34. St. John Capistran ~

St. John Capistran of Italy (1385-1456) began his social career as a lawyer. In 1412 he was appointed governor of Perugia by the King of Naples. After an unconsummated marriage, he obtained a dispensation to enter religion, and received the priesthood in 1425. He was a phenomenal success as a preacher. He also wrote many books, including this prophecy of the last eight popes:

"The ox shall again be full of life and his trumpets shall resound with sweet lowing.
A great city beast shall succeed and devour the pastures of the little ones.
He shall come from the North wind, enter into the sanctuary and the Church will renew her seed.
He shall explain the ten heads of the dragon and he shall destroy in the Holy Land the Author of Wickedness.

The people will be dying with hunger when he is created who will divide and give to the poor.
The Tree shall give forth its fruits, but the destroying beast shall devour them.
The brightness of the exposed countenances shall be lifted, and the faces of the proud shall fall before the face of the oppressor.

There shall be signs of the sun and moon when there shall be created a man stronger than any prince, and he shall renew the face of the Church. At this time the Antichrist shall have been trodden underfoot and all the world shall enjoy the faith and peace of the Most High."

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35. Pope Pius X ~

In 1909, during an audience for the general chapter of the Franciscan Order, Pope Pius X suddenly fell into a trance. The audience waited in reverent silence. When he awoke, the Pope cried out:

"What I see is terrifying! Will it be myself? Will it be my successor? What is certain is that the Pope will quit Rome, and in leaving the Vatican he will have to walk over the dead bodies of his priests.

"Do not tell anyone this while I am alive."

Just prior to his death (August 20, 1914), Pope Pius X had another vision:

"I have seen one of my successors, of the same name, who was fleeing over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in some hiding place; but after a brief respite he will die a cruel death.

"Respect for God has disappeared from human hearts. They wish to efface even God's memory. This perversity is nothing less than the beginning of the last days of the world."

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36. St. John Bosco ~

St. Giovanni (John) Bosco (1815-1888) was the founder of the religious orders of the Salesians and the Salesian Sisters. Don Bosco, as he was familiarly known, devoted himself to counseling and educating homeless children, and he has been their patron saint since he was ordained in 1934. St. John was gifted with prophecy, concerning which he said, "Do not call me a prophet until the things I have foretold have come to pass."

His predictions especially concern the Catholic Church and the Papacy, which will be forced to evacuate Rome when "Cossack horses will drink from St. Peter's fountain." The following is his most famous prophecy:

"War comes from the south, peace from the north. French laws no longer recognize the Creator, but the Creator will make himself recognized and will visit her thrice with the rod of his wrath. In the first visit he breaks her pride by conquest, plundering ruined harvest and butchery of men and beasts.

"In the second visit the great prostitute of Babylon, which makes decent people sigh and call the Brothel of Europe, will be left without a leader and will be a victim of disorder.

"Paris! Paris! Instead of arming yourself in the name of the Lord, you fortify with Houses of Immorality. They will be destroyed by you yourself. Your idol, the Pantheon, will be burnt to ashes in order that this may come true: "violence, uttereth lies against me." Your enemies will reduce you to want, to hunger, to fear, and will make you the abomination of nations. Ah, woe to you, if you do not recognize the hand that strikes you! I want to punish immorality, the despising of, and the contempt for My Law, says the Lord.

"In the third visit you will fall into the hands of foreigners. Your enemies standing afar off will behold your palaces in flames. Your homes will become a heap of ruins with the blood of your heroes who are no more.

"But there will come a great warrior from the North carrying a banner and on the right hand that supports it is written: "The Irresistible Hand of the Lord." At that very moment there went out to meet him the Venerable Old Man of Lazio, holding aloft a brilliantly glowing torch. The banner then increased in size and turned from black to snow-white. In the middle of the banner, in letters of gold, there was written the name of Him who is able to do all things. The warrior with his men bowed and shook hands with the Venerable Old Man.

