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A statue of St. Malachy of Armagh (1094-1148) stands on the grounds of St. Malachy Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, Mich. Centuries-old prophecies that have been attributed to St. Malachy are causing a stir due to Pope Benedict XVI's surprise abdication announcement.
Just when you thought it was safe to go out of the bunker, there's a fresh wave of doomsday buzz over a purported 12th-century prophecy suggesting that the next pope will be the last pope before the end of the world. St. Malachy's "Prophecy of the Popes" has no credence in the Roman Catholic Church, but its effect could well be longer-lasting than the hype that surrounded the 2012 Maya apocalypse — especially if the papal conclave goes with one of the favored candidates for Benedict XVI's successor.
The text that's been attributed to Malachy came to light in 1595, in a book by Benedictine monk Arnold de Wyon. Supposedly, Malachy experienced a vision of future popes during a trip to Rome in 1139, and wrote down a series of 112 cryptic phrases that described each pope in turn. The text was said to have lain unnoticed in Rome's archives until Wyon published it.
Doomsday fans have found ways to link each phrase to a corresponding pope through the centuries. That includes John Paul II, who is associated with phrase No. 110, "From the labor of the sun," because he was born on the day of a solar eclipse and was entombed on the day of a solar eclipse as well. Benedict XVI, No. 111, is supposedly "glory of the olive" because some members of a branch of the monastic order founded by St. Benedict are known as Olivetans.
Then there's No. 112: "In the extreme persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit ... Peter the Roman, who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The end."
The end? This could be the beginning for a doomsday meme that hangs over a whole generation, if it's taken seriously. There's already a 586-page book about the coming apocalypse, titled "Petrus Romanus." One theologian, Michael K. Lake, is quoted as saying that "Catholic and evangelical scholars have dreaded this moment for centuries."
In fact, the Catholic Church doesn't put any stock in the prophecies, for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest red flags is that no mention was made about the papal prophecies until the 1590s — not even by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a close friend of Malachy's who wrote his biography and hailed his gift of prophecy. And then there's always the biblical dictum that no one knows the day or the hour for doomsday — a rule of thumb that works for believers as well as non-believers.
Most experts have concluded that the text was made up to boost a 16th-century cardinal's bid to become pope.
But if the coming papal conclave really wanted to drum up the doomsday talk, as well as sales for "Petrus Romanus," all they'd have to do is elect one of the leading candidates: Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, a member of the Roman Curia. Even though church tradition would forbid any pope from taking the name Peter II, Turkson could arguably be described as Peter the Roman. Others suggest that he could be the "young red black one" mentioned in the similarly cryptic doomsday prophecies of Nostradamus.
Whomever the conclave picks, there'll surely be a way to connect him somehow with "Peter the Roman" — after all, isn't every pope a successor to St. Peter, based in Rome? "Any pope can be thought of as the latest Peter in the line," Tom Horn, one of the authors of "Petrus Romanus," said a couple of months ago on the "Coast to Coast AM" radio show.
Which means we might have to deal with 2012-style doomsaying as long as the next guy is in office. What do you think?
Dearly departed doomsdays:
- Asteroid Apophis won't hit us in 2036
- No gloom or doom as Maya begin new age
- Rapture 'fail' sparks fresh worries
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
This story was originally published on Tue Feb 12, 2013 6:20 PM EST
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Interesting story. Sort of like Folklore, Fairy Tales and Old Wives' Tales. No one can read the future to speak of. Noting but conjecture, incomplete evidence and guesswork. All this we have seen and heard though-out History by Man. All of them pretending to be some sort of Soothsayer, fortune teller, all knowing or a pipeline to God. Head to your favorite book store and buy that fictional best seller on "How The World Will End and Why." It ends when it ends and not because of someone almost 1,000 years ago had some sort of vision. Maybe it will be a plague, World War III, a ten mile wide asteroid, Sun goes supernova or a number of other reasons other then the fact someone had a whim or vision.
what really happens is that some crackpot makes a prediction, then after some time.something happens and the idiots fall all over themselves making the "facts" fit the prediction.
by the way - the sun will probably go nova.... in 4 or 5 billion years...
fork <<~~~~~>> Oh! Heavens! The sky is falling! Falling! Hide me! Hide me!
