Faith

Only One Week Before Christmas, Those Close Say Pope Benedict Looks ‘Older and Weaker’ Than Ever Before

Pope Heads Into Busy Christmas Season Tired, Weak

(Photo:AP)

(The Blaze/AP) Pope Benedict XVI seems worn out.

People who have spent time with him recently say they found him weaker than they’d ever seen him, seemingly too tired to engage with what they were saying. He no longer meets individually with visiting bishops. A few weeks ago he started using a moving platform to spare him the long walk down St. Peter’s Basilica.

Benedict turns 85 in the new year, so a slowdown is only natural. Expected. And given his age and continued rigorous work schedule, it’s remarkable he does as much as he does and is in such good health overall: Just this past week he confirmed he would travel to Mexico and Cuba next spring.

But a decline has been noted as Benedict prepares for next weekend’s grueling Christmas celebrations, which kick off two weeks of intense public appearances. And that raises questions about the future of the papacy given that Benedict himself has said popes should resign if they can’t do the job.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi has said no medical condition prompted the decision to use the moving platform in St. Peter’s, and that it’s merely designed to spare the pontiff the fatigue of the 100-meter (-yard) walk to and from the main altar.

And Benedict rallied during his three-day trip to Benin in west Africa last month, braving temperatures of 32 Celsius (90F) and high humidity to deliver a strong message about the future of the Catholic Church in Africa.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he kissed babies who were handed up to him, delivered a tough speech on the need for Africa’s political leaders to clean up their act, and visited one of the continent’s most important seminaries.

Back at home, however, it seems the daily grind of being pope – the audiences with visiting heads of state, the weekly public catechism lessons, the sessions with visiting bishops – has taken its toll. A spark is gone. He doesn’t elaborate off-the-cuff much anymore, and some days he just seems wiped out.

Take for example his recent visit to Assisi, where he traveled by train with dozens of religious leaders from around the world for a daylong peace pilgrimage. For anyone participating it was a tough, long day; for the aging pope it was even more so.

“Indeed I was struck by what appeared to me as the decline in Benedict’s strength and health over the last half year,” said Rabbi David Rosen, who had a place of honor next to the pope at the Assisi event as head of interfaith relations at the American Jewish Committee.

“He looks thinner and weaker … which made the effort he put into the Assisi shindig with the extraordinary degree of personal attention to the attendees (especially the next day in Rome) all the more remarkable,” Rosen said in an email.

That Benedict is tired would be a perfectly normal diagnosis for an 84-year-old, even someone with no known health ailments and a still-agile mind. He has acknowledged having suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in 1991 that temporarily affected his vision. And his older brother, who has a pacemaker for an irregular heartbeat, has expressed concern about Benedict’s own heart.

Pope Heads Into Busy Christmas Season Tired, WeakBut Benedict is not a normal 84-year-old, both in what he is called to do and the implications if he were to stop.

Popes are allowed to resign; church law specifies only that the resignation be “freely made and properly manifested.”

Only a handful have done so, however. The last one was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

There‘s good reason why others haven’t followed suit: Might the existence of two popes – even when one has stepped down – lead to divisions and instability in the church? Might a new resignation precedent lead to pressures on future popes to quit at the slightest hint of infirmity?

Yet Benedict himself raised the possibility of resigning if he were simply too old or sick to continue on, when he was interviewed for the book “Light of the World,” which was released in November 2010.

“If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right, and under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign,” Benedict said.

The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had an intimate view as Pope John Paul II, with whom he had worked closely for nearly a quarter-century, suffered through the debilitating end of his papacy. After John Paul’s death at age 84, it was revealed that he had written a letter of resignation to be invoked if he became terminally ill or incapable of continuing on.

And it should be recalled that at the time Benedict was elected pope at age 78 – already the oldest pope elected in nearly 300 years – he had been planning to retire as the Vatican’s chief orthodoxy watchdog to spend his final years writing in the “peace and quiet” of his native Bavaria.

It is there that his elder brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, still lives. Ratzinger, who turns 88 next month, is nearly blind. Benedict has said his brother has helped him accept old age with courage.

Benedict said in “Light of the World” that he knew his own strength was diminishing – steps are difficult for him and his aides regularly hold his elbows as he climbs up or down. But at the same time Benedict insisted that he had no intention of resigning to avoid dealing with the problems of the church, such as the sex abuse scandal.

