Trivia: The Burial of Pope John Paul II

The burial ceremony of Pope John Paul II was the first time that the British Crown Prince, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, and the Archbishop of Canterbury were all concurrent;y in attendance at the funeral of a Pope.

Recent Comments by Pope Francis

For full disclosure: this blog is written from a Protestant, Trinitarian, Evangelical, and biblically orthodox position.

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 Pope Francis has roiled the waters within the Catholic Church with statements which some consider to be at odds with the emphases of his two immediate predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

Francis has said that the church has become too focused on homosexuality, abortion, and issues of religious faith and doubt.  What I hope that Francis is trying to say is that the church cannot and should not be defined by what it is against.  That is a sure way for the church to wither and die.

Marisol Bello and Eric J. Lyman in a USA Today article on the issue say that Francis is reminding the world of the “Catholic Church as a place of healing and mercy, not judgment and finger-pointing.”  Others are concerned that Francis is de-emphasizing adherence to traditional doctrine in favor of being “relevant.”

In the interview, Francis adds: “we have to talk about them in a context. The teaching of the church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the church, but it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time."  Francis is not changing Catholic Church doctrine but appears to be trying to say that the church cannot be only “against,” it must also be “for.”

Read more about the controversy here:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/19/pope-francis-abortion-gays-interview/2837495/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/09/19/pope-francis-gays-abortion-contraception-column/2839493/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57603897/pope-francis-denounces-abortion-after-decrying-churchs-focus-on-rules/

(Pope Francis, in talking about these issues, is not speaking ex cathedra (“from the chair”). but as a spiritual leader.  Ex cathedra statements are considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be directly from God and are doctrinally binding on all Catholics. 

The Last Pope

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has once again stirred talk of “the Last Pope.”  I vaguely remembered talk of this several years before and so, I had to investigate.  Apparently, many people believe that the next pope will be the last pope.  This is tied into speculation that this is the beginning of the end of the world.  Some believe that the next pope will be The False Prophet of Revelation.

The speculation is based on the predictions of St. Malachy (d. 1148) an Irish bishop who, when he fist saw Rome, fell into a trance-like state and produced a list of 112 popes identified by short Latin phrases.  Benedict is the 111^th pope since that date making the next pope number 112, whom Malacy describes as “Petrus Romanus.  (Peter the Roman)”

Those who are believers in the list insist that it is eerily accurate,  They cite the phrase for the 106^th pope, “Pastor Angelicus.”  This would be Pope Pius XII. 

“Piscator minorita,” (“The minorite fisherman”) is used of Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484), who was a member of the Friars Minor and the son of a fisherman.

“De rure alba,” (“drom a white country”).  The Englishman, Pope Adrian IV (1154-1159) was born in England, which in ancient times was known as Albion.

Of the Pope known as John Paul II, Malachy declares “de labore Solis,” (“from the labor of the sun,” “of the eclipse of the sun.”  Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) was born during a solar eclipse.

The manuscript recording Malachy’s phrases was locked in the Vatican for four hundred years.  When it was discovered again in 1595, the Catholic Church declared it to be fraudulent.  Some declared it to be an outright 16^th century forgery.   Modern commentators point out that many of the Latin phrases have to be “creatively” viewed to fit their intended popes.  Also, about 10% just cannot be made to “fit,” thus failing one of the tests of true prophecy.  Bernard of Clairvaux, who was a personal friend and biographer of Malachy makes no mention of the prophecies.

Some who believe that the next pope will be the last, bring in the prophecies of Nostradamus (Century 5 Quatrain 49 of “Les Propheties.”).

“a l’ennemy sera faicte fiancé,
Qui dans son regne ser peste cruelle.”
(“He will make a promise to the enemy,
Who will cause great plague during his reign.”)

Notice something here.  All of this is extra-biblical!

Remember also that we are expressly forbidden to set dates for the return of Christ.

