of these are rather convincing - Paul VI had three lilies on his crest (hence the flower), and his Papacy represented the flowering of knowledge as Vatican II came into force. The John Pauls are also convincing- John Paul I lasted about a month, from one half-moon to another, and JPII's title can also be construed to mean "Laborer of the East", hinting at his Polish ancestry.
Conversely, a lot of them don't fit. Pius XII is known as the "Angelic Pastor". The Jews might wish to contend that, considering Pius XII horrific failure to condemn the Holocaust. John XXIII's title of "shepherd and sailor" only fits in the most cursory fashion- John was the pastor of Venice before he became Pope. This sort of cursory fit seems more or less typical of this list.
Given my cursory knowledge of Renaissance Popes, let's examine them:
Præcursor Siciliæ (A Forerunner from Sicily) Innocent VIII: 1484-1492
Innocent VIII was Genoese, not Sicilian, though he did spend time at the Neapolitan court. However, this court was in Naples, not in Sicily. His forerunner, Sixtus VI, was also Genoese, not Sicilian. A cursory fit at best.
Bos Albanus in portu (An Alban Bull in the Port) Alexander VI: 1492-1503
My least favourite renaissance pope (which is saying a lot), Alexander was a Spaniard named Rodrigo Borgia. Albanus might be a reference to Britain, which makes no sense. Amusingly, his successor refused to say mass for the departed Alexander, saying "it is blasphemous to say mass for the souls of the damned."
De parvo homine (From a Little Man) Pius III: 1503
Reigned for only twenty-six days. I know little about him, except that he tried to reform the corrupt Papacy after Alexander VI's orgies and nepotism. I have no information about his height.
Fructus Jovis juvabit (The Fruit of Jupiter Will Help) Julius II: 1503-1513
My favourite renaissance Pope, Julius was more a soldier than a priest. His operative quote might be his remark before riding off to meet the King of France in battle- "Let's see who has bigger balls." Julius was very king-like, and sought the unification of Italy under the Papacy. Jupiter is usually associated with kings, though an association with Mars might be more appropriate.
De craticula Politiana (From a Politian Gridiron) Leo X: 1513-1521
Leo X is the archetypical renaissance pope. A Medici, he remarked upon his accession to the Throne of Peter that "God has given us the Papacy. Let us enjoy it." He was corrupt, nepotistic, and used his anal fistula as an excuse to engage in hunting and mock poetic triumphs involving elephants. He came from a political family, which might make sense, though the Latin phrase is rather confusing.
Leo Florentinus (A Lion of Florence) Adrian VI: 1522-1523
This makes no sense whatsoever. Adrian VI was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II. He was a Dutchman, not a Florentine. His priestly career focused on Spain primarily, and the Spanish Emperor Charles V was instrumental in his election. He attempted to re-form the Church and was known for his modest habits. This didn't please the Italian noble families, and they were glad when he died after a short Pontificate. Most of his papers disappeared. My second favourite renaissance Pope, Adrian claimed that the Pope could err in matters of faith (haeresim per suam determinationem aut Decretalem assurondo). This doesn't sit well with many Catholics who like the Vatican I doctrines. It sits very well with me, however.
Flos pilæ ægri (From the Flower of the Ball) Clement VII: 1523-1534
Another Medici. This phrase actually fits well, as Clement was the better of the two Medici popes. The Medici family coat-of-arms has balls (palle in Italian) on it, and is still visible in many Florentine buildings. Was Pope during the Sack of Rome, during which he hid in the Castel Sant'Angelo and was almost killed by French musket-fire. He was a shrewd diplomat, but didn't fit in well. During his reign, Henry VIII broke off with the Catholic Church and formed the Church of England.
As you can see, this list is pretty spotty when it comes to predictions. Here are the last two Popes:
Gloria olivae (From the Glory of Olives) - ? : 2005-?
If taken at face value, it sounds like an Italian will re-capture the throne of St. Peter and will be well respected and do much for the Church. Though I'd prefer an African, anyone who continues in JPII's tradition will be respected. More reforms of the Roman Church would be nice though.
Petrus Romanus- 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 Roman church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will pacify the sheep in many tribulations, at the end of whose term the city of Seven Hills will be destroyed and the whole world (literally "populace") will be judged by the Great Judge. The End."
Doesn't bode well for the chances of the planet, does it?
On a happier note (and also on Coast to Coast), an extremely clever Australian has solved the efficiency issues regarding wind power by sending the windmill to 15,000 feet! The efficiency of this machine might be as high as 90% in some areas, and it's completely clean. It uses electric motors to stay aloft, which run off its own power. The rest of the power is transmitted via cable to the ground. There's no fossil fuel, no nuclear waste, and it's cheap.
posted by The Admiral at 10:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home