"Now Heaven's voice is addressed to the Shepherd of shepherds. You are now in conference with your advisors. The enemy of the good does not stand idle one moment. He studies and practices all his arts against you. He will sow discord among your consultors; he will raise up enemies amongst my children. The powers of the world will belch forth fire, and they would that the words be suffocated in the throats of the custodians of my law. That will not happen, they will do no harm but to themselves. You must hurry. If you cannot untie the knots, cut them. If you find yourself hard pressed, do not give up but continue until the head of the hydra of error is cut off. This stroke will make the world and Hell beneath it tremble, but the world will be safe and all the good will rejoice. Keep your consultors always with you, even if only two. Wherever you go, continue and bring to an end the work entrusted to you. The days fly by, your years will reach the destined number; but the great Queen will ever be your help, as in times past, so in the future She will always be the exceeding great fortress of the Church.

"Ah, but you, Italy, land of blessings! Who has steeped you in desolation! Blame not your enemies, but rather your friends. Can you not hear your children asking for the bread of faith and finding only those who smash it to pieces? What shall I do? I shall strike the shepherds, I shall disperse the flock, until those sitting on the throne of Moses search for good pastures and the flock listens attentively and is fed.

"Of the flock and over the shepherds My hand will weigh heavy. Famine, pestilence, and war will be such that mothers will have to cry on account of the blood of their sons and of their martyrs dead in a hostile country.

"And to you, Rome, what will happen! Ungrateful Rome, effeminate Rome, proud Rome! You have reached such a height that you search no further. You admire nothing else in your Sovereign except luxury, forgetting that you and your glory stands upon Golgotha. Now he is old, defenseless, and despoiled; and yet at his word, the word of one who was in bondage, the whole world trembles.

"Rome! To you I will come four times.

"The first time, I shall strike your lands and the inhabitants thereof.

"The second time, I shall bring the massacre and the slaughter even to your very walls. And will you not yet open your eyes?

"I shall come a third time and I shall beat down to the ground your defenses and the defenders, and at the command of the Father, the reign of terror, of dreadful fear, and of desolation shall enter into your city.

"But My wise men have now fled and My law is even now trampled underfoot. Therefore I will make a fourth visit. Woe to you if My law shall still be considered as empty words. There will be deceit and falsehood among both the learned and the ignorant. Your blood and that of your children will wash away your stains upon God's law. War, pestilence and famine are the rods to scourge men's pride and wickedness. O wealthy men, where is your glory now, your estates, your palaces? They are the rubble on the highways and byways.

"And your priests, why have you not run to "cry between the vestibule and the Altar," begging God to end these scourges? Why have you not, with the shield of faith, gone upon the housetops, into the homes, along the highways and byways, into every accessible corner to carry the seed of My word? Know you that this is the terrible two-edged sword that cuts down My enemies and breaks the Anger of God and of men?

"These things must come one after another. They are inexorable.

"Things are happening too slowly.

"But the August Queen of Heaven is present.

"The power of the Lord is in His hands. He scatters His enemies as a cloud. The Venerable Old Man attires himself in all his ancient raiment.

"There will come a violent hurricane.

"Iniquity is consummated. Sin will have its end. And before two full moons of the month of flowers will have run their course, the rainbow of peace will rise above the earth.

"The Great Minister will see the bride of his King arrayed in festive fashion.

"Throughout the world the sun will appear so luminous that the likes of which never has been seen since the tongues of fire descended on the Cenacle until this day, nor will such a sun ever be seen again until the very last of days.

"It was a dark night. Men could no longer tell which way to take in order to return to their homes. Suddenly there appeared in the heavens a very bright light that illuminated the steps of the travelers as though it was midday. At that moment there was seen a host of men and women, of young and old, of nuns, monks and priests with the Holy Father at the head. They were going out from the Vatican and were arranging themselves in line for a procession.

"And then there came a furious storm which clouded that light somewhat and made it appear that light and darkness were engaged in battle. In the meantime they arrived at a little square covered with dead and wounded, some of whom cried aloud and asked for help.