Look it up,,, our Sun will not go "supernova". Not possible, according to scientists. It will become a red giant though, and destroy our solar system.
this is just rumor mongering by nbcnews.com, and other media outlets. By publicizing an inane belief held by a tiny, discredited, percentage of Catholics, it gives this "prediction" a creditability it would never have attained otherwise.
I guess it does view readership and viewership. Beyond that, I'm at loss to determine whom it benefits, unless it is the national basement bunker building industry.
Anything to help the economy, I guess.
Yes, the world will end, and those with riches will burn in hell. So anyone rich must give up their possessions to me. I will gladly suffer an eternity of damnation for you, holding onto your sinful possessions so that you can spend eternity in heaven.
Yah, as if mankind (on his own accord) has proven to be his own savior...pfffphphph, you're so naive to think a human with reason alone precludes error, pride, corruption?
Right.
We ask not that you put your faith in the corrupt, weak human spirit... but the implacable and enduring strength of the machine!
Embrace logic. Shed your pitiful cage of biomatter. Glory to the Machine God!
No, I think he's referring to animals. Rats are our savior.
When I think of the song Ben by MJ, I cry.
Only if the rats are mechanical. Robot vermin only!
Robot and natural rats UNITE!!
I heard that 666 is a number of a man and that the pope's name is latin adds up to 666. One man who rules over billions of people the anti-christ.
You hear and read many crazy stories
and, of course, given the numbering system of the TIME, it would have been represented as "DCLXVI" - "666" is ARABIC - unknown at that time outside ARABIA
??? Why do you believe that Europeans had no knowledge of Arabia back then? That's a sad mistake.
The number of letters in my name is 777. But that doesn't mean I'm really a walking slot machine.
ching ching ching
I don't want to know where the quarters are inserted. I just don't want to know.
Let alone where the winnings come from!
LMAO... Guess I left myself open for that one.
All anyone ever rolls is Berries Berries Berries.
It's all about money and power. And selling books, of course.
tiara of the pope Vicarius Filii Dei equals 666"The number of a Man" who else with that title has ruled for over 1260 years? He is called sometimes as "Holy Father" call no man father?
always a new doomsday event.
Here we go again. I knew it was only a matter of time before the next doomsday "prophecy". Now all those Y2K/2012 Survival Kits will have to be relabeled...again.
And thoses boxes of MRE's in the bunker are getting pretty stale by now.
MREs NEVER go stale - they have a shelf life of DECADES..Tastes GREAT... LESS FILLING... (wait - that one is for BEER)
One day, though, someone will be right. However, no one will be here to congratulate them.
Only God knows when the end will be. People are foolish if they think that they know better than God.
Foolish mortals.
Guess my last post got lost. All i said was the pope had his beliefs shattered when he reached the top of his corporate ladder. I feel he is doing the right thing stepping down. As for 1 more pope?? Maybe its akin to the mayan calendar hype. Just a shift in the powers that be and the rc church wont be harful in the future :)
The "last pope" was the name of my black sabath cover band in college.
Really? but the sky fairy makes sense to them? Seems like this would be right up their alley.
I'll be glad when religion is gone off the face of this planet.
Don't hold your breath. Organized religions have been around for well over 6000 years. It seems to be a feature of culture. While there have always been voices in the various cultures throughout the centuries arguing against religion, it has continued to be a feature of almost any culture you can think of. Even at the height of Communist rule religion was not eliminated among the populace of those countries and the rulers tried very hard to do so.
and if you think about it - they have this common thread - they are all about the "get out of death free" card. That brass ring
I still consider them deluded "believers", inherently stupid, brainwashed...
