Dark Mysteries of the Vatican (15 page)
Read Dark Mysteries of the Vatican Online
Authors: H. Paul Jeffers
“Peter the Roman.”
“This final Pope will be Satan, taking the form of a man named Peter who will gain a worldwide allegiance and adoration. He will be the final antichrist of which prophecy students have long foretold.”
According to Malachy’s prophecies, there will be only one Pope after the reign of Benedict XVI. But the prevailing view of the Vatican today is that they are elaborate forgeries, possibly the work of Jesuit monks in the 1600s. The Catholic Encyclopedia noted, “The last of these prophecies concerns 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.’”
It has been noticed concerning Petrus Romanus that the prophecy does not say no popes will intervene between him and his predecessor designated Gloria olivae [Benedict XVI]. It merely says that he is to be the last pope, leaving the possibility of other popes before “Peter the Roman.”
Those who cast doubt on St. Malachy’s forecast of the last in the long line of the papacy as a prophecy of the end of the world hasten to point out that Jesus Christ declared in the Gospel of Matthew, 26:36, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
This chronology is from New Advent, “The Vatican and Its History” at www.ibiblio.org/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/History.html.
1451 | Pope Nicholas V conceives of a library “for the common convenience of the learned,” and the Vatican Library is born. Nicholas’s collection numbered about 1,160 books. |
1475 | Pope Sixtus IV brings the Library to life, installing the books in a restored suite of rooms, building up the collection, and naming Bartolomeo Platina as the Vatican’s first formal librarian. |
1470–1525 | During the High Renaissance, the Library grew enormously. By 1481, a handwritten catalog by Platina shows 3,500 entries. As from its inception, the collections are available without restriction regarding the reader’s religious or other views. |
1517 | Protestant Reformation begins. |
1570–1610 | Counter-Reformation. The Library inevitably suffers from the introduction of the Index of banned books (1558) and some limitations on access are imposed. |
1623 | Most of the rich holdings of the Palatine Library in the Protestant stronghold of Heidelberg become part of the Vatican Library collection as war booty. |
Mid–1600s | The Library again welcomes unfettered scholarly pursuit, including by Protestants. It acquires vast new holdings of manuscripts and books, most notably a spectacular assortment of items from distant lands. |
1785 | Pope Pius VI strictly limits the consultation of manuscripts, prompting Spanish priest Juan Andres to accuse the pope of overseeing a “cemetery of books not a library.” |
1883 | Pope Leo XIII formally declares the Library open to qualified researchers. |
1927–39 | The Library of Congress and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace help modernize the Vatican Library’s book catalog system. |
1992 | Vatican Library holdings number almost 2 million printed books and serials; 75,000 Latin, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Ethiopian, Syriac and other manuscripts from the 2nd Century |
2007 | Publication of the Chinon Parchment of 1308 exonerating the Knights Templar of charges of heresy. |
2007–10 | Closes to the public for renovations/rebuilding for first time in 500 years. |
This chronology is from Wikipedia, “Vatican Secret Archives” at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Secret_Archives.
1883 | Pope Leo XIII opened archives dated 1815 or earlier to nonclerical scholars. |
1924 | Documents opened to the end of the pontificate of Gregory XVI (1846). |
1966 | Documents opened from the pontificate of Pius IX (1846–78). |
1978 | Documents opened from the pontificate of Leo XIII (1878–1903). |
1985 | Documents opened from the pontificates of Pius X (1903–14) and Benedict XV (1914–22). |
2002 | Pope John Paul II took the extraordinary step of making available, beginning in 2003, some of the documents from the Historical Archives of the Secretariat of State (Second Section), which pertain to the Vatican’s relations with Germany during pontificate of Pius XI (1922–39). |
J | Pope Benedict XVI authorized opening of all the Vatican Archives for the pontificate of Pope Pius XI. |
This list is from New Advent, “The List of Popes” at www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272.html.