The Resignation of Benedict XVI

On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI made an unexpected announcement.  He is resigning his office, becoming the first Pope in 600 years to do so,.  Basically he cited his failing health and his incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”   Many people were scandalized, assuming that the Pope should die in office.

The tradition was very strong.  So strong, in fact, that it is reported that when a bishop suggested that Pope Paul VI should consider retiring, he shouted angrily, “I cannot retire.  I am Peter!”

Benedict’s predecessor and personal friend, John Paul II, remained in office even when it became apparent to everyone that he was dying and that even to move was painful.  John Paul II believed that he was demonstrating that we have dignity and worth no matter what our age or physical condition.  He was also demonstrating that suffering for Christ is holy.  He spoke of bearing infirmities with honor and taking part in the suffering of Christ.            

Understanding all this I still have no problem with Benedict resigning.  He is making different points than his friend: a pastor is held accountable by God for how he leads his flock (Hebrews 13:17); it is not wrong for a servant of the Lord to take a needed rest (Genesis 2:2); ultimately, each person, even the Pope, is judged only by God.

Obviously, as a Protestant, I do not believe that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on Earth.  I do believe that most of the popes have been pious, even holy, men.  Something which Benedict did not say, but which I think may have informed his decision, is this: by resigning he removed the focus from himself and his health and returned it to Jesus. 

Christian Intellectuals

“The minute you get a religion you stop thinking.  Believe in one thing too much and you have no room for new ideas.”  Ray Bradbury (b. 1920, Illinois, USA – d. 2012)  Bradbury was a celebrated science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery writer.

I have to disagree with Ray.  Yes, there is a strong stream of anti-intellectualism loose in the world today and it has infected many within the Christian community, but faith does not equal empty-headedness.  Jesus Himself told us that it should not.

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:37

The Apostle Luke praised the Bereans  “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11

Without expressing approval or disapproval of what any of them have taught or said, here is a short list of modern persons who would qualify as Christian intellectuals: John Piper, N.T. Wright, Francis Schaeffer, Dietrich Boenhoffer, D.A. Carson, C.S. Lewis, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Ravi Zacharias, Dinesh D’Souza, Francis Collins, John Lennox, Karl Barth, etc.

Stupidity

    This post, originally published on 22 April 2011, was enlarged, and updated on 24 January 2026.

    Does anyone understand what Pope John Paul II was talking about when he said, "Stupidity is also a gift of God, but one mustn't misuse it."  Does anyone know the context within which this was said and the source of the quotation?  All I can find is the quoted sentence, repeated over and over again.

    What I believe the Pope might have meant was that we must sometimes do things which go against the current common culture. The outside world, those not part of the Body of Christ, may, and probably will, think we are foolish or even stupid. Some will find us to be offensive. When absolutely necessary, we must not back down.

    There was a historical movement of persons called Fools for Christ, some of whom bordered on the bizarre, acting in ways the world considered to be insane or nonsensical. They often adopted extreme asceticism and voluntary poverty, openly challenging many societal customs. To the world they appeared to be foolish.

    The "foolishness of the gospel" refers to 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.  The world considers the concept of a crucified savior to be absurd and offensive. They insist that they have no need for salvation or that, if they do need salvation, they can do it for themselves.

    The Pope's statement may have meant that we should not be afraid of being thought to be foolish, but we should not intentionally offend or provoke.

Book Comment: The Rise of Benedict XVI

     Allen, John L., Jr., The Rise of Benedict XVI.  The Inside Story of How the Pope Was Elected and Where He Will Take the Catholic Church (New York: Doubleday, 2005)

     John Allen is a correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and is the Vatican analyst for the Cable News Network and for National Public Radio.  His book details, almost minute by minute, the events leading up to the death of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Joseph Ratzinger as the 265th Pope, Benedict XVI.

     Allen believes that the main thrust of Benedict's papacy will be directed against the "dictatorship of relativism," the belief that objective truth does not exist.  Benedict has declared relativism to be "the greatest problem of our time."

     Benedict is not alone in this belief.