The Prophecies of St. Malachy

8/22/2019 The Prophecies of St. Malachy

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Mr . Peter BanderSenior Lecturer in Religio us Educa tion .and Head of the Departm ent ofRel igious Educa tio n at one of theco nsti tuent colleges o f t he CambridgeInstitu te of Educa tion.Th rough the good services of ArchbishopCardi nale, he has recei ved thecoop eration of the Vati can Ar chives, andthe result is the most authori tativ e andenlig htening ed it io n of th e p rop heciesever to have app eared .

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T ~ E P R O P ~ E c i E 5 of ST. MAl-AmyIntroduction and Commentary by Peter Bander

TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, INC.Rockford, Illinois 61105


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Copyright Colin Smythe, Ltd . , 1969Libr ary of Congress Catalog Card Number : 74-125419ISBN: 0-89555-038-5

Originally published in 1969 by Colin Smythe, Ltd ., Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England under the title The Prophecies of St. Malachy and St. Columbkille.Originally published in the United States by Alba House, Division of the Societyof SI. Paul, Staten Island, New York in 1970 under the title The Prophecies ofSt. Malachy.

PRI NTED AND BOUND IN T HE UN ITED STATES OF AMERI CA

TAN BOOKS AN D PUBLISH ER S, INC.P. O. Box 424Ro ckford , Illinois 611051973

FOREWORD

In publishing THE PROPHECIES OF ST MALACHYColin Smythe Limited have produced an instructiveand entertaining book.

There is a grea t deal of instant information inPeter Bander's nu tshell biographical accounts of thepopes who occupied the Roman See since th e year1143 to our present tim e - and indeed of th eantipopes as well. Th e remarkable way in whi ch th evisions St Ma lachy is alleged to have had are shownto apply to th e successive indi vidual popes is mostamusing. Is it not th e case to repeat : "Se non evero, eb en trovato" ?

Whatever one may think of the genuineness ofthe prophecies a ttributed to St M alachy, here is afascinating study whi ch provides the curious readerwith mu ch profit and pleasure.

ARCHBISHOP H. E. CARDINALEApostolic Nuncio to Belgium and Luxembourguntil recently Apo stolic Delegate to Great Britain


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PREFACE

If this book does no more than give pause to those scoffers whocustomarily go about saying that the Prophecies of Malachy are nothingother than scurrilous rubbish, it will have accomplished a great dea l -if only because there are so many people who tend to think this way.There is another group, of course, who have never heard of thesefamous foretellings of the popes by which the good Malachy undertookto list in advance the proper succession of Roman pontiffs from Celestine II (1143) to "the end of the world." He didn't just come rightout and name them, of course. That would have taken all the sportout of it for one thing and, for another, would have considerably curtailed the free will of the College of Cardinals. Quite sensibly, he choseto reveal the successors under symbolic titles, set down in Latin.

I belong to yet a third group or belonged, I should say whohad heard of the Prophecies but had not bothered to think much abouttheir validity one way or the other. I could, as so many of my contemporary indifferentists are wont to say, not have cared less. Butcount me now among the utterly concerned and utterly converted, PeterBander's commentary and interpretation of the prophecies have carriedthe day completely. So far as I'm concerned, there's not the least shadowof a doubt as to their authenticity.

The scoffers, of course, begin with the primary objection that thesewritings were not even "discovered" for some four-hundred odd yearsafter Malachys' death in the year 1148. They object further that hewould surely have told somebody about them, at least his death friendSt. Bernard of Clairvaux; they carp and twitter and nit-pick in otherdisagreeable and tendentious ways as well. But to no avail theelegant and soaring scholarship of Peter Bander disposes of all theseobjections with authoritative dispatch. He remains too much the professional even to descend to the gut-level argument that I, laboringunder no such restraining ethic, would have cited at once: namely,that Malachy was not only Irish, but an Irish saint, and the firstIrishman to actually be canonized by formal process of the Church.Would such a man be apt to jeopardize his chances by leaving anotorious piece of scurrilous writing behind him?

There will be those, too, who say that it's easy enough to match uppope and prophetic clue after the fact. Thus we now know that when


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Malachy wrote Bos Albanus in Portu that he was obviously referringto Rodrigo Borgia, Alexander VI (1492-1503), because of "th e pope'sarmorial bearings and his Cardinal titles of Albano and Porto." Healso behaved like a bull on more than a few occasions so that th e prediction " the Alban bull at the port" is not only literally but allegoricallyaccurate . But the wicked Alexander is grossly obvious ; it lakes aknowledge of the papacy amounting almost to an obsession -- albeita most lofty one - to realize that Picus Inter Escas (A woodpeckeramong the food) was going to tum out to be Nicholas IV.Interest in the prophecies is somewhat cyclical in nature, tendingto go up sharply when the reigning pontiff grows extremely old orfalls dangerously ill. Before and during actual conclaves it is next toimpossible to lay your hands on a copy. Peter Bander's interpretations .filled as they are with the highly condensed soup of scholarship as wellas with the lightning flashes of nearly pure inspiration, should soonbe recognized as the authoritative version and will doubtless be insharp demand.Which makes me admire all the more the modesty of Peter Bander,who , having forged such a masterwork of authenticity can then stephumbly aside and say, as he does in his introduction, that the readerneed not "extend to them the same reverence you may extend to theGospels ."

Reverence no ; but profound respect, certainly. Only once did theauthor strain my credulity and that so slightly as to be virtually insignificant. He circulates the rumor that during the conclave which wasto elect John XXIII, a certain Cardinal from the United States, evidentlyhaving taken Malachy's forecast that the next pope would be "pastorand mariner" literally, rented a boat, filled it with sheep and sailed thusconspicuously up and down the Tiber. Pope John, of course, as bishopof Venice, had the maritime claim nailed down.What disturbs me and should disturb the reader to an equal degreeis that after "Flower of Flowers ," that is to say after Paul VI , thereare only three more prophecies. Whoever he turns out to be , PetrusRomanus will be the last. Time is running out. It's later than we allthink . The end of the world is at hand. If Malachy and Peter Bandersay it's going to happen, then happen it surely will. Joel WellsEditor, The Critic

PUBLISH ER 'S PREFACETh e present book was origina lly pub lished by Colin Smythe. Lim ited ,

of Gerrard s Cross, Engla nd in 1969 und er the titl e The Prophecies of S t.M alacliy and S t. Columbk ille, In 1970 Alb a H ouse, a Di vision of th eSociety of St. Paul , Sta ten Islan d , New York , with th e permission ofCo lin Sm ythe, Lim ited , br ou ght o ut a ha rdbound editio n of 711 e Propheciesof St . Malachy only . T ha t edition having go ne out of pr int toward th e endof 1972, a nd Alb a H ou se electing not to reprint, we negotiat ed with th eo rigina l publi sher to issue the book once more. We a lso have chosen toreprint onl y The Prophecies of St . Ma lachy becau se they form a unifi edsubject mat ter ; th ose of St. Columbkille (52 1-597) cover a longer period oftime , co ncern man y un related subjects, and are d ifficult to rea d and morediffic ult to un der stand (eve n wit h the help of Mr. Bander ' s footnot es).Added to thi s, th ey di st ract , in o ur opinion, from the powerful import ofSt. Malachy's prophecies.

Th e over-ridin g va lue of th e prese nt little vo lume is twofold : Th esep rophecies a re extre mely acc ura te, and th ere a rc only four more, afterPop e Paul VI , yet to be ful filled (acco rding to th e prophecies) before theEnd of Time. M r. Bander has co mpiled here a n inestimab ly va luable t ractin th e field of prophecy because the prophecies of St. M alachy fit beautifully into a pattern woven from th e various sa intly pr ognostication s, thesibylline o racles, qu asi-secular a nd folk predicti ons , and Biblical prophecy .Thi s pat tern becomes highly di scernible up on a rea ding of such recentwor ks as The Book of Destiny ( 1955), Prophecy fo r Today ( 1956), Cath olicProphecy (19 70), History o[ Anti christ (1968), The Prophets and Our Times( 1943), a nd The Reign of the Antichrist ( 1951). Th e pre sent volume, inaddi ng weight a nd crede nce to the prophecies of St. Malachy, at th e sa metim e further develops and enlarges the picture we ga in from these o therso urces about the t imes we live in and the events, it wou ld seem, we arcabout to witness.

All of these wo rk s have con spired to educa te th e Ca tholic readersh ipon the va lue a nd co nsolation of prophecy stud y. Our at te mpt with thi swork is to further serious study of prophecy (" Des pise not p rophecies."I 711 es. 5 :20 ) a nd thereby to enco urage a wider and a dee pe r stud y of the.entirety o f o ur Fa ith. By presenting an inexpensive ed itio n we would hopeto reach th at man y mor e peopl e a nd tru st th at the format will not det ract ,in the reader' s mind , from th e scholarship th at has entered into th e work.

Whereas Mr. Bander ' s book is not a definitive tr eatment of these6


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prophecies, it certai nly is the best ava ilable at th e present t ime ; and anyone(per haps the au tho r himself) wishing to pursue matt ers fur ther will certainlyhave to tak e full cog niza nce of th is wor k. In any event , th e field of Ca tholicprophe tic research (an d there exists such a field , though the reader mayyet be unfam iliar with even a modicum of th e plethora of material) owesM r. Band er several significa nt debt s. Besides his thrustin g these propheciesbefore our view, he has supplied sufficient historical dat a with each epigramto substant iate the validity of the entire series. Th ough in a few particularinsta nces the sign ificance is no t clea r, he points o ut , however, th at our notseeing the meaning does not prove it is not th ere , ou r knowledge of a givenPope being und oubtedl y too deficient to enlighten us. Added to thi s, hehas mad e two excellent contribution s toward interpre ting the last fourprophecies; namely, he has suggested that " De Medietate l.unae' ("Ofth e Half of th e Moon" ) could well indicate a Pope reignin g during a timeof strife with the Moslems ; thi s is exactly the co nclusion of Mr. Du pontin Catholic Prophecy (TAN , 1970), who cites other prophecies by saints tothe effect th at Europe will once agai n be invaded by the followers ofMohammed , th is during a period of civil war in Euro pe that leaves herweak and defenseless. Concerning " Gloria Olivae" (" T he Glory of theOlive"), Mr. Bander has made a decided co ntribution by pointing out thatthe Order of St. Benedict is otherwi se known as the "O liveta ns" and th atth eir tradition hold s that thi s Pope will be of their orde r. Mr. Dupont'sco nclusio ns reinforce still others of Mr. Band er regarding " Gloria Olivae;'fo r thi s would seem to be none other than that miraculously designatedPope who, after a horrible period of world turmoil , will, by his exe mplaryholiness, co nvert masses of people and leaders of nations to the RomanCa tholic Church, it being during his pontifi cate that there will be " onefold and one shepherd." (I n. 10:16).

