Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-11-12
The Answer May Be Found in
a Strange and Almost For
gotten Book.
Contained a Motto For Every
Sovereign POntiff From
lab to the End.
THE MANY PROPHECIES OF MALACHY


occupant of the chair of St. Peter
If not, the wonderful prophecies of st.
Malachy, the prophet-priest of Ireland,
will fail for the first time in history.
Eight centuries ago this Archbishop,
gifted with power to lift the veil of the
future, wrote of the successor of Leo
XIII, "Signus ardens"-"a burning
torch" By strange chance-is it fate
or merely coincidence3-in the coat-of
arms of Cardinal Gotti is burning torch.
1t is now known that the frail old man,
Leo XIII, is passing away Who will
be the successor is a question that is agi-
tating the world. To answer it many
have turned to that strange and almost
forgotten book, "The Prophecy of Mala-
chy, iguratively characterizing all the
Popes from the writing of it to the end of
the world" They have found there the
symbol for the new Pope. 1t is lighted
torch.
Eight centuries ago Malachy O'Mor-
gair, Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland,
wrote this Papal chain. He was a mod
est man, pious man, and he became the
prophet saint of the Emerald Isle. When
he died in l14S it was found that he had
left behind a wonderful book. It was
called "The Chronicles of Malachy," and
it contained a motto for every sovereign
Pontiff from 1l43 to the end of the
Papacy. And every Pope from that time
has corresponded to the prophecy of the
Irish seer.
At first but little was thought of the
motives of the good Saint Malachy. 1t
was not until several centuries after the
Archbishop's death that they were pub
Used by Albert ,Wion, a Benedictine
monk Since that time they have been
translated into many languages and have
come to be valued as skyline books.
Celestine II. was the first Pope under
the prophecy Elk castro Tibris-"From
castle of Tiber, )" the motto reads. Celes-
tine was a Tuscan by birth, native of
Fort Saint Felicitis, near the Tiber.
Many years later Adrian ~, the only
Englishman who has ever worn the triple
crown of St. Peter, succeeded Anastasius
". Again the prophecy came true. 1t
read: De rure albo-"Of the Alban
(white) country"
Adrian was not only from the white
cliffs of Albion, but he had been Bishop
of Alba and Legate to Norway, the land
of snow.
There are III of these remarkable
prophecies. Each has been similarly
verified.
OF the latter-dsy Pontiffs St. Malachy
says of the Tooth Pope after Celestine:
Crux de Cruce-"This cross comes from
the cross" (of Savoy. This was Plus TX.
Like the famed oracle of Delphi, the
meaning of Malachys terse Latin mot
toes was sometimes misunderstood. But
there always came a day when all was
made plain. and the spirit Of prophecy
was indicated.
After the Pope who is spoken of as
torch, Saint Malachy mentions eight
more Pontiffs. That, said the prophet,
will be the end of the roll of Popes, for
then the earth, too, will pass away. He
adds one last prophetic vision.
cat the time of the final persecution
against the Holy Roman church the
Pontifcial throne will be occupied by
Peter, a Roman; second of that name.
He will feed his focks amid tribula-
tons. When they shall perish the seven
hilled city will be destroyed, and the
terrible Judge will judge his people,"
There are many learned prelates who
would willingly rule the Papal See, and
would fain forget the prophecies of
Malachy. No earthly monarch has such
loyal subjects as this Roman pontiff;
no king yields so great power. In out
ward magnihcence his encourage is not
what it was, but in the impressive logic
of fact the spiritual monarchy which
humbled Bismarck does not yield to the
proudest throne. Not the Car himself
has so many subjects Princes sue to
him for pardon, the proudest in the land
kneel humbly at his feet Some Popes
have maintained state and ceremony
BETTING a mighty king. Leo XIII.
has lived the life of a holy ascetic and
cared naught for worldly glory. St.
Malachy wrote of him. "Lumens in
Caelo'-"light in heaven" In every
truth his holy life, his good deeds and
his wise and kindly rule shine out like
beacon in the religious world. Still,
the motto would have fitted others.
Several names have already been men,
toned for the chair that will soon be
vacant.
There is Cardinal Rampolla, the learned
diplomat and tie uncompromising foe of
the Italian Government, and Cardinal
Angelo di Pietro. the pious beloved old
man from Environs, called already 'the
Saint by his people. Either is worthy
to be Pope, they say in Rome.
There is another; his name is cerolamo