"Very many were dropping out of the line of procession. After having walked for a time that would correspond to two hundred risings of the sun they realized that they were no longer in Rome. Struck with fear they all ran to the Holy Father to defend him personally and to attend to his wants. Instantly two angels were seen carrying a banner; they presented it to the Holy father and said: "Receive the banner of He Who fights and scatters the strongest armies of the world. Your enemies are dispersed. Your children with tears and sighs beg you to return."

"Looking at the banner one could see written on one side, "Queen conceived without sin," and on the other side, "Help of Christians."

"The Holy Father joyfully took the banner, but looking closely at the small number of those who remained with him, he became very sad.

"The two angels add: "Go quickly and console your children. Write your brothers dispersed throughout the world that there must be a reform in the morals of men. That cannot be obtained except by distributing to the people the bread of the Divine Word. Catechize the children, preach the detaching of the heart from the things that are of the earth. The time has come," concluded the two angels, "when the poor shall evangelize the people. Vocations will come from among those working with the spade, the ax, the hammer to the end that they fulfill the words of David: God has raised up the poor from the land in order to place them on the thrones of the princes of His people."

"Having heard that, the Holy Father began the march. The farther he went the greater did the procession behind increase. When finally he set foot in the Holy City, he wept bitter tears for the distress in which he found the people and the large number now missing. As he entered St. Peter's he intoned the "Te Deum" to which a choir of angels replied singing: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will."

"With the end of the hymn there came an end to the thick darkness and the sun shone with a brightness all its own.

"The cities, the towns, and villages were thinly populated. The land had been leveled down as if by a hurricane, by a tempest, and a hail storm. People went from one to another saying in tones of great emotion: "There is a God in Israel."

"From the beginning of the exile until the singing of the "Te Deum", the sun rose in the East two hundred times. The time that passed for the fulfilling of these things corresponds to four hundred risings of the sun."

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37. The Monk of Premol ~

In 1783, a manuscript of prophecy believed to be the work of an anonymous monk in the mid-17th century was found among the papers of a notary who had administered the monastery of Premol near Grenoble, France. The prophecy is broad in scope, stretching from the French Revolution to the end of civilization as we know it. Among the predicted events that remain to be fulfilled are the destruction of Paris, Israel, and Rome, the escape of the Pope, and the advents of the Grand Monarch of Europe and the Angelic Pope. The following section of the prophecy is excerpted from Liber Mirabilis, published by Adrian Peladon:

"The spirit conducted me into the heavens and said to me: "It is written that the Archangel Michael will do battle with the Dragon before the Triangle of God.

"Then the spirit added: "Open the doors to your understanding; the Archangel and the Dragon are the two spirits that will contend for the kingdom of Jerusalem; and the triangle is the glory of the Almighty...

"...Is such a sacrifice not enough to appease your wrath, O Lord? But no, what then is this noise of arms? These cries of war and fear? What do the four winds bring? Ah! The dragon has appeared in all countries and has brought terrible confusion everywhere. There is war everywhere.

"Individuals and nations rise against each other. Wars! Wars! Civil wars, foreign wars! What terrifying clashes! Everything is dead or in mourning; and famine stalks the earth.

"The general revolution has followed. In these future happenings will Paris be destroyed? Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Save yourself from the fire of Sodom and Gomorrah, and from the sack of Babylon. Why, Lord, do you not stop all this with Your Arm? Is the fury of men not enough without flaming ruin?

"Must the elements also serve as an instrument of thine wrath? Stop, O Lord, stop! Thy cities are already crumbling by themselves. The elements are set loose. Cities are destroyed by fire.

"Mercy, pardon for Zion! But thou are deaf to our cries, and the mountain of Zion comes crumbling down with a deafening roar!

"The Cross of Christ now surmounts only a heap of ruins.

"And it is here that I see the king of Zion abandon his staff and his triple crown and, shaking the dust of these ruins from his feet, make haste to flee toward other shores. And that is not all, O Lord; your Church is rent asunder by her own children!

"The children of Zion are divided into two camps --- one faithful to the fugitive pontiff, and the other inclined or disposed to the government of Zion respecting the Scepter, but breaking in pieces the triple crown.