We trust th e reade r will excuse these somewhat substantive di scussions.which, though generally not th e role of a publisher , will, it is hop ed, proveinstructive and give a frame of reference for the present volume. T heProphecies of St. Malachy certainly do fit into a broad background ofwhat we now know about the future, and th ough of limited co ntent areof powerful impo rt. To thi s we wo uld like to add our special th an ks toColin Smythe, Limited, for perm itting us to reissue thi s illuminating book .

Thomas A. Ne lsonMar ch 20, 1973

THE PROPHECIES OF MALACHY

The prophecies of Malachy have almost come to an end ; justthree more popes and De medietate lunce, De labore solis and Gloriaolivce will have joined the other 108 pontiffs thus anticipated orprophesied by Malachy. For three more pontifical reigns to come,some people will speculate as to the possible identity of the next popeand, after each conclave the interpreters will have a field day. TheBenedictine historian Arnold Wion was the first to mention theseprophecies in his book Lignum Vu ce, published in 1559. With thebriefest of introductions he inserted them after an equally brief sum-mary of St Malachy's life. Since then a never ending controversyabout the authenticity and authorship of the prophecies has led tomany new editions and publications of the same, each trying to provethe author's personal belief. In the seventeenth century Father Me-nestrier , a famous Jesuit , put forward his hypothesis that theseprophecies had originated in 1590 during the conclave which resultedin Gregory XIV becoming the elected pontiff. Fr. Menestrier goesas far as naming the forger; a member of Cardinal Simoncelli's partyis supposed to have forged these prophecies in order to influence theelectors in favour of his Cardinal who was the doyen of the SacredCollegeand , by virtue of his office and other qualities, surely a favouritefor the pontificate. Cardinal Simoncelli was Bishop of Orvieto, hisbirthplace , and the motto given to him in the prophecies , Ex antiquitateurbis, is simply an allusion to Orvieto (L atin: Urbs vetus). Perhaps itis fair to add that Fr . Menestrier does not furnish us with evidence tosubstantiate his accusation. In 1871 Abbe Cucherat put forward hishypothesis; Malachy had his visions between the end of 1139 and thebeginning of 1140 during his visit to Rome. He committed the visionsto paper and handed the manuscript to Pope Innocent II to comfortthe Holy Father in his afflictions, Innocent II placed the manuscriptin the archives where they remained unread for nearly four cen-turies . Unfortunately Abbe Cucherat does not supply his evidence

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either. I f we were to place the works of those who have repudiatedthe Prophecies of Malachy on scales and balance them against thosewho have accepted them, we would probably reach a fair equilibrium;however, the most important factor, namely the popularity of theprophecies, particularly among the ordinary people (as distinct fromscholars), makes them as relevant to the second half of the twentiethcentury as they have ever been. St Malachy's family name wasO'Morgair and he was born in Armagh, Ireland, in 1094, almost onethousand years ago. He was baptised in Maelmhaedhoc (this namehas been Latinized as Malachy) and he studied under Imhar O'Haganwho later became the Abbot of Armagh. In 1119 he was ordainedpriest by St Cellach (Celsus), studied under St Malchus and in 1123he was elected Abbot of Bangor. His spectacular career had notended; a year later he was consecrated Bishop of Connor and in 1132he became Primate of Armagh. However, owing to intrigues, he hadto wait two years before he could finally take posesssion of the See ofArmagh; even then he had to purchase the Bachal Isu (staff of Jesus)from Niall, the usurping lay-primate. He died in 1148 at Clairvauxin the arms of St Bernard .Unlike the life of many saints, that of St Malachy is well documented because his contemporary, St Bernard of Clairvaux, acted ashis biographer at the request of the Abbot of Mellifont.St Bernard describes Malachy as distinguished for his meekness,humility, obedience, modesty and as truly diligent in his studies. Healso tells us at length of Malachy foretelling the day and hour of hisdeath. The Breviary in its office for the festival of St Malachy mentions that he was enriched with the gift of prophecy.

The interested reader who wishes to study the life of St Malachyin greater depth and detail may wish to read any of the numerous lifestories which have been written . In the second half of the last centuryMalachy's prophecies concerning the popes were widely read andstudied in Ireland; it is therefore not surprising to find some detailedaccounts of the Saint's life written in those years.Since St Malachy left his prophecies concerning the popes of theCatholic Church behind, some 900 years ago, there have been manyinterpreters and probably as many critics who have in their own way10

tried to make these prophecies palatable to the reader or denouncethem as forgeries.Two objections to the prophecies most critics have in common arefirst, the silence of St Bernard on the subject, and secondly the tortuous methods employed by some of Malachy's interpreters in applying the various prophecies to certain popes.The fact that St Bernard of Clairvaux does not refer: to the prophecies and catalogue them among Malachy's other writings simplyconfirms to me that his character assessment of the Saint which describes Malachy as humble, meek and modest, was true to form.Bearing in mind the nature of Malachy's prophecies, one sees soonthat they do not conform to the pattern of Old and New Testamentprophecies; they are not warnings of imminent dangers or threats tomankind; they do not point to any actual disaster (not really, becausethe destruction of Rome is 112 Popes ahead of his time! ). There is noguidance, just a monotonous litany of Latin words or phrases, eachsymbolising a successive pope.The second criticism against Malachy's vision concerns the tortuous methods adopted by some interpreters in applying them to someof the Popes. In the case of Clement XI (1700-1721) to whom Malachy had given the motto Flores circumdati (surrounded with flowers),his followers even struck a medal during his reign which bore thismotto. After all, Malachy's prophecies have been publicly knownsince 1559 and it is reasonable to assume that those who designedthe medal knew of them.However, it is fair to say that the vast majority of Malachy'spredictions about successive Popes is amazingly accurate - alwaysremembering that he gives only a minimum of information.

The first three pontiffs mentioned in his vision, Ex castro Tiberis,Inimicus expulsus and Ex magnitudine mantis were Celestine II ,Lucius II and Eugene II I ; their respective reigns, 1143-1144, 11441145 and 1145-1153 fell within the life time of Malachy.Circumstantial evidence points, therefore, to a time before 1143when Malachy had his visions. His visit to Pope Innocent II in 1139appears to have resulted in unfulfilled requests; the Pope refused togrant Malachy permission to spend the remainder of his life at the11


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monastery of Clairvaux; he promised to grant Malachy the Palliumfor the diocese of Armagh and Tuam (a See lately erected by Celsus)but failed to keep his promise.

Perhaps it was Malachy's preoccupation with the Papacy, thatsparked off his visions. Who knows? Perhaps he was given the privi lege of seeing before him the long line of popes to come, the timelessness of his Church, the strife and struggle during the period of antipopes, until finally Petrus Romanus will reign and feed his flock amidtribulations.

Some interpreters have suggested that Malachy does not specificallymention that no other pope would reign between Gloria oliua: (no. I l l)and Petrus Romanus, who will be the last (given as no. 112); theysuppose that Malachy just gave the next one thousand years and thenmentioned the last pope to bring his prophecies to a conclusion. Farbe it from me to join them in their speculations.We have now reached Flos florum; Pope Paul VI has indeedFlos [lorum, the Fleur-de-Lis in his coat of arms. Out of 92 popeswhose arms are published by the Vatican, Pope Paul VI is 'the thirtee nthwith such a bearing. In some cases there appears to be a discrepancybetween the arms published by the Vatican and those given by Panvinio. Those coats of arms published by the Vatican and reproducedin this book are of course the papal crests; Panvinio tends to refer tothe family coat of arms of the particular pope. These two are oftenquite different and bear no relation to one another. For exampleClement IV, described by Malachy as Draco depressus (The dragoncrushed) is given a coat of arms with six Fleurs-de-Lis; Panviniodescribes his arms as an 'eagle clawing a dragon', which is almosttailor-made for the prophecy.

I have so far refused to be drawn into any speculation or interpretation; yet, in the course of my brief research on this fascinatingsubject I have pondered on one who is yet to come. I don't knowwhether it will be during my own life on earth, or if I will have mycuriosity satisfied elsewhere. The Pope who will reign under the mottoDe lahore solis arouses my special interest. In 1856 one interpreter,who signs himself 'a son' of St Iarbath', is not quite sure how to translate this Latin legend. He cannot find any explanation if he were to12

translate it as 'of the labouring sun', and so he tells us that De lahoresolis obviously refers to an eclipse of the sun, quoting from Matthew24 (29) "The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light".Somehow I cannot envisage any more pontiffs in Rome whenJesus' prophecies concerning the end of the world come true; whatabout Gloria olisxe and Petrus Romanus] - Perhaps De lahore solisis yet another allusion to armorial bearings. Is it not possible thatamong us is already a young priest or even bishop who has the sunin his coat of arms?On the other hand, astronomers are in a position to tell us aboutfuture eclipses of the sun, and the election of a pope in the year ofsuch an eclipse might be another explanation. A prophecy is a prediction of future events which cannot be foreseen and for which thereare no reasonable causes to be brought about. Unlike the study of formin horse-racing or other sporting events which may create certain oddsfor or against 'forecasts', here we have no form to study. The onlyway we can possibly consider a prophecy genuine or false is to waitfor the prophesied event to come about as foretold, or not.We have one comfort: experience has shown that the Holy Ghosttends to work in spite of our meddling in all possible matters, and alsoquite independently of prophecies and interpreters; He even is knownto have worked in the conclave in spite of heavy opposition fromPrinces of the Church. It is therefore reasonable to assume that if theHoly Ghost who inspired St Malachy is the same one who inspiresthe electors, he would fulfil the prophecies as well.One of the strong objections against the prophecies of Malachy incertain Catholic circles appears to be the fact that among the successive popes mentioned, appear the reference to the antipopes.Although two of them are clearly marked as schismatic, CorvusSchismaticus - the schismatic crow, and Schisma Barchinonicum -(he was a Canon of Barcelona), the others take their place among thelegitimate popes without any special mention of their peculiar position.I consider those objections quite unreasonable from people whoaccept that Judas Iscariot was one of the Apostles of Jesus and donot object to the many biblical characters who were called but never

