World events in Rome and China

The Roman Catholic church was surprised when the cardinals elected a pope who did not seem to be on anyone’s list, even though he was the runner-up in the last election. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina took the name of Pope Francis.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/pope-francis-prayer_n_2873941.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-sb-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D283499

Francis is of Italian descent. His father immigrated to Argentina. He is the first to take the name of Francis, and he is the first Jesuit to be Pope. Analysts describe him as being well connected to the poor, which correlates largely to his vow as a Jesuit, and this is being contrasted to many of the “insider” cardinals at the Vatican.

Their choice for pope also appears to be an attempt to distance the papacy from the epithet, “Peter the Roman.” The only visible connection is Francis’ Italian heritage. There are probably more Catholic writers than non-Catholics who have claimed that this pope would be “The Antichrist,” based mainly on their interpretation of St. Malachy’s list from 1140 A.D. All of the cardinals were aware of this, of course, and so I have no doubt that they felt this had to be thwarted.

The official Roman Catholic position, of course, is that Malachy does not specifically say that his list is complete. They say there may be any number of popes between #111 and the final pope, “Peter the Roman.” It only lists 111 future popes who were numbered. Number 111, who was said to be Gloria Olivae, “the glory of the olive,” correlates with Pope Benedict, who took the name of the founder of the Benedictine Order, whose symbol was the olive tree.

The final pope was given no number, and many have speculated on this.

“There is no number 112 in front of the last motto, leaving the reader to wonder if ‘Gloria Olivae’ IS Peter the Roman, or they are two separate entities. Some authors have speculated that the omission of the number 112 may indicate that Peter the Roman will not accede to office through orthodox means.”

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican14g.htm

As of now, Pope Francis does not give the appearance of “Peter the Roman.” It appears that they are trying to convince people that Pope Francis is an extra pope between #111 and Peter the Roman—someone not on the list. Of course, events will prove all things. Francis is 76 years old, and if he is succeeded by even one more pope, it will prove that he is not Peter the Roman. In such a case, it would be self-evident that Malachy’s list was incomplete.

As a Jesuit, Pope Francis seems to offer a softer, gentler version of his order. The Jesuit order was found in as an antidote to the Protestant Reformation. The order was founded the same year that the Church of England separated from Rome in 1534 and was formally recognized by the papacy in 1540. The Jesuit mission was to reunite the church under the papacy, and it soon came to be known as the Pope’s army.

Because the Jesuits were so aggressive in those days, it was hated by many, both Catholic and Protestant alike. The rigid Jesuit discipline made them a powerful tool in the hand of the popes as they sought to retain power over the monarchs of Europe. One by one, the nations of Europe expelled the Jesuits in the 1700’s. Malachi Martin wrote in his book, The Jesuits, on page 215,

“Between 1759 and 1761 all Jesuits in Portugal and its overseas dominions were arrested, transported by royal navy ships, and deposited on the shores of the papal states in Italy. All Jesuit property—houses, churches, colleges—was confiscated.”

France was next to do this in 1762. In 1767 the same occurred in Spain and the Spanish dominions in America. Naples, Parma, and Austria followed suit. When the Cardinals met to elect a new pope in 1769, the French Bourbon family made it clear they would accept a pope only if he agreed to disband his army—the Jesuit Order. The new pope reluctantly abolished the Jesuit Order on July 21, 1773.

Thus, from then on, all Jesuits had suddenly become ex-Jesuits. Many were angry at the church. One of them, Adam Weishaupt, a professor of canon law at Inglestadt University, struck back by forming a new organization in 1776 called the Illuminati. His strategy was to infiltrate the Masonic Order and use them to bring about the French Revolution (1789-1793). This Revolution nearly destroyed the Roman church, for in its aftermath, Napoleon marched to Italy and took the pope captive in 1798.

However, Napoleon needed a pope to crown him Emperor, and so he reinstated the papacy. Later, when Napoleon was defeated, the Jesuit Order was also reinstated in 1814 and have continued to this day. And now we see a Jesuit elected as the first Pope.

Even so, he took the name of Francis, rather than naming himself after the founder of the Jesuit Order, Ignatius of Loyola. St. Francis has a much gentler reputation, which the latest pope apparently wishes to emulate. Rather than being seen as the head of a militant Jesuit “army,” he wanted to project himself as one who attracts followers by personal example of simplicity, humility, and virtuous living.

One of the new pope’s main tasks will be to rebuild the European church memberships and also to compete with Protestants, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals. From his viewpoint, he lives in a time where other Christian groups are taking members from the Catholic church. He wants to reverse this trend, without using the forceful methods that the Jesuits used in the past.

How well might this correlate to “Peter the Roman” is yet unknown. I myself do not think that he will be “The Antichrist,” as so many have predicted. In fact, Malachy’s review of the reign of Peter the Roman says nothing negative about that pope, but only that he would reign in a time of “tribulation,” and that the “city of seven hills” would be destroyed after his reign was completed. Malachy does not say that this pope will CAUSE tribulation. All of this speculation is based upon other theories of prophecy that men assume are applicable to the final pope.

Even so, we ought to be watchful and stay informed on world events such as this. We cannot always predict the future, but if we have revelation and understanding, we will be able to recognize the meaning and significance of historical events when they happen. And there is no doubt that the election of Pope Francis is a significant event.

China has a new President

On the other side of the world, Xi Jinping was formally elected as President of China today, March 14. It was only a formality at this point, as everyone has known since last November that he would get this position. Nonetheless, any formal transfer of power is a significant event in China, as it reflects their goals and aspirations for the coming years.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/xi-jinping-china-president_n_2872404.html

Xi Jinping was part of a Chinese delegation that came to America to study American agriculture in 1985. He lived in Muscatine, Iowa for a while and is remembered there to this day. China has already virtually abandoned Communism as an economic ideology. Now watch as it changes and reforms its government structure to a more democratic model. In ten years’ time, by the end of Xi Jinping’s two terms in office, I think we will hardly recognize China.

It is also assumed that Xi Jinping was elected to clean up the graft and corruption within the Communist Party itself, which has caused many Chinese people to become angry, disillusioned, and cynical about their government. If he is successful, perhaps we might elect him as our own president, since American citizenship is no longer required to become president.