"And I saw out of the Orient a significant young Man; he rode on a Lion and held a flaming Sword in his hand. And France sang in front of him. And on his Path, many people fell before him, because the Spirit of God was with him. He rode into the ruins of Rome, and laid his Hand in the Hand of the pope.

"And the one places the mutilated tiara upon the ardent head, determined to institute reforms that the opposing faction rejects; and confusion reigns in the sanctuary...

"But my spirit wanders and my eyes become obscured at the sight of this terrible cataclysm. But the Spirit said to me that the man who hope in God does penance, because the all-powerful and merciful God will draw the world out of confusion and a new world will commence. Then the Spirit said to me: "Here is the beginning of the end of Time which begins!" And I awoke terrified."

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38. The Angelic Pope & Great Monarch ~

A large corpus of prophetic literature deals with a "Grand Monarch" and "Angelic Pope". Some critics have dismissed these as wishful thinking and political propaganda. Many such predictions are just that, but the consensus of these visionary scenarios, spread over a period of 1500 years, is remarkably consistent. Perhaps an interim of enlightened, absolute monarchy would be an elegant solution to the crisis of leadership in modern times; it is a reasonable hope. No such characters are mentioned in Biblical prophecy, except perhaps in Daniel 12:1. Prophecies of the Grand Monarch began to appear within a few centuries after Christ, and served to support the notion of divine right of kings. However, he is not present on the stage of current affairs; perhaps he is waiting in the wings.

During the 12th century, the Papacy rose to its pinnacle as a universal religious authority and political power, in gross contradiction to the spiritual ideal of poverty and simplicity. The contrast between the opulent popes and the people's hopes for more saintly pontiffs gave rise to a powerful new apocalyptic dream of the "Pastor Angelicus" (Angelic Pope). There are no references to an enlightened Pope in the Bible, but he became a psychic necessity after the 13th century and has continued to manifest in prophecy since then.

Also during the 13th century, the Pope began to become identified with the Antichrist, and for good reason. For example, the inscription on the Pope's miter reads "VICARIUS FILII DEI" (Vicar of the Son of God). In the Latin gematria (according to which each letter has a numeric value), the inscription equals 666, the Number of the Beast in St. John's Revelation. The words "Mystery Babylon" and the Roman numerals DCLXVI (666) also appear on the Golden Carp hat which the Pope wears.

The idea of the Angelic Pope and the Antichrist-Pope caught on soon after the holy Benedictine hermit Peter Morrone was chosen as Pope (against his will) two years after the death of Nicholas IV in 1292. The cardinals could not agree on the successor, until Morrone was chosen "either by desperation or by revelation". He took the name Celestine V. The hermit was quite unfit for the arduous task of the Papacy and abdicated within six months. While acting as Pope, he built a hut for himself within the papal palace at Napoli and lived there in holy poverty. This gave rise to the popular opinion that he was the Angelic Pope. His successor Boniface VIII (1294-1303) imprisoned Celestine V and was one of the worst men ever to hold papal office. This further inspired contemporary predictions of super-holy popes and the Great Monarch. Several of the following prophecies concern these characters.
 

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39. St. Cataldus of Tarentino ~

St. Cataldus was a scholar, born ca. 500 AD at Rathan in Mamonia, Ireland near the great monastery of Lismore. Inspired with missionary zeal at a young age, he went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On his return he was shipwrecked on Tarentum at the heel of Italy. He preached fervently to the local people and worked many miracles, thus bringing them all to repentance. He is now the patron saint of the place. Cataldus is attributed with this prophecy:

"The Great Monarch will be in war till he is forty years of age; a king of the House of Lily, he will assemble great armies and expel tyrants from his empire. He will conquer England and other island empires. Greece he will invade and be made king thereof. Colchis, Cyprus, the Turks and barbarians he will subdue and have all men worship the Crucified one. He will at length lay down his crown in Jerusalem."