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chosen. After all, these antipopes are historical characters, they allheld high episcopal offices before claiming the supreme title to thesee of St Peter and, they were, within limits, accepted as real popesby a large section of Catholic followers; the fact that events provedthem wrong or even schismatic does not belittle the important functionand position they commanded at the time. Giacconius, who in hiscommentary on Malachy's prophecies only lists the canonically electedpopes, quarrels with Panvinio for ranking popes and antipopes nextto one another. This great Schism in the Catholic Church, whenpopes and antipopes existed side by side, lasted for almost threecenturies. St Antonius himself comments on this and points out thatmuch is written by different parties in defence of the one or the otherecclesiastical dignitary. All sides were well defended by excellent theologians and Canon Lawyers, and in the end, the argument was settledby establishing 'the rightful successor of St Peter as the one who wascanonically elected to the supreme office. St Antonius goes furtherby saying that the ordinary people could not possibly participate insuch difficult and delicate discussion as they did not understandCanon Law; they followed the advice and guidance of their spiritualfathers and superiors. Personally, I consider the fact that antipopesare included in the list as a point in favour of Malachy.Finally, the language of Malachy. Many a critic has commentedon the use of Latin - or should I say the misuse of Latin by Malachy.This also 'has been brought into the argument about the authenticityof the prophecies. There are many different translations of the Latindescriptions, often confusingly different. For example, the scholarwhom I mentioned before and who signs himself a 'son of St Jarbath',relies heavily on Wion; he translates De schola exiet (Pope ClementIII, 1187-1191): "he shall go forth from the school". The Revd.Ailbe J. Luddy, O.Cist., in his excellent book Life of Malachy,translates the same phrase: "he will come out of a school". Suchexamples occur time and time again and it becomes obvious, even tothe person who can speak little or no Latin, that in its originalusage only one meaning could have been implied. However, one cannotentirely rule out the possibility of ambiguity by the writer of theprophecies, although I am inclined to look for faults among the in14

terpreters; in a way it does not matter at all, Malachy will neithergain nor lose by a wrong translation or interpretation.I have discussed the prophecies of Malachy with many friends,among them Bishops, Archbishops and high prelates of the RomanCatholic Church, the Church of England and the Church of Ireland.We have always enjoyed our conversations and the tremendous senseof humour emanating from them. With no disrespect to the Saint, wehave laughed at our personal idiosyncrasies in making certain Latinverses fit certain eminent dignitaries we knew, but most of all, wehave realised that we shall still have to wait some time before wereally know whether St Malachy has once again foiled our speculations,or if , perchance, one of us has been right. My advice to the readerof the following comments on St Malachy's prophecies is simple:please, do not extend to them the same reverence you may extendto the Gospels, and remember that to err is human, but to err toooften is foolish.

Although the theory that the prophecies of Malachy might be16th century forgeries has been put forward from time to time, it isof particular interest that one of the most respectable' and outstandinghistorians of the 16th century seems to have accepted them completely.Onofrio Panvinio, who had turned down episcopal honours, becamecorrector and reviser of the Vatican Library in 1556. Most interpreters of Malachy rely on his "Epitome Romanorum Pontificum"when commenting on the first sixty-nine popes on Malachy's list.This book was written in the reign of Pope Paul IV.It is of interest to observe that the order of succession, particularlywhere the antipopes are concerned, has always been subject to editorialactivity. I have started with the premise that the prophecies of Malachyconcern the successors of St Peter in the Roman Catholic Church;the only legitimate order is therefore the one which is canonicallycorrect. In the annual Vatican year book is a section: "Serie deiSommi Pontefici Romani", which I have used with the kind permission of His Excellency the Apostolic Delegate to the United Kingdom.However, this has presented me with one problem: mention is madein the official list issued by the Vatican of an antipope INNOCENT II I(di Sezze; Lando, 29.IX.1179-1180); this antipope does not appear

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1

I'II

"IliiII,/'III

in any of the commentaries of Malachy 's prophecies. On the otherhand, no mention is made in the official list of the antipope ClementVIII (1424-1429) whom, as I mentioned earlier, Panvinio ranksamong the legitimate Popes of Rome. This is strange, and I have noexplanation to offer. Among the 112 popes mentioned by Malachyare ten antipopes who all fall into the period between Alexander II I(1159) and Nicolas V (1447). This alone makes the theory that theprophecies originated in the 16th century unlikely. References byprevious interpreters concerning armorial bearings of popes beforethe latter part of the 12th century must be considered with cautionbecause heraldic devices were not evident before that time. Papalarmorial bearings, which we have reproduced from the same yearbook (Serie dei Sommi Pontefici) begin with the coat of arms of PopeInnocent II I (1198-1216). The dates of election and accession to theSee of St Peter are those officially recorded by the Vatican. Wherethere are more than one translation from Malachy's original Latindescription, I have given those most commonly used in earlier commentaries.

NOTEIn my commentary on Malachy's prophecies I have mad e extensive use of themedieval interpretations and those of the 19th century. These, however, finish withCrux de Cruce (PIUS IX ), and I have attempted to complete the interpretationsup to Flos Florum (PAUL VI) on similar lines as those followed earlier.For the reader's benefit I have added a brief "curriculum vitae" of the popesmentioned by Malachy . For references I have used I SOMMI PONTEFICI ROMANI(Vatican 1968) and THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA (New York) . The papal coatsof arms are reproduced from STEMMI DEI SOMMI PONTEFICI (Vatican 1968 ).I wish to emphasize that my comments on the three prophecies yet to befulfilled are pure guesses on my part and I beg the Dean and the College ofCardinals who will elect the future popes, not to be unduly influenced by mydescriptions. I am sure that those eminent gentlemen whom my guess might fit,will forgive me for app earing to be canvassing. Finally, I wish to reiterate whatI have said earli er, the final decision as to who is going to be the next pope andhis successors, rests with the Holy Spirit.

16 P.B.

IIII S T E M M I DE I S OM M I PONTEFICIi D A L SEC . X I I AD OGG II

~ NICCO LO IV

CLEMENTE IV

CELESTINO IV

GIROLAMO MASCI

GIOVANNI XXIId'd "=:1 \::::\1276 PIETRO JULIANI

~ m+.re.re 1168GUIDO FOULQU01S

OTTOEO N OFIESCHI

ONOR1Q IV~

GREGORIO IX

1227UGOLINO

DEI CONTI 01 SEGNI

ONO RIO III

1276 ~ 1276PIETRO 01

TAR, ANTASIAMA RTIN O I":

~

ALESSANDRO IV

B. IN NOCENZO V

SIMONE DE BRION

RINALD ODEI CONTI 01 SEGNI

NlC COLO IIIo

INNOCENZO IV

INNOCENZO III

B. GREGORIO X,8.rEBALDO VISCONTI

GIO VANNI GAETANOORSINI

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EX CASTRO TIBERISFrom a Castle on the TiberCELEST INE I I

1143 - 1144GUIDO DE CASTELLO

Guido de Castello was a native of Roman Tuscany whose date ofbirth is unknown. He died on the 8th March 1144. He was madeCardinal in 1128, in 1140 he was made Papal Legate to France wherehe incurred the displeasure of St Bernard for the protection accordedby him to Arnold of Brescia. He succeeded Innocent l Ion the 25thSeptember 1143 and at once lifted from France the interdict that hispredecessor had inflicted because of the act of Louis VII in opposinghis own candidate to the rightfully elected Bishop of Bourges. On theeve of a serious conflict with Roger of Sicily, Celestine II died, aftera short reign of about six months.Malachy's prophecy is a reference to the Pope's family name.

INIMICUS EXPULSUSThe enemy expelledLUC IUS I I

1144 - 1145GERARDO CACCIANEMICI

Gerardo was born in Bologna (date unknown) and he died in Romeon the 15th February 1145. Before entering the Roman Curia he wasa Canon in Bologna. In 1124 he was created Cardinal Priest and from1125 to 1126 he was Papal Legate in Germany. During the pontificate

of Innocent II we find Gerardo three times as Legate in Germany,and it was largely due to him that King Lothiar II I made tw o expeditions to Italy for the purpose of protecting Innocent II against theantipope Anacletus II. Towards the end of the pontificate of InnocentII he was appointed Papal Counsellor and Librarian. On the 12thMarch 1144 he was elected and consecrated Pope. His reign was atroubled one and if we can believe the statement of Godfrey deViterbo in his Pantheon, Lucius II marched upon the Capitol at thehead of a small army where he suffered defeat and was severelyinjured by stones that were thrown upon him on this occasion andwhich caused his death a few days later. During his reign he wasespecially well disposed towards the order of the Premonstratensians.Malachy's description Inimicus expulsus appears to be an allusionto the Pope's family name. We have already stated what his familyname was; Cacciare in Italian means to expel and nemici are theenemies.

EX MAGNITUDINE MONTISFrom the great mountainEUGENE III

1145 - 1153BERNARDO FORSE DE I PAGANELLI DI MONTEMAGNO

Bernardo was elected Pope on the 15th February 1145, and diedin Tivoli on the 8th July 1153. On the same day that Pope Luciusdied, the Sacred College foreseeing that the Roman populace wouldmake a determined effort to force the new Pope to abdicate histemporal power, withdrew to the remote cloisters of St Caesarius andelected a candidate outside their body. They chose, unanimously, theCistercian monk Bernard of Pisa, Abbot of the monastery of Tre

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Fontane. He was enthroned as Eugene II I without delay, and sinceresidence in the rebellious city was impossible, the Pope and hisCardinals fled to the country. St Bernard received the news of theelevation of his disciple with astonishment and pleasure and wrote tothe new Pope a letter containing the famous and often quoted passage- "Who will grant me to see, before I die, the Church of God as inthe days of old, when the apostles laid down their nets for a draught,not of silver and gold, but of souls?" Eugene is said to have gainedthe affection of the people by his affability and generosity. Duringhis lifetime he continued to wear the coarse habit of Clairveauxbeneath the purple and the virtues monasticism accompanied himthrough his stormy career. St Antoninus described Eugene II I as oneof the greatest and most afflicted Popes.Malachy's ex magnitudine montis refers to his place of birth,Montemagno.

