Authenticity Questioned: Prophecy of St. Francis of Assisi
Feb 27, 2020 13:37:00 GMT
Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2020 13:37:00 GMT
Most of us are painfully aware that Pope Francis has made himself another mascot for the sedevacantists - as if the devastation wrecked by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI weren't enough!
One of the private revelations that is frequently touted by the sedevacantists and now the non-resignationists (who believe that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is still the pope) is a prophecy of St. Francis of Assisi. There are a few slightly different translations or versions of this prophecy but most run along these lines [taken from the sedevacantist site, Novus Ordo Watch]:
Act bravely, my Brethren; take courage, and trust in the Lord. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death.
Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
Those who preserve their fervour and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. But the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head [Jesus Christ], these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish [physically] rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer.
(Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1882], pp. 248-250; paragraph breaks added.) [Emphasis - The Catacombs]
The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death.
Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
Those who preserve their fervour and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. But the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head [Jesus Christ], these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish [physically] rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer.
(Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1882], pp. 248-250; paragraph breaks added.) [Emphasis - The Catacombs]
A few more words from this sedevacantist website that are of note:
Clearly, these prophetic words of St. Francis have never been more relevant than today. It has been rumored that St. Francis also said that the false pope he was warning against would take his own name (“Francis”), but we have not been able to verify this information or find a source for it. In fact, if the prophecy refers to our times, it probably refers to the false pope John XXIII instead, who emerged from the highly-suspicious 1958 conclave.
While we ought not to seek after prophecies, special revelations or apparitions, nor make them the basis for our theological position, we share this prophecy with our readers in order to reassure them that our times, though extraordinary, have been foreknown and foretold in various ways by various Catholic authorities. [Emphasis - The Catacombs]
While we ought not to seek after prophecies, special revelations or apparitions, nor make them the basis for our theological position, we share this prophecy with our readers in order to reassure them that our times, though extraordinary, have been foreknown and foretold in various ways by various Catholic authorities. [Emphasis - The Catacombs]
One must applaud this particular sedevacantist website because they showed much integrity in later adding an "update" to this particular post and stated the following [emphasis -mine]:
[UPDATE: Some people dispute the authenticity of this prophecy, claiming it was concocted by certain dissident members of the Franciscan order in the 13th century and only subsequently attributed to St. Francis. Whether that be true or false, always keep in mind that ultimately, the case against the Vatican II antipopes is not based on private revelation.]
It was recently pointed out here on The Catacombs that the prophecies of Anne Catherine Emmerich have often been abridged and rarely given in their full context regarding her words on 'two popes.' And that the abridged version has been used therefore out of context and possibly erroneous conclusions drawn from her words that were not intended.
It seems there is potentially a similar danger here with this 'prophecy' being incorrectly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.
Cardinal Ciappi, who had read the Third Secret of Fatima, revealed to a Professor Baumgartner in 1995 that “In the Third Secret it is foretold, among other things, that the great apostasy in the Church will begin at the top.”
Dear friends, this apostasy did not begin with Pope Francis. He may be striking some very heavy blows but it did not begin with him. Pope John XIII opened the door for this revolution in the Church. But no one can deny that it was really Pope Paul VI who wielded the biggest sledgehammer against the Church. It was under his watch that Vatican II was unleashed upon the Church, it was under his watch that the Holy Mass was changed, that the Sacraments were one and all changed. The other Conciliar popes inflicted similar damage - a trail of destruction we are sadly only too familiar with. Pope Francis has continued his Conciliar predecessors infamous legacies, continuing to batter and hammer away at the Holy Edifice of the Holy, Roman Catholic Church.
Despite the horrendous betrayals of the last several decades by these Conciliar popes, let us remember the words of Our Divine Savior, "And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." [Matthew 16:18]
We know that the Church will follow completely in the footsteps of Her Founder. She will, like Our Lord was, be denied and will be abandoned during Her Passion. Has this mystical drama not appeared to be unfolding before our eyes these many years since Vatican II? Where those closest to Our Lord have abandoned and denied Him?
Dear friends, during this holy season of Lent, let us comfort and accompany Our Lord on His journey to Calvary. And when things seem most dark, when, like the Apostles, almost all the priests and bishops, have fled before the fury of Hell against Our Divine Lord, let us cling to Our Sorrowful Mother at the foot of the Cross, knowing Her sweet and humble prayers will guide us and through Her Victory, Her Son's Church will once again resurrect from It's seeming death knell.
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us poor sinners.