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40. Rabanus Maurus ~

The Blessed Rabanus Megentius Maurus, Benedictine Abbot of Fulda and Archbishop of Mainz (b. 776, d. 856), was a well-known teacher and writer, and one of the most learned men of his time. He reviewed the prophetic literature of his period and reported thus:

"Our principal doctors agree in announcing to us that towards the end of time one of the descendants of the kings of France shall reign over all the Roman Empire; and that he shall be the greatest of the Empire; and that he shall be the greatest of the French monarchs, and the last of his race.

"After having most happily governed his kingdom, he will go to Jerusalem, and depose on Mount Olive his scepter and crown. This shall be the end and conclusion of the Roman and Christian Empire."

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41. St. Caesarius of Arles ~

Saint Caesarius (469-542) served as Archbishop of Arles from 502 to 542, and he was the papal vicar for Gaul and Spain at the same time. He is considered to be one of the truly relevant writers of the patristic age. In his book Mirabilis liber prophecias revelationes, he correctly predicted the French Revolution. He also gave this prophecy of the Great Pope and Grand Monarch:

"When the entire world, and in a special manner France, and in France more particularly the provinces of the north, of the east, and above all, that of Lorraine and Champagne, shall have been a prey to the greatest miseries and trials, then the provinces shall be succored by a prince who had been exiled in his youth, and who shall recover the crown of the lilies.

"This prince shall extend his dominion over the entire universe. At the same time there will be a great Pope, who be most eminent in sanctity and most perfect in every quality. This Pope shall have with him the Great Monarch, a most virtuous man, who shall be a scion of the holy race of the French kings. This Great Monarch will assist the Pope in the reformation of the whole earth. Many princes and nations that are living in error and impiety shall be converted, and an admirable peace shall reign among men during many years, because the wrath of God shall be appeased through their repentance, penance, and good works. There will be one common law, only one faith, one baptism, one religion. All nations shall recognize the Holy See of Rome, and shall pay homage to the Pope. But after some considerable time fervor shall cool, iniquity shall abound, and moral corruption shall become worse than ever, which shall bring upon mankind the last and worst persecution of the Antichrist, and the end of the world.

"There shall be a great change and as great an effusion of blood as in the time of the Gentiles: the Universal Church and the whole world shall deplore the ruin and capture of that most celebrated city, the capital and mistress of France; the altars and temples shall be destroyed; the holy virgins after experiencing many outrages, shall fly from their monasteries: the pastors of the Church shall abandon their pulpits and the Church itself be despoiled of all temporalities.

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42. Merlin Ambrosius ~

The legendary Celtic magus Merlin Ambrosius supposedly brought the stones of Stonehenge from Ireland to Salisbury Plain by magical levitation, and counseled King Arthur. He has had over 100 pseudo-epigraphic Latin and vernacular texts attributed to him. Most of those texts were produced in Italy. The best representation of such writings is Les Prophecies de Merlin, composed in Venice by an anti-imperialist Franciscan circa 1275. The ascribed prophecies were proscribed by the Council of Trent. The following excerpts pertain to the Grand Monarch:

"There will come a German Anti-Pope. Italy and Germany will be sorely troubled. A French King will restore the true Pope.

"After the destruction of England by seven kings there shall come a dreadful dead man, and with him a Royal Great Monarch of the best blood in the world and he shall set England on the right way and put out all heresies. He shall be the last King over England.

"When the tail of Virgo shall enter Leo, and Scorpio shall ascend the back of Sagittarius, the northern kingdoms shall end in lust; and the power of the Island Monarchies shall be harnessed.

"Cruel wars shall be scattered by the wind -- whose beginnings were by a staff: their growth and continuance by bastards -- and gulled by a revengeful hail...

"Those on whom these things shall come, for grief and sorrow pine away. A prince of royal stock shall come forth, crowned from the northern parts --- to his own people unexpected, but desired by foreigners --- who, because he shall bear a "rampant lion" shall therefore be called a lion. He shall advance his conquering armies against his enemies and by woeful successes shall harness the territories of neighbor Princes. He shall exceed Alexander the Great in virtue and Cyrus in success. He shall cross the sea and be saluted Emperor by many kings. A certain ancient city he shall lay level with the ground.