“One can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on. But one must not run away from danger and say that someone else should do it,” he said.

As a result, a papal resignation anytime soon seems unlikely.

And Benedict is maintaining a hectic agenda. His planned trip to Cuba and Mexico next spring will fall shortly before he turns 85 on April 16. He has also said he’d like to make it to Rio de Janeiro in 2013 for the next World Youth Day.

Sometime in the New Year he will presumably preside over a new consistory to name the new cardinals who will elect his successor. And he has lots of unfinished business close to his heart: Bringing back breakaway traditionalists under Rome’s wing, the fate of the sex abuse-scarred Irish church, tensions with China.

And he still cuts a robust figure in public given his age, walking briskly, speaking clearly and emphasizing key points. But his public engagements have been trimmed back; he had far fewer speeches in Benin than during his September visit to his native Germany or the United Kingdom last fall.

And behind closed doors, during audiences without the glare of TV cameras or throngs of the faithful encouraging him on, he has begun to show his age, acquaintances say.

The Rev. Joseph Fessio, Benedict’s U.S. publisher and onetime student, sees the pope every so often, including during the summer when Benedict gathers his former theology students for an informal academic seminar at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

Fessio recalled a day in the 2010 edition that remains with him: “In the Saturday morning session, the pope looked older and weaker than I had ever seen him before. In fact I remarked to someone that it‘s the first time I’ve seen him look like the old man that he is. He was speaking in softer tones than even his normally soft speaking voice. His head was bowed. He was pale. He just looked frail.”

But then, after lunch and an apparent rest, Benedict returned for the afternoon session. “It was a complete transformation. He was lively, vigorous, attentive, and with his usual good humor,” Fessio said.

Clearly, at his age Benedict has good days and bad, even good half-days and bad.

Yet he’s never called in sick. In fact as pope, he has only had one significant known medical incident: He broke his right wrist when he tripped on the leg of his bed and fell while on vacation in the Alps in 2009.

Lombardi says the pope realizes the limitations of his strength, and that’s why the recent trip to Benin was a one-stop-only affair.

“I think it’s an example of the great willingness and wisdom of the Holy Father to continue doing these trips, even those that are difficult or far away,” Lombardi said. He said the pope “measures well what his strengths are, and the possibility of doing the trips well.”

“When I‘m 84 I think I’ll have been buried for many years,” he added.

But he refused to give any kind of medical updates on the pope.

“I’m not a doctor. I don’t give medical bulletins,” Lombardi said. He paused, then added quietly: “In this phase. At this moment.”

Comments (70)

  • Alecto
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 3:30pm

    Imagine what would happen if people devoted as much time and thought to the way they live their lives as they do trying to interpret cryptic Bible prophecy? Didn’t Jesus teach that we should not worry in Matthew 6? God knows all, every inch of the hearts of men. He will in His own good time separate the good from evil, the wheat from the chaff. The pope does not give you salvation. The pope cannot live your life for you. You live for God, or not.

    Report Post » Alecto  
  • alwayshappy
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 1:29pm

    At the Pope’s age I admire what he is able to do! How many of us at that age are able? I send him my love, prayers, and support!

    Report Post »  
  • the point
    Posted on December 19, 2011 at 9:47am

    Since reading the comments on both THE BLAZE and FOX NATION since they started, I never realized that there were
    so many people who do not believe in God. They are called atheists I think.

    Report Post »  
  • chips1
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 7:27pm

    Bits and pieces of info I have collected during my life seem to come together. I started reading about the Marion Prophecies and that led me to the Third Secret of Fatima, then to Father Malachi Martin. It’s all there. Obama was described as the Antichrist and the problems with all of the faiths of the world has been determined. Never even heard of the Marion Prophecies but I have now. It doesn’t look good.It’s here and your going to be involved.

    Report Post »  
  • watashbuddyfriend
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 6:39pm

    Well, we all get, and look older as time passes! So what?

    Report Post »  
  • WAKEUPUSA2012
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 4:37pm

    Maybe he shouldnt have called for world goverment.