ABBAS SUBURRANUSAbbot from SuburraANASTAS IUS IV

1153 - 1154CORRADO

Corrado was crowned Pope on the 12th July 1153 and died inRome on the 3rd December of the following year. He is chiefly knownfor his attitude towards Frederick Barbarossa and his recognitionof Wichmann as Bishop of Magdeburg. Interpreters of Malachy differin their explanation of the word Suburranus. Some refer to his birthplace, which is said to have been a locality called Suburra, othersmaintain that Suburranus is used in reference to one steering a greatvessel.20

DE RURE ALBO(a) From a white country(b) Of the Alban country

ADRIAN IV1154 - 1159NICHOLAS BREAKSPEAR

Little is known about the parentage or boyhood of Adrian althoughit is recorded that he was probably born in Abbots Langley, Hert-fordshire. Adrian went abroad as a poor wandering scholar andbegged his way to the famous university of Paris. He was admittedamong the regular canons of St Rufus, where he was successivelyraised to the office of Prior and Abbot. However, the canons repented'of their choice and appealed to the Pope on two occasions, bringingvarious charges against him. Pope Eugene ordered the canons to electanother Abbot and raised Adrian to the rank of Cardinal' Bishop ofAlbano in 1146. He was sent as Papal Legate to the kingdoms ofDenmark, Sweden and Norway. On his return to Rome he was hailedthe Apostle of the North and as the death of Anastasius IV occurredat that time on 2nd December 1154, Adrian was unanimously electedthe successor of St Peter on the following day. The turbulent andfickle population of Rome was once again in open revolt under theleadership of Arnold of Brescia. King William of Sicily also showedopen hostility and the professed friendship of Frederick Barbarossawas even more dangerous. When Cardinal Gerardo was mortallywounded in broad daylight, Adrian at once laid the city under aninterdict and retired to Viterbo. He forbade the observance of anysacred service until the Wednesday of Holy Week and the Senatorswere impelled to prostrate themselves before His Holiness. Submission was made and the ban removed. In June 1155 the famousmeeting between Frederick of HohenstaufIen, then the most powerfulruler in Europe, and Adrian, the most powerful spiritual leader in theworld, took place about thirty miles north of Rome. This ultimately

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led to the crowning of Frederick in St Peter's. In 1156 Adrian collected 'his vassals and mercenaries and marched south to Beneventumwhere he remained until June 1156. It was during this time that Johnof Salisbury spent three months with him and obtained from the Popethe famous Donation of Ireland. In his work Metalogicus Johnrecords, "At my solicitation (ad preces meas) he (Adrian IV) grantedIreland to Henry II , the illustrious King of England, to hold byhereditary right, as his letter to this day testifies. For all Ireland ofancient right, according to the Donation of Constantine, was said tobelong to the Roman Church which he founded. He also sent by mea ring of gold, with the best of emeralds therein, wherewith the

investiture might be made for his governorship of Ireland, and thatsame ring was ordered to be and is still in the public treasury of theking."Th e suggestion that because he was born in England Adrian madeIreland over to King Henry II , who was no relation of his, does not

merit serious attention. Th e only objection raised to John of Salisbury'sstatement is that it may be an interpolation. If it is no t an interpolation it constitutes a complete proof of the donation, the investiture bythe ring being legally sufficient. Th e Pope's Bull known as Laudabiliterdoes not purport to confer Ireland by hereditary right, bu t the letterreferred to was not the Bull but a formal letter of investiture. Theoverwhelming weight of authority is in favour of the genuineness ofthe passage in Metalogicus. Th e Bull Laudabiliter has often beenconsidered doubtful. Assuming the statements in Metalogicus to becorrect, the text relating to the donation of Adrian may be arrangedas follows: (1) Th e letter of investiture referred to by John of Salisbury, 1156.(2) Laudabiliter, prepared in 1156 and issued in 1159,(3) A confirm ation of the letter of investiture by Alexander II I in1159.(4) Three letters of Alexander II I in 1172 which confirmLaudabiliter.

Th e Bull was not sent forward in 1156, because the offer ofAdrian was not then acted on, bu t the investiture was accepted. At a22

council held in Winchester on the 29th September 1156 the questionof subduing Ireland and giving it to William, Henry's brother, wasconsidered, but the expedition was pu t off to another time.

The donation of Adrian was subsequently recognised in manyofficial writings, and the Pope, for more than four centuries, claimedthe overlordship of Ireland.Pope Adrian IV died at Anagni in open strife with the EmperorFrederick Barbarossa who was in league with the Lombards againsthim. Alexander II I carried out the intentions of Adrian and shortlyafterwards excommunicated the Emperor.Malachy's prophecy de rure albo appears to be most appropriate.Adrian was born in England, which was called Albion on account ofthe white rocks and white cliffs. His birthplace was near the Abbeyof St Albans and he was consecrated Cardinal Bishop of Albano. Last,but not least, he was hailed the Apostle of the North, where he hadworked in countries of perpetual snow.

EX ANSERE CUSTODEFrom the guardian gooseALEXANDER III

1159 - 1181ROLANDO BANDINELLI

Rolando Bandinelli was born of a distinguished Sienese family.He was a professor in Bologna and was called to Rome by Eugene II Iin the year 1150, where he soon became Cardinal of the title of StMark and Papal Counsellor. After the death of Pope Adrian IV (1stSeptember 1159), of the twenty-two Cardinals assembled to elect asuccessor all bu t three voted for Rolando. In opposition to CardinalRolando, who took the name of Alexander III, the three imperialistmembers of the conclave chose one of their own number, CardinalOctavian, who assumed the title of Victor IV. Th e Emperor sum

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moned both claimants before a packed assembly at Pavia where headdressed Octavian as Victor IV, and the canonically elected Pope asCardinal Rolando. Pope Alexander refused to submit his clear rightto this tribunal, which, as was foreseen, declared for the usurper onthe 11th February 1160. Alexander promptly responded by excommunicating the Emperor and releasing his subjects from their oaths ofallegiance.The ensuing schism was far more disastrous to the empirethan to the papacy. It lasted for seventeen years and only ended afterthe battIe of Legnano in 1176, with the unconditional surrender ofBarbarossa, in Venice, in 1177. Alexander's enforced exile in France1162 to 1165) helped greatly to enhance the dignity of the papacy,never so popular as when in distress. It also brought him into directcontact with the most powerful monarch of the West, Henry II ofEngland. After Thomas Becket's murder the Pope succeeded, withoutactual recourse to ban or interdict, in obtaining from the penitentmonarch every right for which the martyr had died.

In 1179 Alexander convoked and presided over the third LateranCouncil. At this council the exclusive right of papal elections wasvested in a two-third majority of the Cardinals. Alexander II I diedon the 3rd August 1181.Panvinio refers to Alexander as de familia Paparona. In Ciacconius'edition (1677) it is stated that he belonged to the noble family of"Bandinella " which was afterwards called Paparona . Referring to thePope's family coat of arms, Ciacconius maintains that there was a goosein it. Another interpreter reminds the reader that the family ofAlexander II I descended from one of those who, aroused by geese,when Brennus attempted to sack the capital, repulsed him. In thisparticular case the entire evidence for Malachy appears to rest on theassumption that the family name of the Pope was Paparona. Thereseems to be an absolute definiteness about thi s in early interpretations.Panvinio, who is usually relied upon whenever a question of genealogyis raised, finds himself criticised by later interpreters for "chiming inwith the prophecy". Abbe Cucherat explains the legend by a classicallusion to the honoured bird which saved Rome. According to himMalachy made a classic, as well as mystic, allusion to the salvation ofRome by Alexander III.

EX TETRO CARCEREFrom the Loathsome PrisonV r c r 0 R I V (ANTIP OPE )

1159 - 1164OTTAVIANO "M ONT IC E LLO

Ottaviano was Cardinal of the title of St Nicholas at the Tulli anprison. Panvinio gives him the same title, whilst others proclaim himto be Cardinal of St Sicilia. He was elected on the 7th September1159 by a small minority of Cardinals , the clergy of St Peter and theRoman populace, while the majority of the College of Cardinalselected Cardinal Rolando who assumed the title of Alexander III. "Ottaviano belonged to one of the most powerful Roman families(Count Tuscalan's) and had been a Cardinal since 1138. As he wasconsidered a great friend of Barbarossa he rested his hopes on theEmperor backing his election to the Papal see. He died at Lucca onthe 20th April 1164 and was succeeded by the antipope Paschal III.Malachy's Latin description is an allusion to his Cardinal title.

VIA TRANSTIBERINAThe road beyond the Tiber

PAS C HAL I I I (A NTIPOP E)1164 - 1168

G UID O DA CREMAVia Transtiberina refers to St Mary 's in Transtevere, which wasthe Cardinal title of Paschal III. He was elected in 1164 to succeedCardinal Ottaviano. To meet the demands of Frederick Barbarossa24 25


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he canonized Charlemagne in 1165, but this action was never ratifiedby the Church. He died in 1168. There appears to be a great confusionamong interpreters of Malachy, because the said cardinal title is often: given to the antipope Callixtus III. According to Ciacconius, PaschalII I and Callixtus II I, together with their dates, should change places,and the rest should be left to stand. Others maintain that Callixtushad no title in the city of Rome. So that the reader may be aware ofthis confusion I prefer to introduce the next antipope , Callixtus II I ,at this point, rather than be guilty of presenting an authoritativestatement as to their respective Cardinal titles.