"In the meanwhile a powerful Prince out of the East shall provoke him to battle. Against whom the Lion shall march with all his forces and pitching his camp on the side of the Euphrates, shall await him. If the prince shall come over the river the Lion shall be overcome; but the Lion shall cross the river with his army and give his enemy a bloody defeat and be master of all the East.

"Whilst these things are happening, divers petty kings from India shall break into Syria with mighty armies. provided for battle, they shall wait for the Lion about the Valley of Jehosephat, where they shall, by him, be all wholly cut off. Not long afterwards the Lion himself will die in eminent piety, after having established the Kingdom of the Fugitives...

"There will be a Pope who will not dare so much as look at Rome. Similarly, one thing the Romans must understand, among others, is that before the death of the Pope, our Lord will make him suffer such disgrace that there will be nothing to compare with it. It is likewise necessary that the Romans know, among other things, that from that time on will begin their destruction, step by step, and that it will be because of their sins...

"Merlin saith that in England shall be seen many strange things, as preaching of traitors, great rain and wind, great hunger among the common people, great oppression of blood, great imprisonment of many men and great battle; so that there will be few or no quiet places to abide in; the Prince shall forsake men of the Church, Lords shall forsake righteousness... Religious men shall be thrust out of their houses; the common people for fear shall not know which way to turn; parents shall be hated by their children; men of worship shall have no reverence of their inferiors; chastity will be broken by maids, wives and widows, religious men and virgins, with more ill than I can tell of, from the which God will defend us."

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43. Pope Leo VI ~

Pope Leo VI (Leo the Philosopher) reigned for 7 months and 10 days during the second half of the 9th century; he died in 911. Little is known about him, but he is credited with the authorship of The Oracles of Leo the Wise, an illustrated 12th century Byzantine prophecy of future emperors, including the Last World Emperor:

"There will arise an imperial deliverer --- an oriental Frederick --- who will save the kingdom and the people. He will come from the Mohammedans over whom he will rule --- adorned with all virtue --- poor but needing nothing --- two angels in the form of eunuchs will accompany him --- mankind will accept him as their ruler. He will conquer the Arabs --- no taxes after 12 years. Immediately after, there will set in a period of darkness, crime and revolution."

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44. Sibylline Fragments ~

The Sibylline Oracles include these mentions of the Grand Monarch and the Angelic Pope:

"A star shall arise in Europe over the Iberians, toward the great house of the North, whose beams shall unexpectedly enlighten the whole world. This shall be in a most desired time, when mortal men, being weary of armies, with joint consent embrace peace. Almost at the same time as this star, a light as ancient as the former, of the same age, burning with far more eager flames, shall extend his government to the coasts of the Antipodes. France shall first be yoked by this king or Prince. Britain shall humbly cast herself at his knees. Italy, pausing with greater deliberation upon high enterprises, shall contribute to him her languishing right hand. But this very light shall hide itself in the clouds of the gods long before his time with the mighty desire of mortal men...

"The destruction of the world will occur when faith in godliness shall perish from men, and justice is hidden away in the world, and men become renegades and, living on unholy enterprises, commit deeds of shame, and acts, dastardly and evil; and no man takes account of the godly, but even in their senselessness, fond fools, they destroy themselves, rejoicing in acts of violence, turning their hands to deeds of bloodshed.

"Now I will tell thee a very evident sign, that thou mayst understand when the end of all things is coming on the earth. When swords in the starlit heaven appear by night toward dusk and dawn, and straightaway dust is carried from heaven to earth, and the moon's rays shine forth and come back to earth, and a sign comes from the rock with dripping streams of blood, and in a cloud ye shall see a battle of foot and horse, as a hunt of wild beasts, like unto misty clouds, this is the consummation of war which God, whose dwelling is in heaven, is bringing to pass. From the sunrise God will send a king who shall give every land relief from the bane of war: some he shall slay and to others he shall consecrate faithful vows. Nor shall he do all these things by his own will, but in obedience to the good ordinances of the mighty God. And again the people of the mighty God shall be laden with excellent wealth, with gold and silver and purple adornment. The land shall bear her increase, and the sea shall be full of good things. And kings shall be weary of repelling evil one against another with wrath. Envy is no good thing for miserable souls.

