The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-07-01
Would you please give st. Malachy's
regarding the reign OF the

The following is the account given
10y the Catholic Encyclopedia: The
most famous and best known prophe-
Cies about the Popes are those at
tributed to st. Malachy. In 11S9
he went to Rome to give an account
OF the affairs of his diocese to the
Pope, Innocent ii, who promised him
two Palliums for the metropolitan
Sees of Armagh and Cashel. While at
Rome, he received according to the
Able Cuchcrat) the strange vision OF
the future wherein was unfOlded be-
fore his mind the long list of illustri-
Gus pontiffs who were to rule the
Church until the end of time. The
same author tells us that ST. Malachy
gave his MSS. to Innocent IL to con-
sole him in the midst of his tribula-
tions, and that the document remained
unknown in the Roman Archives until
its discovery in 1890 (CuCherat,
''Proph. de la succession des papes,
oh. XIV. They were first published
by Arnold de Wyon, and ever since
there has been much discussion as
to whether they are genuine predic-
tons of st. Malachy or forgeries. The
silence of 400 years on the part Of
so many learned authors who had
written about the popes, and the
silence of st. Bernard especially, who
wrote the Life of ST. Malachy," is a
strong argument against their au-
thenicity, but it is not conclusive if We
adopt Cucherat's theory that they
were hidden in the Archives during
those 400 years.
These short prophetical announce
ments, in number 112, indicate some
noticeable trait of all the future popes
from Celestine II, who was elected
in the year 1880, until the end of the
world. They are enunicated under
mystical titles. Those who have
undertaken to interpret and explain
these symbolical prophecies have
succeeded in discovering some trait,
allusion, point, or similitude in their
application to the individual popes,
either as to their country, their name,
their coat of arms or insignia, their
birthplace. their talent or learning,
the title of their cardinalate, the
dignities which they held, etc. For
example, the prophecy concerning
Urban VIII is Lilium ct rosa (the lily
and the rose); he was a native of
Florence and on the arms of Florence
figured a feur-de-lis he had three
bees emblazoned on his escutcheon.
and the bees gather honey from the
lilies and roses. Again, the name
accords often with some remarkable
and rare circumstance in the pope's
career: thus Peregrinus apostolicus
(pilgrim pope), which designated
Plus VI, appears to be verified by his
journey when pope into Germany,
by his long career as pope, and by
his expatriation from Rome at the
end of his pontifcate. Those who
had lived and followed the course of
events in an intelligent manner during
the certificates of Plus X, Leo XIII,
and Plus x, cannot fail to be i'm
pressed with the titles given to each
by the prophecies of st. Malachy and
their wonderful appropriateness:
(Crux de cruce) Gross from a Crosse
Plus TX; Lumen in caelo Light in
the sky) Leo XIII; Ignis ardens Burn
ing fire. Plus X. There is something
more than a coincidence in the
designations given to these three
popes so many hundred years before
their time. We need not have re-
course either to the family-names,
armorial bearings or cardinalitial
titles, to see the fitness of their
designations as given in the prophe-
cies. The affections and crosses of
Plus TX were more than fell to the
lot of his predecessors; and the more
aggravatins of these crosses we're
brought on by the House of Savoy
whose emblem was cross. Leo XIII
was veritable luminary of the
papacy. The present Pope (this ar
ticle was written before the death of
Pope Plus X is truly burning fire
of zeal for the restoration of all things
in Christ
The last of these prophecies con-
Germs the end of the world and is
as follows: In the final persecution
of the Holy Roman Church there will
reign Peter the Roman, who will feed
his flock amid many tribulations.
after which the seven-hilled city will
be destroyed and the dreadful Judge
will judge the people. The end" 1t
has been noticed concerning Petrus
Romanus, who, according to st.
Malachy's list, is to be the last Pope,
that the prophecy does not say that
no popes shall intervene between him
and his predecessor designated Gloria
olivae. 1t merely says that he is
to be the last, so that we may suppose
as many popes as we please before
Peter the Roman"
Who are meant by the "Fathers of
the Church?"
Those defenders of the Church who
are marked by these three character
istics: Cd orthodox faith, (2) sane
tity of life, and CD antiquity, that is,
1t is necessary that they should have
lived in the first ages of the Church.
The orthodoxy of their faith must be
attested by the general consent of
those competent to judge or by a
formal Judgment of the Church au-
thorities. One or the other error in
their writings does not initiate
against them in this regard provided