DE PANNONIA TUSCIIEFrom the Hungary of TusciaCALLIXTUS I II

1168 - 29/8 /1178*GIOVANl"I DI S TR Ul\fl

Callixtus II I was the Hungarian John, Abbot of Struma .Malachy's Latin legend for Paschal II I and Callixtus II I areobvious allusions to their ecclesiastical titles, which appear to be indispute. However, historians are satisfied that Paschal was in factCardinal Bishop of St Mary in Transtevere and Callixtus was fromHungary.At this point the Serie dei Sommi Pontejici Romani gives yetanother antipope, Innocent III. His place of origin is Sezze, Lando,and his tenure of office is given as 1179 to 1180. There is no referenceto Innocent II I (the antipope) in Malachy or any of his interpreters.[See Clement VIII].* date of his submission to Alexander III.26

LU X IN OSTIO(a) The light at the door.(b) The light in Ostium(c) A light in the gateLUCIUS III

1181 - 1185U BALDO ALL UCINGOLI

Ubaldo was born in Lucca and created Cardinal Priest in 1141.In 1159 he became Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. After the death ofAlexander II I he was elected Pope in Velletri where he was crowned.He was compelled to leave Rome in 1182, but returned the followingyear in an attempt to put an end to the continual dissensions of theRomans. However, his life was made so unbearable that he had toleave the city for a second time. Though the relations betweenLucius II I and the Emperor Frederick I were not openly hostile theywere always strained. Lucius II I did not yield to the Emperor anddemanded that German Bishops, unlawfully appointed by the antipopes during the pontificate of Alexander II I, should be re-consecratedand retain their sees. He died at Verona on the 25th November 1185.Malachy's description appears to be a play on the words Luciusor Lucca and Ostia.

SUS IN CRIBROA sow in a sieve

URBAN I II1185 - 1187

U B ERTO OF THE NOBLE MILANESE FAMILY OF CRIV ELLIUberto was created a Cardinal by Lucius II I in 1182 and Archbishop of Milan in 1185. He was elected to succeed Lucius and

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crowned on 1st December 1185. Urban inherited from his predecessora legacy of feud with the great Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and thiswas embittered by personal hostility , for at the sack of Milan in 1162the Emperor had caused several of the Pope 's relatives to be mutilated.He died at Ferrara on the 19th October 1187.Malachy's description is an allusion to the Pope 's family name,Crivelli: Crivelli in Italian means a sieve. In his Epitome, Panviniogives the arms of the Pope and there is a distinct representation ofa sieve on the shield and the supporters of the crest are two sows.Ciacconius only gives the sieve.

ENSIS LAURENTIIThe sword of Lawrence

GREGORY V I II1187

ALBERTO DE ~ O R R A This Pope had only a pontificate of one month and 27 days. Theyear 1187 witnessed the almost complete obliteration of Christianityin Palestine. The fall of the Holy City struck Europe and Urban II Iis said to have died of a broken heart on 20th October. The following

day the Cardinals elected Cardinal Alberto , a Beneventan of noblefamily. He was created Cardinal in 1155 and given the title of SanLorenzo in Lucina in 1158. He died in Pisa on the 17th December1187.There are two possible allusions in the prophecies of Malachy:firstly, Gregory VIII had been Cardinal of St Lawrence , and secondly,his armorial bearing was a drawn sword.

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DE SCHOLA EXIET(a) He shall go forth from the school(b) He will come out of a school(c) Departed from schoolC L E ~ E N T III1187 - 1191

PAOLO S COLARIDuring the short space (1181-1188) which separated the pontificates of Alexander II I and Innocent II I , not less than five pontiffsoccupied the Papal chair in swift succession. They were all veteranstrained in the school of Alexander . Two days after Gregory VIII'sdeath the Cardinal Bishop of Palestrina, Paolo Scolari, was electedto the See of St Peter. This was a popular choice for the Romans ,

because he was the first Roman to be thus elevated to the papacysince the rebellion in the days of Arnold of Brescia . From the beginning , Pope Clement II I concentrated on the task of massing theforces of Christendom against the' Saracens. He was the organiser ofthe Third Crusade. His death occurred on the 27th March 1191.Malachy 's legend is merely an allusion to his family name andis to be understood as foretelling that this Pope was to be one of theScolari.DE (EX) RURE BOVENSI(a) From the Bovensian Terri tory(b) From the cattle country(c) From the country of BovisCELEST INE III

1191 - 1198GIACINTa BOBONE

Giacinto Bobone was born in 1106 and became the first of theRoman family of Orsini to ascend to the chair of St Peter . On 30th29


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March 1191, in his eighty-fifth year, he was elected to succeedClement II I after forty-seven years as a Cardinal. As he was onlya Cardinal Deacon, he was ordained Priest on the 13th April, andconsecrated Bishop the next day. The following day he anointed andcrowned King Henry VI of Germany as Emperor. Pope Celestine II Icanonized St Malachy of Armagh.Malachy's description refers once again to the Pope's family name.

COMES S/GNATUSA signed Count (Conti-Segni)I NNOCENT III

1198 - 1216LOTARIO DEI CONTI Dr S EGNI

Lotario was born in 1160 in Anagni, the son of Count Trasimundof Segni and a nephew of Clement III. He became an outstandingtheologian and when he returned to Rome after the death of AlexanderII I he held various ecclesiastical offices during the reigns ofsuccessive popes. Pope Gregory VIII created him Cardinal Deaconof St George in 1190 and later Cardinal Priest. During the pontificateof Celestine III, who was a member of the Houses of Orsini, enemiesof the Counts of Segni, he lived in retirement. After the Pope's deathLotario was elected Pope on the same day on which Celestine II Idied. He was only 37 years old. There was scarcely a country inEurope over which Innocent II I did not in some way or other assertthe supremacy which he claimed for the papacy. He was a zealousprotector of the true faith and a strenuous opponent of heresy. Hisgreat political!ecclesiastical achievements brought the papacy to thezenith of its power. He died on the 16th June 1216 in Perugia.Malachy's legend refers to the illustrious family of the Conti ofwhich the Conti di 'Segni was a branch.30

CANON/CUS DE LATERE(a) A Canon from the side(b) Canon of LateranHONOR I U S III

1216 - 1227C EN CIO S AV ELLI

Cencio Savelli was born in Rome and was for a time canon at theChurch of Santa Maria Maggiore. He became Papal Chamberlain in1188 and Cardinal Deacon of Santa Lucia in 1193. Under PopeInnocent II I he became Cardinal Priest of St John and St Paul andwas appointed tutor to the future Emperor Frederick II in 1197. Onthe 18th July 1216, nineteen cardinals assembled in Perugia, whereInnocent had died two days previously. Th e Cardinals agreed to anelection by compromise and Cardinal Ugolino of Ostia (afterwardsPope Gregory IX) and Cardinal Guido of Praeneste were empoweredto appoint a new Pope. Cencio Savelli was chosen and consecratedin Perugia and crowned in Rome on the 31st August. Again this wasa popular choice in Rome. Unlike his predecessor he was very ad-vanced in age when acceding to the papal throne. Honorius II Ibecame the patron of three great orders. He approved the rule ofSt Dominic in his Bull Religiosam Vitam on the 22nd December1216 , and that of St Francis in his Bull Solet Annuere on the 29thNovember 1223 . On the 13th January 1226 he approved the Car-melite order in his Bull Ut Vivendi N ormam. I t is remarkable thatout of six saints who were canonized by Honorius II I , four wereEnglish or Irish. He died at Rome on the 18th March 1227 .Malachy obviously refers to the fact that Cencio Savelli was acanon of St John Lateran.

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:

AVIS OSTIENSISTh e Bird of Ostia

GREGORY IX1227 - 1241

UGOLINO) DE I CONTI DI SEGNIUgolino was born in 1145 at Anagni. Educated at Paris andBologna and appointed successively Papal Chaplain, Archpriest ofSt Peter and Cardinal Deacon in 1198. In May 1206 he succeededOetavian as Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. Honorius II I made him Plenipotentiary Legate in 1217 and on the 18th March 1227, after thedeath of Pope Honorius III, the Cardinals once again agreed uponan election by compromise. Two of the three Cardinal electors were

Ugolino and Conrad of Drach. At first Conrad of Drach was elected,but he refused the tiara lest it might appear that he had elected himself. All the Cardinals unanimously elected Ugolino on the 19th March1227. He was then more than eighty years old. When still CardinalBishop of Ostia, Gregory IX would often wear the dress of St Francis,walk about barefoot with him and his disciples and discuss theologicalmatters with Francis. St Francis loved him as his father, and in aprophetic spirit used to address him as "the Bishop of the wholeworld and the father of all nations". He was also a devoted friend ofSt Dominic and promoted the interests of his order in many ways.St Clare and her order stood also under the protection of GregoryIX. He was a great patron of other religious orders with whose 'helphe planned the conversion of Asia and Africa. For a time Gregory IXlived in hope that he might bring about a reunion of the Latin andGreek Churches. In 1232 the Patriarch of Constantinople acknowledged the Papal primacy, but Gregory failed, like many other popesbefore and after him, in his efforts to reunite the two churches.

During the 13 years of his pontificate he created fourteen Cardinals, many of whom were members of religious orders. He diedon the 22nd August 1241 at Rome. The arms of Gregory IX show32

an eagle and he was Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. This is the first allusionto armorial bearings which can now be used in evidence. [See Stemmidei Sommi Pontefici].

LEO SABINUSThe Sabinian LionCELESTINE IV

1241GOFFREDO CASTIGLIONI

This pope was a native of Milan and a nephew of Urban III. Hewas probably a Cistercian. He was made a Cardinal by Gregory IXand succeeded him on the 25th October 1241. His death occurredafter a reign of only fifteen days.Malachy's prophecy is an allusion to the Pope's armorial bearingwhich features a lion. He is also said to have been Cardinal Bishopof Sabina (Episcopus Cardinalis Satinus) which, of course,has nothingto do with the Church and Convent of Saint Sabina in Rome.

COMES'LAURENTIUSCount LaurenceI N NOCENT IV

1243 - 1254SINIBALDO FIESCHI (COUNT OF LA V AGNA)

Born of one of the noble families of Genoa, Fieschi becameCardinal Priest of St Laurence in Lucina in 1228. When CelestineIV had died, the excommunicated Emperor Frederick II was in possession of the states of the Church around Rome and attempted tointimidate the Cardinals into electing a Pope of his choice. TheCardinals fled to Anagni and voted for Sinibaldo Fieschi, who33

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ascended the Papal throne as Innocent IV in June 1243, after aninterregnum of one year, seven months and fifteen days.Sinibaldo Fieschi was Cardinal of St Laurence and Malachy'sprophecy is an obvious reference to this.