"The Lion Monarch shall be made famous unto all and shall subvert kingdoms, peoples and nations. Then God shall send a King from the sun, who shall cause all the people of the earth to cease from disastrous war. He will take away the intolerable yoke of slavery which is placed upon our necks, and he will do away with impious laws and violent chains. When he shall come there shall be fire and darkness in the midst of the black night."

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45. Joaquim Merlin ~

Abbot Joachim Merlin (born circa 1480, died 1541) was a canon of Notre Dame; in 1529 he became the grand penitentiary after being imprisoned for two years in the court of Francis I, and he was exiled in Nantes for a year because of his opposition to the Lutherans. Upon his return to Paris in 1530 he became the vicar-general. The following lengthy prophecy of his is about the Great Pope:

"After many prolonged sufferings endured by Christians, and after a too great effusion of innocent blood, the Lord shall give peace and happiness to the desolated nations. A remarkable pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under the special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. He shall be revered by all people, and shall recover the kingdom of Jerusalem. As the only Pastor he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church, and thus only one faith will be in vigor. The sanctity of this beneficent Pontiff will be so great that the highest potentates shall bow before his presence. This holy man shall crush the arrogance of religious schism and heresy. All men will return to the primitive Church, and there shall be only one pastor, one law, one master --- humble, modest, and fearing God. The true God of the Jews, our Lord Jesus Christ, will make everything prosper beyond all human hope, because God alone can and will pour down on the wounds of humanity the oily balm of sweetness.

"The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the faithful are in joy and happiness, because the Lord has vouchsafed to be merciful to them. He shall invite his elect to the banquet of the Lamb, where melodious canticles and harmonious concerts will be heard.

"The power of this Pontiff's holiness will be so great as to be able to check the fury and impetuosity of threatening waves. Mountains shall be lowered before him, the sea shall be dried up, the dead shall be raised, the churches shall be reopened and altars erected.

"It should be known that there will be two heads, one in the East, and the other in the West. This Pope shall break the weapons and scatter the fighting hordes. He will be the joy of God's elect. This angelic pope will preach the gospel in every country. Through his zeal and solicitude the Greek Church shall be forever reunited to the Catholic Church.

"Before, however, being firmly and solidly established in the Holy See, there will be innumerable wars and violent conflicts during which the sacred throne shall be shaken. But through the favor of divine clemency, moved by the prayers of the faithful, everything will succeed so well that they shall be able to sing hymns of thanksgiving to the glory of the Lord.

"This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in everlasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace. During these happy days the Angelic Pope shall be able to address to Heaven prayers full of sweetness. The dispersed nation shall also enjoy tranquillity. Six and a half years after this time the Pope will render his soul to God. The end of his days shall arrive in an arid province, situated between a river and a lake near the mountains...

"At the beginning, in order these happy results, having need of a powerful temporal assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France. At that time a handsome monarch, a scion of King Pepin, will come as a pilgrim to witness the splendor of this glorious pontiff, whose name shall begin with "R."... A temporal throne being vacant, the Pope shall place on it this king whose assistance he shall ask.

"When a monster shall appear in the sky, thou shalt find a ready escape towards the east, and after nine years thou shalt render thy soul to God.

"A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair. Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him, and no person will dare to oppose his holy precepts. He shall not allow the clergy to have many benefices. He will induce them to live by tithes and offerings of the faithful. He shall interdict pomp in dress, and all immorality in dance and songs. He will preach the gospel in person, and exhort all honest ladies to appear in public without any ornament of gold or precious stones. After having occupied the Holy See for a long time he shall happily return to the Lord.

"His three immediate successors shall be men of exemplary holiness. One after the other will be models of virtue, and shall work miracles, confirming the teaching of their predecessors. Under their government the Church shall spread, and these Popes shall be called the Angelic Pastors."

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