Enemies of our beloved Holy Roman Catholic Church have been closing in on it from all sides for many centuries, but recently they seem to be succeeding in their goals. Everything that is not of God is from Satan. The only religion established by Our Lord Jesus Christ is Mother Church. It held the world together for 2000 years. Bit by bit, the strength of the Church has crumbled in recent centuries. It began with Martin Luther. There was then the Treaty of Westphalia in 1645, in which Protestantism was recognized. And then Mormons, Masons, Muslims, and Modernists added to the troubles. It is no coincidence that secular world powers are getting stronger. They are in direct opposition to the Church. In secular society: partial birth abortions, homosexual marriages, euthanasia, and eugenics, and in the Church: lack of belief in the Real Presence, promiscuity, and so on, are only the beginning of our troubles so long as the social reign of Christ the King is forgotten, and even mocked in some quarters.
I look for correlations as to why God would allow this to happen. Is He angry with us? Yes! We have not done as Our Lady asked at La Salette, Fatima, and elsewhere: to do reparation for sins, keep the Sabbath, and consecrate nations to her Immaculate Heart. Have we done as Our Lady of La Salette said regarding the secrets she gave to Melanie and Maxamin: "Well my children you will pass this on to all of my people."? Have we done what Our Lady of Fatima asked: to "pray the rosary daily"? Has the "Pope of 1960", or any Pope since, revealed the Third Secret of Fatima as requested by Our Lady through Sister Lucia? Has Russia been consecrated by the Bishop of Rome in unison with all of his brother bishops? No, none of this has happened! Instead of praying decades of the rosary, wearing the brown scapular, and doing devotions in honor of God, Mary, and the Saints, we are worried about social programs and whether or not Protestants will like us! Who is reigming here9 Is it not the God of the Holy Roman Catholic Church?
I would like to bring up a few predictions and prophecies regarding our Church --- some have come true already, some are yet to be fulfilled. Luther said, "If you destroy the Mass you will destroy the Catholic Church." What, dear bishops, has happened since 1965? I ask this on a personal note - what has happened to my own extended family - why have they all left the Church? Or if they still call themselves Catholic, why do they look at me incredulously if I say they should go to Holy Mass on Sundays or that contraception and divorce are wrong? Why is it the giffie with my Catholic students? Why are they bemused when I ask them to take off a few hours to go to services on Good Friday or Holy Mass on Holy Days of Obligation? Or that the reason I don't eat meat on Fridays is not a protest of a social matter like abortion as has been recently proposed (albeit abortion is a particularly grave wrong) but because of the reason that has always been - that Christ was crucified on Good Friday and we remember His suffering? Why do they scoff when I tell them that clothing in church should be modest, and that women should cover their heads, as St. Paul taught us? Do we not preach Christ crucified, the message of the Cross? Then where, I ask, is the Tabernacle, and where is the crucified Christ?
Many Catholic prophets have spoken of a time of great apostasy (during which time a false pope may banish the lawfully elected pope into exile and come into power) that will be followed by a Chastisement from Heaven. Our Lady of Fatima said, "If Russia is not consecrated, she will spread her errors throughout the world". Similarly, Our Lady of La Salette said "The Church will be in eclipse." And St. Malachy, writing (in the I 100's) titles for the 108 popes from then until the end of time, gave the title "Eclipse of the Sun" to Pope John Paul 11 (106th on his list). The Prophet Daniel and Our Lord Himself spoke of an "abomination that causes desolation". Was not the Buddha that replaced the tabernacle on the high altar and then worshipped in the Basilica of Assisi a foreshadowing of this? And likewise the making of Assisi a world ecumenical center, in which all religions are treated more or less equally? Were not Giotto's masterpieces in Assisi recently destroyed by an earthquake, with loss of life as well, whereas the paintings had remained unharmed for seven centuries previous? Our Lord said "When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it does not belong, then let those in Judea flee to the mountains". Similarly, St. Hildegard wrote, "A powerful wind will arise from the north carrying heavy fog and the densest of dust... By its tremendous pressure the comet will force out of the ocean and flood many countries." Moreover it is believed by many that what is transpiring in the Church and in the world today, and more, is all contained in the Third Secret of Fatima.
Of the 108 titles St. Malachy, in the II 00's, gave to future popes, most have been quite accurate. Following "Eclipse of the Sun" (Pope John Paul 11), the 107th title is: "Gloria Olivae" (great peacemaker). Ffe-i§ thought o be the Pope that leads the world back to Holy Mother Church to- Flowing- the Chastisement. There will follow a period of peace. However Our Lady of La Salette may be speaking of these times when she tells us: "This peace will be short-lived... Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist. He (the Antichrist) will be born of a nun in a convent completely given over to apostasy, born out of the supernatural, his father being Satan." At the time that the Antichrist reigns, the "powers of evil will be so great that evil persons will do magic events and be transported around the globe by magic powers. They will do signs and wonders that will appear in the heavens. Voices shall be heard in the air". Also "famous holy people of old will appear to have come back from the dead (though in reality these are evil spirits) and they will preach a false religion, 4warning' us that the true religion to which they had previously adhered to is wrong. Then will come Elijah and Enoch", as the Scriptures tell us.
St. Malachy titles the last pope, the 108th in his list "Petrus Romanus" (Peter the Roman). Only the first pope, the Apostle Peter, has had the name Peter; the last pope, so it would seem, will be the second; they are therefore the bookends of Christ's Holy Church on Earth. Of this last Pope Saint Malachy writes: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church therewrill reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock among many tribulations (caused by Antichrist); after which the seven-hilled city (i.e., Rome) will be destroyed and the dreadful judge will judge the people (the Lord, the Righteous Judge)." Related to Rome, St. Bede wrote in the 8th century: "As long as the Coliseum stands, Rome shall stand, when the Coliseum falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome fa11s, the world shall end." Scholars have brought up the question as to whether there might be other popes, not given a title by St. Malachy, between Gloria Olivae and Peter Romanus. If not, then there are two popes left until the end of this age.