As April 16th looms, speculation is mounting concerning the possible post-birthday retirement of Pope Benedict XVI. The specuation is tied, in part, to an ancient prophecy.
Statements last year from Italian media personality journalist and Vatican insider, Antonio Socci, who wrote in The Times of London, “In short: the Pope does not discard the possibility of resigning when he reaches 85 in April next year” are fueling the speculations.
Benedict was 78 when appointed pope in April of 2005 and was quoted then as preferring a peaceful retirement: “At a certain point, I prayed to God ‘please don’t do this to me’ … Evidently, this time He didn’t listen to me.”
Even more, in his book, Pope Benedict XVI Light of the World, when asked if he thought it appropriate for a pope to retire he responded, “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.”
While official sources assert his recent trip to Cuba as evidence of his ongoing vitality, a December 2011 Associated Press story from Vatican City asserted, “Pope Benedict XVI seems worn out.”
In light of this and other intriguing facts, the Internet and Bible prophecy community have been buzzing due to an ancient prophecy attributed to Saint Malachy which predicted some 112 popes culminating in the destruction of Rome, Benedict being next to last. Adding fuel to the fire are assertions from a soon to be released book titled after the predicted last pope concerning a cryptic cipher published by a Belgian Jesuit back in 1951.
Bestselling author Thomas Horn (Apollyon Rising, Forbidden Gates), has teamed up with a Christian apologist and author Cris Putnam (Pandemonium’s Engine) in the soon to be released book, Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope is Here.
The book explores the intricacies of the Malachy prophecy and the potential role of the pope in biblical prophecy. According to the blog promoting the soon to be released book, the deceased Jesuit priest and codebreaker, René Thibaut, fantastically decoded the year 2012 explicitly as the time when a final conclave would elect the last pope.
What’s your take on this prophecy?
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