    Report Post » WAKEUPUSA2012  
  • flatbroke
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 4:21pm

    Yes Axelphantom! i remember it well, we sang it in church many times, i think its callled “ by our love” or “they will know” I dont know what has happened to the concept of unity of Christians, but would very much like to see more of it, because Christianity is in trouble if we dont.

    Report Post » flatbroke  
    • cindybanks91
      Posted on December 23, 2011 at 8:14am

      Simple answer, “in ,last days there would be a great falling away. The churches are falling into apostasy.

      Report Post »  
  • flatbroke
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 3:59pm

    I am a Prodestant Christain, and i do not hate Catholics, Mormons, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and all the other religious demoninations that fall under the heading of Christianity as a whole, because we all need each other folks, their is a growing menace in the world 1 billion and growing, and it is coming for us, it has already threatening, and moving towards a world calafate, in which we will all be subjects. quit squabling over various religious docternal stuff, and pay attention to what is going on, Europe, Middle east, China, USA, watch!

    Report Post » flatbroke  
    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 4:11pm

      Do you remember a song growing up (that at least I sang it in our Church)

      We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
      We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
      And we pray that all unity may one day be restored
      And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
      They will know we are Christians by our love

      We will work with each other, we will work side by side
      We will work with each other, we will work side by side
      And we‘ll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride
      And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
      They will know we are Christians by our love

      By our love, by our love

      And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
      They will know we are Christians by our love

      We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
      We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
      And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land
      And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
      They will know we are Christians by our love
      —————————————————————————————–
      It wasn’t talking about race, politcs or nationality, the unity is of the Christians all sects, all branches.

      I wonder whatever happened to that concept, it seems to have disappeared.

      Report Post »  
    • Gh0stWrit3r
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 5:48pm

      No, not really.
      You see we cannot be “united” with those who distort the core doctrines of The Word. There are major doctrinal errors/oversights in most denominations of today. Of course no church is perfect.
      In heaven there will be no denominations. Christ’s church is made up of believers not churches. Churces just happen to be local buildings where believers ought to tithe, worship, grow in the Lord, serve and love one another (and help widows and orphans and the poor and needy as well).
      We will only be one in spirit when we are one in truth. Read Revelation 2-3 it applies to everyone.

      Report Post » Gh0stWrit3r  
    • freddyjoe
      Posted on December 20, 2011 at 3:01am

      Amen

      Report Post »  
  • Arcangel Michael
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 3:00pm

    Jesus, I trust in You

    http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/chaplethistory.php

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AySdEJx50Z0&feature=related

    Report Post » Arcangel Michael  
  • cdcats8
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 2:37pm

    When people decide to get off the Blaze because of the stupid and infammatory comments they are giving in to those who post them. Sure, there are the “button pushers” but it allows everyone to have a say. I don’t like the atheistic views either but I read these comments and have learned we are not as forgiving and peaceful people as we claim to be. I do not like all the bashing comments on the different religions. This does make me want to read about the different religions and customs. Be informed not stupid and testy.

    Report Post »  
    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 4:01pm

      I agree whole-heartedly. Each of us has a personal relationship with God, as valued to us as it is to the next person who does not share our specific beliefs. The only intent of attacking the beliefs of another on a website is the denigration of another’s belief system to elevate your own as superior. No good comes of it, hearts are not changed they are hardened.

      As long as the dogma of your faith, does not prohibit others from believing and living their faith as they see fit, I do not hold it against you; that is for God to judge souls, not me . Just my own belief, it is not the place of man to portend to know the mind of God, otherwise in our pride of knowledge, we claim to be His equal.

      Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 2:32pm

    it’s in the Marion prophesies, and Pope Benedict knows it too, he is the last Pope before the Armageddon Pope is seated. but we do not need the Catholic Church to point out to us that obama and his kind are destroying ALL of America’s CHRISTIAN religion, America, and the entire World. once islam starts the global war and that filthy animal obama and his rabid followers begin the civil war here [it looks like it has actually already begun here] we will be in the fight not just for our children’s lives, but for their souls as well.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
    • chips1
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 5:35pm

      You just answered the question I was going to ask.Thank you.

      Report Post »  
    • angelonquest2000
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 6:21pm

      thanks for the confirmation. the false prophet is the next to rise in benedict’s place…….the end is here, our fight of a lifetime begins! christians lets stick together! God Bless everyone!