- St. Peter (32–67)
- St. Linus (67–76)
- St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76–88)
- St. Clement I (88–97)
- St. Evaristus (97–105)
- St. Alexander I (105–15)
- St. Sixtus I (115–25) Also called Xystus I
- St. Telesphorus (125–36)
- St. Hyginus (136–40)
- St. Pius I (140–55)
- St. Anicetus (155–66)
- St. Soter (166–75)
- St. Eleutherius (175–89)
- St. Victor I (189–99)
- St. Zephyrinus (199–217)
- St. Callistus I (217–22)
- St. Urban I (222–30)
- St. Pontain (230–35)
- St. Anterus (235–36)
- St. Fabian (236–50)
- St. Cornelius (251–53)
- St. Lucius I (253–54)
- St. Stephen I (254–57)
- St. Sixtus II (257–58)
- St. Dionysius (260–68)
- St. Felix I (269–74)
- St. Eutychian (275–83)
- St. Caius (283–96) Also called Gaius
- St. Marcellinus (296–304)
- St. Marcellus I (308–09)
- St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
- St. Miltiades (311–14)
- St. Sylvester I (314–35)
- St. Marcus (336)
- St. Julius I (337–52)
- Liberius (352–66)
- St. Damasus I (366–83)
- St. Siricius (384–99)
- St. Anastasius I (399–401)
- St. Innocent I (401–17)
- St. Zosimus (417–18)
- St. Boniface I (418–22)
- St. Celestine I (422–32)
- St. Sixtus III (432–40)
- St. Leo I (the Great) (440–61)
- St. Hilarius (461–68)
- St. Simplicius (468–83)
- St. Felix III (II) (483–92)
- St. Gelasius I (492–96)
- Anastasius II (496–98)
- St. Symmachus (498–514)
- St. Hormisdas (514–23)
- St. John I (523–26)
- St. Felix IV (III) (526–30)
- Boniface II (530–32)
- John II (533–35)
- St. Agapetus I (535–36) Also called Agapitus I
- St. Silverius (536–37)
- Vigilius (537–55)
- Pelagius I (556–61)
- John III (561–74)
- Benedict I (575–79)
- Pelagius II (579–90)
- St. Gregory I (the Great) (590–604)
- Sabinian (604–06)
- Boniface III (607)
- St. Boniface IV (608–15)
- St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615–18)
- Boniface V (619–25)
- Honorius I (625–38)
- Severinus (640)
- John IV (640–42)
- Theodore I (642–49)
- St. Martin I (649–55)
- St. Eugene I (655–57)
- St. Vitalian (657–72)
- Adeodatus (II) (672–76)
- Donus (676–78)
- St. Agatho (678–81)
- St. Leo II (682–83)
- St. Benedict II (684–85)
- John V (685–86)
- Conon (686–87)
- St. Sergius I (687–701)
- John VI (701–05)
- John VII (705–07)
- Sisinnius (708)
- Constantine (708–15)
- St. Gregory II (715–31)
- St. Gregory III (731–41)
- St. Zachary (741–52)
- Stephen II (752)
- Stephen III (752–57)
- St. Paul I (757–67)
- Stephen IV (767–72)
- Adrian I (772–95)
- St. Leo III (795–816)
- Stephen V (816–17)
- St. Paschal I (817–24)
- Eugene II (824–27)
- Valentine (827)
- Gregory IV (827–44)
- Sergius II (844–47)
- St. Leo IV (847–55)
- Benedict III (855–58)
- St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858–67)
- Adrian II (867–72)
- John VIII (872–82)
- Marinus I (882–84)
- St. Adrian III (884–85)
- Stephen VI (885–91)
- Formosus (891–96)
- Boniface VI (896)
- Stephen VII (896–97)
- Romanus (897)
- Theodore II (897)
- John IX (898-900)
- Benedict IV (900–03)
- Leo V (903)
- Sergius III (904–11)
- Anastasius III (911–13)
- Lando (913–14)
- John X (914–28)
- Leo VI (928)
- Stephen VIII (929–31)
- John XI (931–35)
- Leo VII (936–39)
- Stephen IX (939–42)
- Marinus II (942–46)