SIGNUM OSTIENSE(a) A sign of Ostia(b) Th e standard of OstiaALEXANDER IV

1254 - 1261RINALDO DEI SIGNORI DI IENNE

Rinaldo was born of the noble house of Segni which had alreadygiven two sons to the Papacy, and was created Cardinal Bishop ofOstia by his uncle Gregory IX. On the death of Innocent IV in 1254,the aged Cardinal was unanimously chosen to succeed him. As Popehe showed great favour to the Order of St Francis and one of hisfirst acts was to canonise St Clare. He died on the 25th May 1261.Signum Ostiense is an enigmatic way of pointing to the Bishopbeing of the house of Conti-Segni and also Cardinal Bishop of Ostia.

HIERUSALEM CAMPANIlEJerusalem of ChampagneURBAN IV

1261 - 1264JACQUES PANTALEON

Jacques, the son of a French cobbler, was born in Troyes. M erbeing a Canon and Archdeacon of Liege, he became Bishop of Verdunin 1254 and Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1255. M er the death ofAlexander IV he was elected Pope. He died on the 2nd October 1264.Born in Champagne and raised to the title of Patriarch of Jerusalem, Malachy's description appears most appropriate.34

DRACO DEPRESSV SThe dragon crushed

CL EMENT IV 1265 - 1268

GUIDO FULCODIGuido was born in Saint--Gilles on the Rhone, and made a rapidrise in the Church. In 1261 he became Cardinal Bishop of Sabinaand was elected Pope, against his will, on the 5th February 1265. Heaccepted this position with great reluctance. After his death in 1268

the Papal throne remained vacant for nearly three years.Panvinio in 'his Epitome shows an eagle clawing a dragon. However,his official coat of arms shows six fleurs de lis. Abbe Cucherat explainsthe Latin Legend metaphorically by pointing out that Pope ClementIV crushed nepotism, which he describes as the dragon in the Churchat that time. It is a well documented fact that his first act as Popewas to forbid any of his relatives to come to the Curia, or to attemptto derive any sort of temporal advantage from his elevation.

ANGUINEUS VIR(a) The man of the serpent(b) A snake-like manGREGORY X

1271 - 1276TEBALDO VISCONTI

Tebaldo Visconti was born in 1210 and became Archdeacon ofLiege. After the death of Pope Clement IV the French and ItalianCardinals could not agree on a candidate. Three years later theyvoted for Tedaldo Visconti, who was not only not a Cardinal but noteven a priest. He accepted the Papal dignity and took the name ofGregory X. From the very beginning of his pontificate Gregory35


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sought to promote the interests of the Holy Land. He died on the10th January 1276.

Again the coat of arms as given by Panvinio differs substantiallyfrom that which is attributed to him in later centuries. Panvinioquite plainly shows a serpent in the armorial bearings of the Popeand his family.

CONCIONATOR GALLUSA French Preacher

I NNOCENT \T1276

PETRUS A TARANTASIABorn in 1225 in south eastern France, Tarantasia became Arch-bishop of Lyons in 1272 and Cardinal Bishop of Ostia in 1273. Hewas the intimate adviser of Gregory X whom he succeeded on the21st January 1276. Thus he became the first Dominican Pope. Hedied in June 1276.Malachy's 'prophecy refers to Innocent V having been a memberof the order of Preachers, and a Frenchman.

BONUS COMESA Good CountADR IAN V

1276OTTOBONO }i'IESCHI

This nephew of Innocent IV reigned only from the 12th July tothe 21st August 1276. Adrian V was a count and his name Ottobonofurnishes an explanation to the second half of the prophecy.

PISCATOR TUSCUSA Tuscan FishermanJ OHN XX I

1276 - 1277*PIETRO JULIANIPietro was born in Lisbon. He was appointed Cardinal Bishop of

Tusculum and in 1276 he was elected to succeed Adrian V. On the14th Ma y 1277 while the Pope was alone in his apartment, it collapsedand he was buried under the ruins.Piscator obviously refers to his name Petrus; Tuscus is an adjectiveused (probably in error) to refer to Tusculum.

ROSA COMPOSITA(a) Th e Modest Rose (b) Th e Rose CompositeN ICHOLAS III

1277 - 1280GIOVANNI GAETANO ORSINI

Giovanni was born in Rome in 1216 of the the illustrious Romanfamily of Orsini. He was created Cardinal Deacon with a title of StNicholas by Innocent IV. After the death of John XX I he succeededhim as Pope in 1277.Giovanni Gaetano Orsini bore a rose in his coat of arms.

* After John XIV had been removed by force, the usurper Boniface VIIreigned eleven months, dying in July 985. A Roman named John was thenelected Pope and crowned. Some historians, and even Papal catalogues,give as the immmediate successor to Boniface yet another John, who issupposed to have reigned for four months and is placed by a few historiansin the list of Popes as John XV. Although this alleged Pope John neverexisted, the fact that he has been catalogued by these historians has trowninto disorder the enumeration of the Popes named John, the true John XVoften being called John XVI. This confusion was remedied when CardinalRoncalli took the name John XXIII, ascending to the throne of St Peterin 1958, nearly 1,000 years after the confusion started.36 37

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EX TELONIO LILIACEI MARTINI(a) From the office of Martin of the lilies(b) From the receipt of custom of Martin of the liliesMART IN IV

1281 - 1285SIMONE DE BRION

Simone was born in the Castle of Montpensier in the old Frenchprovince of Touraine, and became Canon and Treasurer at the Churchof St Martin in Tours. King Louis IX made him Chancellor of Francein 1260 an d Urban VI created him a Cardinal. Six months after thedeath of Pope Nicholas III, Simone de Brion was unanimously eleetedPope in 1281. He died on the 28th March 1285.St Malachy obviously refers to the Pope's position as Treasurerof St Martin of Tours; the fleur-de-lis is a well known emblem ofFrance.

EX ROSA LEONINAFrom the leonine Rose

HONOR IU S IV1285 - 1287

GIACOMO SA VELLI

Giacomo Savelli, who was born in Rome in 1210 had, it seems, anunspectacular career before ascending to the Papal throne. In 1261 hewas created Cardinal by Martin IV who also made him Captain' ofthe Papal army. His election to the papacy was one of the speediestin history; three days after the death of Pope Martin IV fifteen outof the eighteen Cardinals who then composed the Sacred College38

elected the Pope without the Conclave, which had been prescribedby Gregory X, bu t suspended by John XXI. At the first vote takenGiacomo Savelli was unanimously elected an d took the name ofHonorius IV. He died in Rome on the 3rd April 1287.Malachy's description is an allusion to the Pope's coat of arms

which shows two lions holding a rose.

PICUS INTER ESCASA woodpecker among the foodN I CHOLAS IV

1288 - 1292GIROLAMO MASCI

Pope Nicholas IV had entered the Franciscan order at an earlyage and was sent in 1272 as a delegate to Constantinople to invite theparticipation of the Greeks in the Second Council of Lyons. Two yearslater he succeeded St Bonaventure in the Generalship of his order. Hewas created a Cardinal in 1278 and Martin IV appointed him Bishopof Palestrina. After the death of Honorius IV on the 3rd April 1278the Conclave was hopelessly divided in its election of a successor. Itwas not until the following year on the 15th February 1288 that theCardinal unanimously elected Girolamo Masci. He died in Rome onthe 4th April 1292.

Malachy's prophecy is most obscure. It has been suggested thatPicus inter escas is an enigmatic allusion to the fact that Nicholascame from Ascoli in Picenum; however, this explanation appears tome to be too far fetched. On the other hand I have no better one tooffer, as the records of the Pope's life are very sketchy.Th e fact that Malachy's description makes little sense to us doesnot prove that it was meaningless at the time when it was made orwhen Nicholas IV became Pope.

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Gi Rl~. ". :,,,,S CELESTINO V

, ~ IETRO

DEL MURRONE

BONIFAOO VIII B. BENEDmO XI

NICCOLOBOCCASINI

CLEMENTE V

BERTRANDO DE GOT

BONifAC IO IX

GABRIELECONDULMER

EUGENIO IV

INNOCENZO VIi _ I

BENEDETTO X II

1l'4 ~ 1111."c, _PIETRO DE LUNA

PIETRO TOMACELLI

URBANO VI

CLEMENTE VII

MARTINO V

PIETRO ROGER

:1.;;: : : ,1'\ .


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I

I

EX UNDARUM BENEDICTIONEFrom a blessing of the wavesBONIFACE V I I I

1294 - 1303BENEDETTO CAETANI

Born in 1235 in Rome) Benedetto was the son of a noble Spanishfamily which had established itself in Gaeta and later in Anagni.Through his mother he was related to the house of Segni. He obtaineda doctorate in Canon and Civil Law and in 1265 he accompaniedCardinal Fieschi to England to restore harmony between Henry II Iand the rebellious barons. In 1276 he entered upon his career in theCuria where he soon acquired considerable influence. The abdicationof Pope Celestine V has been frequently ascribed to the undue in-fluence and pressure of Cardinal Caetani. It is probable that theelevation of this simple minded and inexperienced recluse did notcommend itself to a man like Caetani, reputed to be the greatestjurist of his age and well skilled in the arts of Curial diplomacy.There can be no question that he treated his predecessor most cruelly.He entertained the most exalted notions on the subject of papalsupremacy and was most emphatic in the assertion of his claims. Hisreign was marked by political intrigues all over the Western worldin which he played no mean part. Reports that he died in a frenzy,gnawing his hands and beating his brains out against a wall, havenever been proved, He died in Rome on the 11th October 1303.

The Latin legend of Malachy has been interpreted as referringto the Pope's armorial bearing, combined with the reference to hisChristian name.

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CONCIONATOR PA TAREUSA preacher from PataraBENED ICT X I

1303 - 1304NICHOLAS BOCCASINI

Nicholas was born in 1240 and entered the Dominican order atthe age of fourteen. In 1296 he was elected Master General of theorder. In this position he became one of the defenders of the unpopular Pontiff, who showed him many 'marks of favour and confidence. He became Bishop of Ostia and Dean of the Sacred Collegeand when in 1303 the enemies of the Pope had made themselvesmasters of the Sacred Palace, only he and another Cardinal remainedat the side of Boniface VIII to defend him. In October that year hewas unanimously elected Pope. After a brief pontificate of eight monthsBenedict XI died suddenly. It was suspected that he had been poisoned.Nicholas was a native of Patara and belonged to the Order ofPreachers.

