This is interesting.
Idle Speculations posted illuminations of St. Celestine V and his successor, Gregory XII from the Vaticinia de Pontificibus, explaining:
It was a work of black propaganda falsely attributed to the mystic Joachim of Fiore (c. 1135 – March 30, 1202)
Yes! That explains so much.They allegedly made prophecies regarding the popes: who was to be elected and what were their attributes or main characteristics. Many regard the work as a crude attempt to influence future conclaves.Unfortunately the practice still continues today among Catholics and non-Catholics. Idle Speculations
Fascinating post! Yes, psuedo-prophetic literature was often used to influence a conclave. How we must trust in the Holy Spirit to guide the decisions and deliberations!
ReplyDeleteHuman Nature hasn't changed; we are always looking for a sign, but... "While we too seek other signs, other wonders, we do not realize that He is the real sign, God made flesh; He is the great miracle of the universe: all the love of God hidden in a human heart, in a human face." ~ Pope Benedict XVI
ReplyDeleteFor myself, it's a struggle every day, amid rumors and distractions, to keep my eyes on Him.
I look at the College of Cardinals as they are discussed online and I can't imagine any of them as Pope.
ReplyDeleteI do too. I can't envision any Cardinal that I have seen and heard about as Pope. I'm trusting in Divine Providence. God, who created something out of nothing can make a great Pope as well.
DeleteI have a feeling that when we hear "Habemus Papem!" we will love whoever steps out.
"I look at the College of Cardinals as they are discussed online and I can't imagine any of them as Pope."
ReplyDeleteI had the very same thought last time around. As it turned out I was pleasantly surprised, although not at first. Let's face it, Josef Ratzinger was no Karol Wojtyla. He hadn't the panache, the charm, the vigor, the winning smile, he wasn't the least bit photogenic, and when it was revealed that he had belonged to a Nazi youth group (even if not by his own choice) he suddenly became a public relations disaster. "Uh, boy," I thought to myself.
Utimately, however, he turned out to be very impressive. Not to a world absorbed by looks, liberalism, sex-appeal, and pop-culture, of course, but certainly to any Catholic who knew what being Catholic was all about. He wasn't the "People's Pope"; he was the "Serious Catholic's Pope." The Church needed that.
I don't know precisely what the Church needs at this present moment but there are one or two cardinals who seem to impress me. I think the cardinal who seems most attractive to me at the moment is Cardinal Tagle of the Philippines. I've read a bit about him and he seems like..how do I say it without seeming impertinent...oh, I'll just say it...a Christian. He is humble, delightful, friendly, honest, clean, pastoral, and deeply solicitous for the welfare of the least fortunate amongst us. And, at a moment in time wherein princes of the Church are not highly regarded due to so many media scandals and so much apparent corruption, he strikes me as somebody who could become to the world the "acceptable face" of the College of Cardinals. He also has the advantage of being "papabile" in the eyes of Vatican observers.
There are others, too, who impress me as worthy successors to Benedict XVI, and that's only among the cardinals I'm familiar with. There are many more who I am not familiar with. Then too, the cardinals aren't bound to pick one of their own; they can choose from any Catholic male in the entire world.
They could even pick you, Terry. ;^)