TL-
Atheists always seem to enjoy insulting anyone of any religion. If you don't believe in God, fine for you, but don't use that as an excuse to insult everyone who does.
So I guess shrooms were a thing in the 12th century...
What's truly messed up and disturbing about these kinds of people is how BADLY they WANT to see the end of days, and on top of it how little they understand their own scriptures. It's quite clearly stated in Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."
That would include every effort to predict such events. Anyone who tries is a fool wasting their time and the time of everyone else.
But still they continue to WANT it so badly, and I can't help but to both laugh a little and feel bad for them at the same time - because none of them will ever see it, nor would they recognize it.
---
And I don't even believe in any of it, yet I know it better than most of them. Besides, Frost Giants are far cooler than anything the middle east could come up with.
ho yo toe HOH! Shades of Wagnerian overtures... I love the smell of napalm in the morning...
Frost giants? So last eon. The Omnissiah is what's hip now. Give yourself to the Machine God!
Indigo-Rage,
Scripture says we cannot know the day or the hour, but we can know the season. Regardless, we are called to always be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Could that season by thyme? If so, would that help us know the day and hour?
maybe its oregano
OOHHHH I'm feeling new TV episodes on the History channel coming up. Maybe even an Ancient Aliens. How else would this ancient civilization have all this knowledge?
Deep, serious voice.
"Did aliens influence the early Christian Church? Did Jesus learn his philosophy from extraterrestrials? Does the Papacy continue to consult with other worlders? We shall discuss these topics, and more, on tonight's episode."
Nice one. Then the big hair guy comes on and provides definite and conclusive proof. Set your DVR's folks!
Is it the same gullible nutjobs who fall for this kind of thing over and over?
I believe Malachy was talking about the end of the papacy, not the end of the world.
End of the world? "World" in the New Testament is rendered from the Greek "kosmos". "Kosmos" is defined as a "complete orderly system". Considering that the system ordering every aspect of modern life, from health care to education to warfare is founded on the overarching governing principle that the accrual of wealth, i.e. mammon, one wonders if we might not ought to welcome its end.
This is all a bunch of Malarchy
The Holy Father is retiring to PRAY & TAKE APOND HIS SHOULDERS the sins of his Preist Craft in the years past!
This will allow the Chruch to Refresh, Delete & Move on! Its time for a Change, the Holy Father Knows the changes that are coming. And is doing what Jesus the Christ would want him to.
"What we are saying its time for a Change"
It's sad that, in 2013, we're talking about prophecies that have no basis for scientific evidence. If the MSM can stop publishing this crap, maybe we won't have to hear about it anymore.
Tim in Chi-town,
Any more ridiculous than a talking snake and a boat with two of everything to survive a flood ? It just sheds light again on how the real ,"crap "as you so artfully put it , has been sanctified to keep a major Religion in business and making tax free money for the original Boys Club. Relax and have some noodles.
or "just keep swilling that KOOL AID"
...or go play somewhere else.
another lamestream scare story, hopefully it wont get as much traction as the others
Are you scared?
of course - the idiots won't know how to react when it DOESN'T HAPPEN
The Holy Father is retiring to PRAY & TAKE APOND HIS SHOULDERS the sins of his Preist Craft in the years past!
This will allow the Chruch to Refresh, Delete & Move on! Its time for a Change, the Holy Father Knows the changes that are coming. And is doing what Jesus the Christ would want him to.
"What we are saying its time for a Change"
Gerard on Songstall
visualize whirled peas.
all we are saying is give peas a chance...
Some day somebody will be right, but they will never be able to say I told you so! The END!
Every day the end is near
We do not see or hear
All we do is hope my dear
The god or devil this is our fear
when I'm sitting on the throne, my end is near... very near...
Far too much talk and placing importance on an antique group of predominately old white men who love to control others. Let them have their party and the rest of the world will move on fine without them.
Just to be on the safe side, better take your money out of the Banco Ambrosiano. Lots of folks would be be glad to hold it for you for safekeeping, no charge.