DE FESSIS AQUITANICIS(a) From the ditches of Aquitaine(b) From the Aquitanian fessesCLEMENT V1305 - 1314

BERTRAND DE GOT

Bertrand de Got was born in France in 1264, of a distinguishedfamily, his elder brother being the Archbishop of Lyons. He himselfbecame Archbishop of Bordeaux. In 1305 after a Conclave of eleven43


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' ,

months Bertrand de Got was elected Pope. During the usual Papalprocession the Pope was thrown from his horse by a falling wall; oneof his brothers was killed and so was Cardinal Matteo Orsini whohad taken part in twelve Conclaves and seen thirteen Popes. Th e mostprecious jewel in the Papal crown was lost that day, an incident whichhas been prophetically interpreted by many. He died in April 1314.Malachy's prophecy refers to the fact that the Pope came fromAquitania and makes heraldic reference to his armorial bearings.

DE SUTORE OSSEOFrom the shoemaker of OsseJ OHN XX I I

1316 -1334JACQUES DUESE

Jacques was born in 1249 and received his early education fromthe Dominicans. He became Bishop of Frejus in 1300 and Cardinal in1312. After the death of Clement V the Papal See was vacant for twoyears and four months. In 1316 Jacques was chosen Pope. After hiscoronation at Lyons, John XXII moved to Avignon where he fixedhis residence. He died on the 4th December 1334. His financialmeasures and centralisation of administration, and the fact that thetransfer of the Papacy from Rome to Avignon had been made in theinterests of France, made the Curia of Avignon generally detested.In fact the widespread distrust of the Papacy could not fail to resultin consequences detrimental to the interior life of the Church.Historians have always maintained that Jacques Duese was theson of a shoemaker named Osseo If this is so, the legend is perfectlyclear.

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CORVUS SCHISMATICUSA schismatical crowN I C H 0 LAS V (ANTIPOPE)

1328 - 1330PIETRO RAINALLUCCI

In 1328 the excommunicated German King Louis of Bavariareceived in Rome the Imperial Crown from Sciarra Colonna and onApril 18th, and in the name of Louis of Bavaria, proclaimed JohnXXII a heretic, usurper and oppressor of the Church and also deprived him of his Papal dignities. A straw image of the Pope waspublically burned in Rome and on the 12th May a Franciscan monkPietro was proclaimed antipope by Louis, taking at his consecrationthe name of Nicholas V. In August 1330 Pietro wrote to Pope JOMXXII asking for pardon and absolution. This was granted; bu t Pietrowas never allowed to leave the city where he spent the three remainingyears of his life in voluntary penance and study. He died in 1333.Medieval interpreters give this pope's name as Peter de Corberiaor de Corbavio; the Vatican calender lists him as Pietro Rainalluccidi Corvaro. Corvus appears an obvious allusion to the Pope's placeof origin and, Schismaticus places him among the ranks of theantipopes.

FRIGIDUS ABBASTh e cold Abbot

BENED I C T X I I1334 - 1342

JACQUES FOURNIERJacques was a Cistercian monk in the Monastery of Fontforide.

Th e Abbot there was his uncle, Arnold Novelli, by whose name45


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Fournier was also known. He later became Abbot himself and wascreated Cardinal in 1310. He received the necessary two-thirds votein December 1334 and was enthroned as Benedict XII on the 8thJanuary 1335. He encounted much criticism and resentment and hedied in Avignon in 1342.

Malachy's legend is explained by Panvinio's description "Abbasmonasterii Fontis Frigidi".

EX ROSA ATRABENSISFrom the Rose of ArrasCLEMENT VI

1342 - 1352PIERRE ROGER

Pierre Roger was born in 1291 in France and entered a BenedictineMonastery at the age of ten. He rapidly rose from one ecclesiasticaldignity to another and he became Bishop of Arras and Chancellor ofFrance in 1328. He was created a Cardinal in 1338 by Benedict XIIwhom he succeeded as Pontiff in 1342. During his reign he took upthe long standing conflict between the Emperor Louis of Bavaria andthe Papacy, and Louis finally submitted to the Pope. Clement wasmore a temporal prince than an ecclesaisitcal ruler; a patron of the arts,banquets and receptions to which ladies were freely admitted. Theheavy expenses necessitated by such pomp soon exhausted the fundsand Clement imposed an ever-increasing number of taxes, and appointments to Bishoprics were exclusively reserved for the Pope. Hedied after a short illness in December 1352 in Avignon.Pierre Roger was Bishop of Arras, Episcopus Atrabensis, and hisarmorial bearings show six roses.

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DE .110NTIBUS PAMMACHIIFrom the mountains of PammachiusI NNOCENT VI

1352 - 1362r STEFANO AUBERTStefano Aubert was born in France, and began his career as1 Professor of Civil Law. His career in the Church was equally spectacular; in 1342 he became Cardinal Bishop. He was elected Pope atAvignon on the 18th December 1352, where he died on the 12thSeptember 1362.Malachy's prophecy refers to the fact that Innocent VI had beenCardinal Priest of Pammachius. Panvinio refers to his family crestshowing six hills.

GALLUS VICECOMESA French ViscountURBAN V

1362 - 1370GUGLIELMO DE GRIMOARD

Guglielmo was born of a noble French family in 1310. He becamea Benedictine monk and one of the greatest canonists of his day. In1352 he became Abbot and started on a dipomatic career. Owing tojealousy within the Sacred College, which made the election of anyone of its members impossible, Guglielmo De Grimoard was consecrated on the 6th November 1362 to succeed Innocent VI. Hecontinued to wear the habit of the Benedictines. Urban was a patrioticFrenchman, which must be judged as a defect in the Pope of allChristendom; he estranged the English, aroused hostility in Italy andmade many enemies. He died in Avignon on the 19th December1370.Malachy refers to the Pope's origin.

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NOVUS DE VIRGINE FORTIA new man from a strong virgin[Motto also given as "Nova de virgine fortis]

GREGORY X I1370 - 1378

PIERRE ROGER DE BEAUFORT

De Beaufort, born in 1331, was a nephew of Pope Clement VIwho also created him Cardinal in 1348 when he was only eighteenyears old. After the death of Urban V the Cardinals unanimouslyelected him Pope in Avignon in 1370. He died in 1378 in Rome.Pierre Roger De Beaufort was Cardinal of the title of Santa MariaNova and his name may be referred to in the word Forti. Anotherinterpretation explains the legend as "renovated in spirit through thebold exhortation of the virgin Catherine of Siena".

DE INFERNO PREGNANI(a) The Pregnani from hell(b) From the hell of PregnaniURBAN V I

1378 - 1389BARTOLOMEO PRIGNANO

Bartolomeo was born in Naples in 1318. In 1364 he was consecrated Archbishop and after the death of Gregory XI the Conclaveproposed him as candidate for the tiara. He became the first RomanPope during the Western Schism in 1378. Urban VI is said to havedied of poisoning in Rome on the 15th October 1389.Malachy's legend is .easily explained 'here: Urb an VI was aPregnani and a native of a place called Inferno near Naples.48

\

GURUS DE MIXTIONETh e square of mixture

BON I FACE IX

\J1389 - 1404

PIETRO TOMACELLI

Pietro who came from an ancient but impoverished noble familyof Naples became the successor to the Roman Pope Urban VI on the2nd November. The Avignon Pope, Clement VII, at the same timecrowned the French Prince Louis of Anagni as King of Naples. Hedied in Rome on the tst October 1404.Malachy's prophecy is an allusion to the Pope's coat of arms,which had a bend chegny.

DE MELIORE SIDEREFrom a better star

I N NOC EN T V I I1404 - 1406

COSMA MIGLIORATI

Born in 1336 Cosma became a Papal Delegate to England and in1387 Archbishop of Ravenna. In 1389 Boniface IX created himCardinal and on the 17th October 1404 he was elected Pope and tookthe name of Innocent VII. He died on the 6th November 1406.During his reign he did little for the suppression of the Schism.Malachy's legend is both a play on words referring to the Pope'sname and an allusion to his armorial bearings which show a comet.49


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NAUTA DE PONTE NIGRO(a) A sailor from a black bridge(b) The mariner of NegropontGREGORY X I I

1406 - 1415ANGELO CORRER

Angelo Correr was born in 1327 in Venice. He became Bishop ofCastello and Patriarch of Constantine in 1390. In 1405 he was madeCardinal and after the death of Innocent VII was elected Pope by theCardinals in Rome on the 30th November 1406. Due to internalstrifes Gregory XI I resigned in 1415. The Cardinals accepted the resignation and appointed him Bishop of Porto. Two years later, beforethe election of a new Pope, Martin V, Gregory XII died.Nauta appears to refer to Venice. Gtegory XII was also Com-mendatarius of the Church of Nigripontis.

DE CRUCE APOSTOLICAFrom the Apostolic CrossC L E MEN T V I I (ANTIPOPE)

1378 - 1394ROBERTO DE I C ONTI DE L GENEVOIS

Cardinal of the title of the twelve apostles, this Pope's coat ofarms shows a cross, quarterly pierced. He is responsible for the GreatSchism of the West, a period in the history of the Church whichlasted for nearly half a century.

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LUNA COSMEDINATh e Moon of Cosmedin

B E N E D I C T X I I I (ANTIPOPE)1394 - 1423

PETER DE LUNA

This pope was the famous Peter De Luna, Cardinal of the titleof St Mary in Cosmedina, who was born in 1328 and created Cardinalin 1375. He returned to Rome with Gregory XI after whose deathhe took part in the conclave which was attacked by the Romans andwhich elected Urban VI. His spiritual director and confessor was thegreat Vincent Ferrer, who believed him to be the real Pope. WhenClement VII died he was unanimously chosen to succeed him. He,died in Spain in 1423.Malachy's description refers both to the antipope's name and hiscoat of arms.

SCHISMA BARCHINONICUMThe Schism of Barcelona

C L E MEN T V I I I (ANTIPOPE)1423 - 1429

G IL SANCHEZ 11UNOZ

This Pope is only recorded in a footnote to the Vatican list.However, Panvinio ranks him among the real Popes but adds "Seditseu instrusus fuit", He was a Canon of Barcelona to which Malachy'sdescription alludes and died in 1447.[In the same footnote appears the name Bernardo Garnier whoclaimed the title Benedict XIV between 1425 and 1430.]