- Agapetus II (946–55)
- John XII (955–63)
- Leo VIII (963–64)
- Benedict V (964)
- John XIII (965–72)
- Benedict VI (973–74)
- Benedict VII (974–83)
- John XIV (983–84)
- John XV (985–96)
- Gregory V (996–99)
- Sylvester II (999–1003)
- John XVII (1003)
- John XVIII (1003–09)
- Sergius IV (1009–12)
- Benedict VIII (1012–24)
- John XIX (1024–32)
- Benedict IX (1032–45)
- Sylvester III (1045)
- Benedict IX (1045)
- Gregory VI (1045–46)
- Clement II (1046–47)
- Benedict IX (1047–48)
- Damasus II (1048)
- St. Leo IX (1049–54)
- Victor II (1055–57)
- Stephen X (1057–58)
- Nicholas II (1058–61)
- Alexander II (1061–73)
- St. Gregory VII (1073–85)
- Blessed Victor III (1086–87)
- Blessed Urban II (1088–99)
- Paschal II (1099–1118)
- Gelasius II (1118–19)
- Callistus II (1119–24)
- Honorius II (1124–30)
- Innocent II (1130–43)
- Celestine II (1143–44)
- Lucius II (1144–45)
- Blessed Eugene III (1145–53)
- Anastasius IV (1153–54)
- Adrian IV (1154–59)
- Alexander III (1159–81)
- Lucius III (1181–85)
- Urban III (1185–87)
- Gregory VIII (1187)
- Clement III (1187–91)
- Celestine III (1191–98)
- Innocent III (1198–1216)
- Honorius III (1216–27)
- Gregory IX (1227–41)
- Celestine IV (1241)
- Innocent IV (1243–54)
- Alexander IV (1254–61)
- Urban IV (1261–64)
- Clement IV (1265–68)
- Blessed Gregory X (1271–76)
- Blessed Innocent V (1276)
- Adrian V (1276)
- John XXI (1276–77)
- Nicholas III (1277–80)
- Martin IV (1281–85)
- Honorius IV (1285–87)
- Nicholas IV (1288–92)
- St. Celestine V (1294)
- Boniface VIII (1294–1303)
- Blessed Benedict XI (1303–04)
- Clement V (1305–14)
- John XXII (1316–34)
- Benedict XII (1334–42)
- Clement VI (1342–52)
- Innocent VI (1352–62)
- Blessed Urban V (1362–70)
- Gregory XI (1370–78)
- Urban VI (1378–89)
- Boniface IX (1389–1404)
- Innocent VII (1406–06)
- Gregory XII (1406–15)
- Martin V (1417–31)
- Eugene IV (1431–47)
- Nicholas V (1447–55)
- Callistus III (1455-58)
- Pius II (1458–64)
- Paul II (1464–71)
- Sixtus IV (1471–84)
- Innocent VIII (1484–92)
- Alexander VI (1492–1503)
- Pius III (1503)
- Julius II (1503–13)
- Leo X (1513–21)
- Adrian VI (1522–23)
- Clement VII (1523–34)
- Paul III (1534–49)
- Julius III (1550–55)
- Marcellus II (1555)
- Paul IV (1555–59)
- Pius IV (1559–65)
- St. Pius V (1566–72)
- Gregory XIII (1572–85)
- Sixtus V (1585–90)
- Urban VII (1590)
- Gregory XIV (1590–91)
- Innocent IX (1591)
- Clement VIII (1592–1605)
- Leo XI (1605)
- Paul V (1605–21)
- Gregory XV (1621–23)
- Urban VIII (1623–44)
- Innocent X (1644–55)
- Alexander VII (1655–67)
- Clement IX (1667–69)
- Clement X (1670–76)
- Blessed Innocent XI (1676–89)
- Alexander VIII (1689–91)
- Innocent XII (1691–1700)
- Clement XI (1700–21)
- Innocent XIII (1721–24)
- Benedict XIII (1724–30)
- Clement XII (1730–40)
- Benedict XIV (1740–58)
- Clement XIII (1758–69)
- Clement XIV (1769–74)
- Pius VI (1775–99)
- Pius VII (1800–23)
- Leo XII (1823–29)
- Pius VIII (1829–30)
- Gregory XVI (1831–46)
- Blessed Pius IX (1846–78)
- Leo XIII (1878–1903)
- St. Pius X (1903–14)
- Benedict XV (1914–22)
- Pius XI (1922–39)
- Pius XII (1939–58)
- Blessed John XXIII (1958–63)
- Paul VI (1963–78)
- John Paul I (1978)
- John Paul II (1978–2005)
- Benedict XVI (2005–)