      Report Post »  
  • piper60
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 8:43am

    Speaking as a protestant It occurs to me that the church would be better off electing a pope who is in his 50′s.

    Report Post » piper60  
    • StonyBurk
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 9:21am

      speaking as a Protestant I worry that reports I have seen of Catholic prophecy might be true.That rumor that suggests this Pope might well be the last “good ”Pope the Church will see-that he will be followed by a series of short lived Popes each of them corrupt and corrupting the Church and the end.May be fantasy -may be true -God only knows.But my prayers are with that church that for all it’s faults remains the spiritual parent to all Protestants.Even as Judaism gave us Jesus of Nazareth — and the Apostles.

      Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 8:12am

    The prophecy was… this Pope would see the fall of the Roman Empire. So, as goes the EU, so goes this Pope.

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • spreadthefaith
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 9:44am

      A very good read if your worried about the end times:The end Of the Present World and the mysteries of the future life.

      Report Post »  
    • JimmyP
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 11:04am

      News Flash…
      Roman Empire Falls!
      Dateline September 4, 476 A.D.

      Get a clue, Catholic haters!

      Report Post » JimmyP  
    • angelonquest2000
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 6:23pm

      its not catholic haters! it is PROPHECY! read your bible!

      Report Post »  
  • ConserveChrist
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 7:55am

    Protestant faith is to Catholicism as Mormon is to Protestant? That’s not true sir. The truth is, Christianity is the only truth and Catholics and Mormons have it wrong. There is nothing “Holy” about Mary or the saints. And the Pope is Not God by any means. in fact, he doesn‘t even speak on God’s behalf. He’s actually Blasphemous. And Mormonism is,….mormonism.

    Report Post » ConserveChrist  
    • spreadthefaith
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 9:39am

      Your wrong. Mary is the mother of God and she is holy. She is the mother of all mankind, the new Eve. She is the immaculate Conception, born without the stain of original sin. God knew she would fullfill her role that he desired and so she “was full of grace.” God could only be born from a pure woman and He chose our holy mother, Mary. Show some respect and reverence for the woman that God chose and prepared to be His mother. The pope is not God, but you are wrong again about him not representing Christ on earth. It’s in the bible,our popes go all the way back to Peter;the line has never been broken and according to Christ it will not stop until his return. Before you make comments about the pope or Mary the mother of God, read and study what Catholics believe so you don’t sound ignorant.

      Report Post »  
    • BurntHills
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 2:23pm

      the Holy Roman Catholic Church which is seated in the Vatican is the one original church of Jesus Christ on earth, His popes follow the line from Christ through his apostles. how much more original can you get. all other Christian churches are spin-offs driven by politics (Henry VIII) or sex (Martin Luther) even the Mormons, founded in AMERICA, believe and celebrate Jesus Christ as Lord.
      if anything, the Holy Bible (Old Testament) of the pre-Jesus Jews is what Christ was prophesied and taught through.

      never forget: Jesus was a good devout Jew and His followers were Jews and they became the First Christians.

      take time to ponder how rabid islam is trying to rewrite History as we Christians ignorantly bicker over who is MORE Christian.. what Christian church is MORE Christian than the other….. muslims are out there destroying the world, destroying America, destroying Christmas here in America, and now they are publicly proclaiming Christ is not a Jew, they want to revise History == that He was a muslim like them. never mind “”“muslims””" didn’t start following their rabid psychotic pedophile serial killer mohammed until the 600s AD.

      Report Post » BurntHills  
    • GhostOfJefferson
      Posted on December 19, 2011 at 8:02am

      Um, Catholics are the seed of the entire Western Christian tradition guy. Protestants were *Catholics* who were protesting the policies of Rome, back in the day. Martin Luther, the guy who launched the entire Protestant movement, was a hardcore Catholic who questioned things like Indulgences and other Catholic church policies.

      Report Post » GhostOfJefferson  
  • MammalOne
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:26am

    lol, he IS older than before.

    We all are.

    In fact, you’re older – NOW – than you were before reading this stupid post. Question is: are you weaker?

    (answer if you’re the pope: yes)

    Report Post » MammalOne  
    • MammalOne
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:29am

      Well said, sir.

      Report Post » MammalOne  
    • JimmyP
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 10:58am

      Your evidence, sir?
      Define weaker? Bet he could open a can of “whup buttocks” on your sorry soul!