I'

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FLAGELLUM SOLISTh e lash of the sun

ALE X A N D E R V (ANTIPOPE)1409 - 1410

PIETRO FILARGO

Piero, born in 1339, was a homeless begger boy in a Cretan city,knowing neither parents nor relations. He received elementary education from a friar and later entered a Franciscan monastery. Becauseof his unusual ability he was sent to be educated at Oxford and Pariswhere he distinguished himself as professor, preacher and writer.Pietro was made Bishop in 1386 and Pope Innocent VI I made hima Cardinal in 1405. On the 26th June 1409 he was the unanimouschoice of the Cardinals to fill the presumably vacant papal chair. Hispontificate was marked by unsuccessful efforts to reach Rome. Hedied on 3rd May 1410 in Bologna, where he was held prisoner byCardinal Cossa who succeeded Alexander V as John XXIII, on the3rd May 1410.

CERVUS ,SIRENIETh e Stag of the Syren

J 0 H N X X I I I (ANTIPOPE)1410 - 1415

BALDASSARRE CO SSA

Baldassarre was born in 1370 and was one of the seven Cardinalswho, in 1408, deserted Gregory XI I and who had pleced themselvesunder the jurisdiction of Benedict XIII. He became Cardinal in 1402and Papal Legate in the following year. In 1409 Cossa played an52

important part in the Council of Pisa and when Popes Gregory XI Iand Benedict XIII were deposed, he conducted the election ofAlexander V who remained entirely under his influence. He died onthe 22nd November 1419.

Malachy's prophecy is an allusion to the fact that Coosa becameCardinal of the title of St Eustachius, who has the stag as an emblem.He was born in Naples which has the emblem of the syren.

COLUMNA VELI AUREIThe pillar with the golden veil

MART IN \71417 - 1431

ODDONE COLONNA

Oddone Colonna was born in 1368 and became a Papal Nuncioat various Italian courts under Boniface IX. In 1405 he was made aCardinal (Velabro). He deserted Pope Gregory XI I and participatedin the election of the Antipopes Alexander V and John XXIII. Th einfluential family of Colonna had already given twenty-seven Cardinalsto the Church, but Martin V was the first to ascend to the Papalthrone. Th e Church was just passing through the most critical periodof its history, the great Western Schism. John XXIII 'had submittedto Pope Martin in 1419 and was given the title of Cardinal Bishopof Frascati, He died in Rome in 1431.

Malachy's prophecy is an allusion to the pope's cardinal title andhis family name.

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"

LUPA CCELESTINAThe Ceelestinian she-wolfEUGENE IV

1431 - 1447GABRI EL E COND ULM ER

Gabriele was born at Venice in 1383 and was the nephew ofGregory XII. Although he inherited a vast fortune, he gave it awayto the poor and entered a monastery. At the age of twenty-four hewas appointed by his uncle as Bishop of Siena. In 1408 he was createdCardinal and became Pope in 1431. He died in Rome in 1447.Malachy refers in his legend to the fact that Eugene IV belongedto the order of the Celestines and also was Bishop of Siena whichbears a she-wolf on its arms.

AMATOR CRUCISA lover of the Crossi F EL I X V (ANTIPOPE)t 1439 - 1449

AMADEUS DUK E OF SAVOYAmadeus was born in 1383. After the schismatic Council of Baslehad declared the rightful pope, Eugene IV, deposed, the Cardinals

~ 1471

FRANCESCODELLA ROVERE

PIO IIELICE V NICCOLO V CALLISTO III~ ~ ~ 439 . 1449 1447 1455 1455 " " 1458.1111 . AMEDEO TOMMASO ALFONSO BORGIA ENEt< SILViO

DUCA 01 SAVOIA PARENTUCELLI P CCOLOMINIALESSANDRO VIIPAOLO II SISTO IV INNOCENZO VIII t " "" "'::", ,:::::::'1464 - 1471 1492 1503

PIETRO BARBO RODRIGO BORGIA

GIULIO II LEONE X ADRIANO VI

r ,4,,, ,lig;::1522 1523FRANCESCO TODE GIOVANNI ADRIANOSCHINI PICCOLOMINI DE'MEDICI FLORENSZ

CLEMENTE VII PAOLO \II GIULIO III MARCELLO II

. , ' . . .. .;, ;.~ 523 ISH ISH 1549GIULIO DE MEDICI I ALESSANDRO I GIOVANNI MARIA I MARCELLO CERVINI

~ ARNESE CIOCCHI DEL MONTEPAOLO IV IlIII!i!I!I!IIIi

PIO IV I S, PIO V I GREGORIO XIII

ANGELODE'MEDICI

wished to secure additional influence and financial support by turningto the rich and powerful Prince,the Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy.After the death of his wife Maria of Burgundy, Duke Amadeus led alife of contemplation, in the company of five knights whom he hadformed into the Order of St Maurice. He was consecrated and crownedby Cardinal d'Allamand in 1440. He submitted in 1449 to NicholasV from whom he received the title of Cardinal of St Sabina. He died' in 1451.

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15S5 - 1559GIAN P ETRO CARAFA I GIOVAN

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DE MODICITAT E LUNIEFrom the littleness of the moonN ICHOLAS V

1447 - 1455TOMMASO PARENTUCELLI

Tommaso was born in 1397 and acted as the factotum of theBishop of Bologna for twenty years. He accompanied the Bishop onmany missions and later became the protege of Eugene IV who alsoentrusted him with other diplomatic tasks, which he carried out withsuch success that he received the Cardinal's ha t in 1446. After thedeath of Pope Eugene, Parentucelli was elected Pope. He died inRome in 1455.

Malachy's prophecy refers to his place of birth in the diocese ofLuna and his humble origin.

BOS PASCENS(a) an ox feeding(b) a bull browsingCAL IXTUS III

1455 - 1458ALFONSO BORGIA

Alfonso was born in 1378 of a noble family and after finishinghis studies espoused the cause of Benedict XIII who created hima Canon. He submitted, however, to Martin V who appointed himBishop of Valencia in 1429 and Eugene IV made him a Cardinalin 1444. In 1455 Alfonso de Borgia was elected Pope. His reign isremarkable for the revision of the trial of Joan of Arc, which wascarried out by his directions and according to which the sentence ofthe first court was quashed and her innocence proclaimed. He was56

probably one of the richest Popes in history and died at Rome in 1458.Malachy's prophecy is an allusion to the Pope's armorial bearingwhich shows the ox of the Borgias.

DE CAPRA ET ALBERGO(Another version reads CUPRA)

P IUS I I 1458 - 1464

ENEA SILVIO PICCOLOMINIThis pope was also born of a noble family, in 1405. He received

elementary instruction from a priest and entered the University ofSiena at the age of eighteen. He became the secretary to BishopCapranica and later to the antipope Felix V. In 1445 he changed hisallegiance and in 1447 became Bishop of Trieste. In 1456 he wascreated a Cardinal by Calixtus II I whom he succeeded as Pope in1458. He died on the 14th August 1464.Malachy's description has been interpreted as being an allusion tothe fact that Pius II had been secretary to Cardinal Capranica andCardinal Albergato before he was elected Pope.

DE CERVO ET LEONEFrom a stag and a lionPAUL I I

1464 - 1471PIETRO BARBO

Pietro Barbo, a nephew of Eugene IV, was born in Venice in1417 and entered the religious profession at the elevation of his uncleto the papacy. He was first Bishop of Cervia and Cardinal of Venice.He succeeded Pius II as Pope in 1464 and died in 1471.Malachy refers to his Bishopric Cervia (stag) and his Cardinal titleof St Mark (lion).

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II

PISCATOR MINORITAThe Minorite FishermanS IXTUS IV

1471 - 1484FRANCESCO DELLA ROVERE

Francesco was born in 1414. As a child he was placed in a Fran-ciscan monastery because of the poverty of his parents. After fillingthe post of Procurator of his order in Rome, he was in 1467 createdCardinal by Paul II . He was elected Pope in 1471. His reign wasovershadowed by political strifes and quarrels in which members ofhis family played leading parts and his appointing of men such asPietro and Girolamo Riario to the highest offices in the Church areblots on his high office. He died in 1484.Francesco was born the son of a fisherman and a member of theMinor Friars. [I t is interesting to note that at the time of Malachythis Order did not exist.]

PRIECURSOR SICILllE(a) The Precursor of Sicily(b) The forerunner from SicilyI NNOCENT V I I I

1484 - 1492GIOVANNI BATTISTA CIBO

Giovanni was born in 1432 and entered the service of the Churchafter a somewhat licentious youth. In 1467 he became Bishop and in1484 the successor to Sixtus IV. Great insecurity reigned at Romeduring his rule, largely owing to weakness on his part in dealing withtransgressors. In 1484 he issued his much abused Bull against witchcraft. Constantly confronted with financial difficulties he resorted to58

the objectionable habit of creating new offices and granting them to thehighest bidders. A great number of Papal Bulls were sold during hisreign, many of which are considered to be forgeries: among theselatter must be placed the permission granted to the Norwegians tocelebrate Mass without wine.The only explanation Malachy's interpretors can give is that hespent much time at the court of the King of Sicily. Other explanationsappear somewhat far-fetched, such as that the forerunner (Precursor)of Jesus was called John the Baptist which happened to be also thePope's name.

BOS ALBANUS IN PORTUTh e Alban bull at the port

ALEXANDER VI1492 - 1503

RODRIGO BORGIATh e young Rodrigo who was born in Spain on the 1st January1431, had not yet chosen his profession when the elevation of hisuncle to the Papacy (1455) opened up new prospects to his ambition.His uncle conferred upon him rich benefices and sent him to studylaw at the Universi ty of Bologna. In 1456 he was .made a Cardinaland he held the titles of Cardinal Bishop of Albano and Porto.Towards 1470 began his relations with Venozza Catanei, the mother

of his four children: Juan, Caesar, Lucrezia and jofre.Borgia) by a two-thirds majority which was secured by his ownvote, became Pope in 1492, and took the name of Alexander VI. Heis probably the only Pope who has never found an apologist in spiteof the most grievous accusations against him by his contemporaries.Perhaps the kindest thing one can do is to use the words of Leo the ,Great (440-461) who had declared in his Third Homily for Christmas

Day that "The dignity of Peter suffers no diminution even in an59


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unworthy successor". Alexander VI died in Rome on the 18th August1503.Malachy's prophecy refers to the pope's armorial bearings

Documents

The Prophecies of St. Malachy