The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1891-09-19
THE END OF THE WORLD.
Prophecies on the Succession to the
Papacy Attributed to St.
Malachy.
PERFORMED MANY MIRACLES.
DISTINGUISHED For the Reforms He Effected
In the Celebrated Abbey OF
Bangor. t

Amongst the prophecies IN vogue in
the times of onr grandfathers there ex-
listed one ON the succession to the Pap
acy. which is popularly attributed to
st. Malachy, but which there is strong
er reason to believe was not conceived
until long after the bones of the saint
had been moulde1ing in the tomb.
Malacby. born in Armagh in 1904. was
ordained priest in bis 25th year. and
distinguished bimself by the reforms he
effected in the celebrated Abbey OF
Bangor. Subsequently he was elected
in turn Bishop of ConnOr and Arch"
bishop of Armagh, which latter dignity
he resigned in l13O in favor of Gelasius.
Then, like the Venerable Bede before
him, he took up the pious idea of a pill
grimage to Rome, and was received
cordially by Innocent H., who handed
him the pallium tor the churches Of Ire
lard. On his return from the Eternal
City he passed by Clairvaux in Bur-
gundy, where he visited the virtuous
and eloquent st. Bernard, who well
coined his colleague from Ireland with
open arms. A lasting friendship sprang
uD between them, friendship which
was not ended in their case even by
death. Malacby performed innumera
BILE miracles during his long stay in his
native land after his voyage to the GEN.
tire of Christendom; he went about Iha
island preaching the Gospel and kind
ling the torch Of faith, and not till 1148
did he think Of again leaving it. This
time it was to revisit Clairvaux, where
Pope Eugene ILL.,, an ancient disciple
Of St. Bernard, was stopping. Malachy
breathed his last in the embrace Of st.
Bernard the night after ALI Souls, and
il is not without interest to recall that
no was the first of the saints solemnly
canonized according to the forms still
in use in our days.
ST. Bernard, in the interval OF i've
years which elapsed from 1l43 to his
own death, compiled the life of his ven
erahle friend, a minute and enthuslas-
tic biographical study, which has since
been translated into Italian by the
learned Jesuif, Jean Pierre Mattel, In
l595~~that is 10 say, about $50 years at
ter the death of st. MalacIy-a Bene-
dictine monk Of the congregation of St.
Justin or Padua. Arnold Wion by
name, published and dedlcate ted to the
Klng of Spain, Philip ILL.,, work en-
titled "Lignum vitae: ornament1nl ct
decus Ecclesim, - which was printed by
George Angelerio, of Venice. At page
307 occurs reference to the prophecy
o. Malacby, "monk OF Bangor and
Bishop OF Connor, afterwards Arch
bishop of Armagh" The Benedictine
dwel!s on it at much length, because,
he says, 'it has never been printed, and
several OF the curious wish much to see
it,
The prophecy begins at Celestine H.,
successor of Innocent H., and was al
legged to have been written by Malachy
during his sojourn in Bone. 1t is ac-
companled by explanatory notes show
ing how the predictions suited each
Pope, which Wion attributes to Dlacon-
ius, Dominican yet living in 1885
These explanations are drawn from the
birthplace, the family traditions, the
armorial bearings, the titles as Cardi.
nails of the respective Popes, fifty diff
ferent circumstances, in fact supplying
forced or natural illusions to the vague
motto assigned as an index of each sue
cessor to the Chair OF Peter. There are
various pieces of evidence which go to
prove that the entire prohecy was con-
cocted in or about the era that Arnold
Wion published it. For example, all
the prophecies anterior to 1890 are reg
ular]y corrective may cite these con-
cerning Lucius IL, Lucius ILL.,. Urban
Ill, Clement Ill, Urban VII. Martin
v. whose very family name is given
whilst those after that date are made to
accord with facts only by the most elab-
crate and far-fetched ingenuity. Then,
again, no mention of so remarkable an
inspiration (if inspiration it were), is
made by the contemporaries of st.
Malachy, neither by annalist Ohio,
Bishop of Tresingen, nor John of Sal
lsburV Bishop of Chartros. nor Peter