      Report Post » JimmyP  
  • Eliasim
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:31am

    Glenn Beck isn‘t Elias but nonetheless he is yet another Prophet who doesn’t drink the strong drink. That‘s why he doesn’t follow football or any sports really.

    Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:33am

      Oh, you thought “The strong drink” was booze didn’t you?

      Report Post »  
  • Bakko Bomma
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:31am

    A new Pope coming, how are they going to top a Nazi? Maybe next one will be the Antichrist.

    Bakko Bomma  
    • spreadthefaith
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 9:49am

      Axelphantom..Everything God needed to say is in the bible, nothing else to add.

      Report Post »  
    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 11:47am

      I guess you have your belief and I have mine. God is the judge of souls, not man.

      Report Post »  
    • angelonquest2000
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 6:30pm

      Not the antichrist the next pope will be the false prophet!

      Report Post »  
  • The Third Archon
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:25am

    “Might the existence of two popes – even when one has stepped down – lead to divisions and instability in the church? Might a new resignation precedent lead to pressures on future popes to quit at the slightest hint of infirmity?”
    Might not the very idea of a “Pope” compromise the integrity of the religion by drawing out the internal contradictions it is powerless as an ideology to prevent?

    I’d say so, and that’s certainly what history is seems to be slowly proving.

    Report Post » The Third Archon  
  • SueZQT
    Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:09am

    Our redemption is nigh……

    Maranatha!!

    Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:23am

      How so? Will you know when Elias comes back again? Do you think you will be more astute at recognizing him than they did 2000 years ago?

      Report Post »  
    • Pouncing Porcupine
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:32am

      I was talking to an LDS lady some time ago, and she was telling me all about the head of her church, (the late) Gordon B. Hinkley (I knew who he was, but I just let her talk). Then I explained to her that the Bible clearly says that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Body, which is the Church, and thus Christ was the head of the Church I belong to. She quickly informed me that Jesus Christ was also the head of her church, too. She was a nice lady, so I just left it alone. My point is that in the Mormon and Catholic systems, there ARE two heads, and any body with two heads is a sick, mutated freak that was never meant to be.

      Merry Christmas to all!

      Report Post » Pouncing Porcupine  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:43am

      Pouncing Porcupine,
      And a Merry Christmas to you. It’s good that I can say that to you, but it is not good that I can not say it to my child with him understanding, because he doesn’t believe in God.

      Report Post »  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:57am

      And do you know why he doesn’t believe in God? Because his mother wouldn’t raise him up to me. And his mother wouldn’t raise him up to me because my spirit conflicted with her Catholic upbringing, and therefore she divorced me, and ki lled me off as his father in his heart. Do you know how that makes me feel about our society that enables these things? Why don’t you pray on it.

      Report Post »  
    • The-Real-Enrico
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:21am

      @POUNCING PORCUPINE Well said.

      Report Post » The-Real-Enrico  
    • The Third Archon
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 3:43am

      Actually, I think that’s a horrible analogy–a body that evolved with two heads, and thus two brains, could take turns sleeping and would be a far superior organism.

      Also, what makes YOUR arbitrary form of Christianity MORE legitimate than theirs (Catholics are OLDER for Christ’s sake, so you are really just “their Mormons”).

      Report Post » The Third Archon  
  • Quasimofo
    Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:35pm

    Elect a 35 year old pope. ya get more bang for yer buck that way

    Report Post »  
    • KangarooJack
      Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:38pm

      ‘cept it’s a lifetime appointment…gee, kinda like a Supreme Court Justice…lol

      Report Post » KangarooJack  
  • KangarooJack
    Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:13pm

    and this entire story is about what? The elderly Pope is elderly??? and this means what?

    Report Post » KangarooJack  
    • sta
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 8:20am

      It means the Blaze LOVES to post anything that will bring out the Catholic bashers.
      This kind of thread is why my hubby is seriously pushing me to drop GBTV and get out of all assorted products.

      Aren’t there mods here?

      Report Post »  
    • JimmyP
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 11:11am

      The relationship between Christmas approaching and the elderly pope being elderly is?

      Report Post » JimmyP  
  • garyM
    Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:12pm

    OFF TOPIC

    MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

    http://www.flixxy.com/best-christmas-lights-display.htm

    Report Post »  
  • AxelPhantom
    Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:03pm

    In the prophecies of St Malachy Benedict is the second to the last Pope. The last is described this way: In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, & Judex tremêdus judicabit populum suum. Finis.

    (In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people. The End.)

    We may be closer to the end than we know.

    Report Post »  
    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:16pm

      Though it usually is believed to refer to Rome there are many cities that claim to be built on “seven hills” including….

      Tehran, Iran
      Jerusalem, Israel
      Mecca, Saudi Arabia
      Istanbul, Turkey
      Athens, Greece
      Los Angeles, ca
      Sheffield, England
      Seattle, Washington
      Albany, ny
      Providence, Rhode Island
      Staten Island, New York
      Tallahassee, Florida
      Worcester, Massachusetts
      St. Paul, mn
      San Diego, ca
      San Francisco, ca

      Report Post »  
    • Sara72
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:15am

      I agree… The Papal forcast tells us that Benedict would be the second to the last Pope and NOT be in charge very long and then we have the last Pope and he would not be a worthy Pope… so if you believe this- we are in the last days.

      Report Post » Sara72  
    • Eliasim
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:21am

      Hmm, interesting. Did you get that from the Book of Malachi?

      Report Post »  
    • Brooke Lorren
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 12:30am

      I was thinking of the same prophecy. I usually don’t put much stock in extra-Biblical prophecies, but so far, this guy has been spot on (over a period of hundreds of years). The second to last pope (according to the prophecy, this guy) wouldn’t be pope for very long.

      Now, I still wouldn’t think that necessarily meant anything, other than the fact that all the other signs are there, to the point where I can put out a news web page nearly every day pointing out the latest signs that show that prophecy is ready to be fulfilled.

      Report Post »  
    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:50am

      Since God is not of time as we understand it, I don‘t believe that God’s speaking though man/woman stopped when the bible was compiled, he still has things to say to us and if he can‘t get through to us directly because we won’t let Him in, he uses others who are willing to listen to get the message out (and no I am not a Mormon, though I respect the ones that I have known, all of whom have been good people). Anyway I agree, St. Malachy does seem to have quite a track record.

      Report Post »  
    • E.Z. Las Vegas
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 4:10am

      There is are two other items worthy of note in terms of the prophetic meaning of this papacy.

      First, Cardinal Ratzinger took the name of “Benedict.” If you’ve ever been to a graduation or most church services you know that a “benediction” is the closing ceremony…Also, the Benedectine order of Catholic monks use the olive branch in their coat of arms. Benedict was described by Saint Malachy O’Morgan as “in gloriae olivae” the glory of the olive.

      And one other note….I have heard that on the walls of the Vatican there is a potrait gallery of all Popes, and that following the portrait of Benedict, there is room for only one additional portrait.

      Report Post »  
  • MrMagoo
    Posted on December 17, 2011 at 10:57pm

    Don’t worry about the SE.Pope Benedict XVI.He holds his own.He always has.

    Report Post » MrMagoo  
  • rush_is_right
    Posted on December 17, 2011 at 10:56pm

    the next one is the last one…Peter the Roman…according to st. malachy…

    Report Post »  
    • garyM
      Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:15pm

      I’ve heard too! Don’t have any source on that info though, does anyone know in the Bible where this is covered or located?
      The Holy unedited Bible!

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    • AxelPhantom
      Posted on December 17, 2011 at 11:32pm

      Unless you can read Aramaic and read the texts that were edited out, there is no such thing. Only selected writings made it into what most people think of today as “the Bible”. Many things are also lost through translation.

      http://www.rapture-soon.net/Forbidden_Books.html

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    • Captain Crunch
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:01am

      @AxelPhantom

      Thanks for the link.

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    • Brooke Lorren
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 1:25am

      It’s not in the Bible, but it is a well-known prophecy. Me and my Bible prophecy friends were talking about this since the time John Paul II was still around.

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    • VigilantGuardShark
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 2:02am

      That all comes from Nostodomus, and if you believe what he had to say…well then maybe you aren’t as Christian as you thought you were.

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    • rush_is_right
      Posted on December 18, 2011 at 2:01pm

      testing…this prophecy was long before nostradamus was around…

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