Im surprised this has not been brought up yet. Just wanted to say that hes in my prayers. Ive been hearing about the Pope prophecies and was wondering at the validity? Is there another Pope lined up if he does pass?
Pope Francis
- Thread starter Faithfulservant
- Start date
I fear the Pope is failing ...
Re the prophecies, I think you mean of St. Malachi? Hope not! Pope-Emeritus Benedict was the penultimate pope in the list, followed by 'Peter of Rome' – personally I doubt anyone would choose Peter in light of that prediction, and Francis makes no appearance.
As for a successor, heaven alone knows ...
Has there ever been?
Idk much about it, but have waited for the smoke and decision a number of times in my life.
Succession plan? The conclave doesn't think beyond a pope at a time...or does it?
Has that been common? Or rare among the over 250 popes?
So much better than dishonestly not knowing!
What would you rate as a top popes and why?
In the 1990's it was well known that Pope John-Paul II would be the last pope, according to prophecy.
OK ... I have not made a study of popes but ... here's my top three:
Pope Leo the Great (reign 440-461)
In a letter to the bishops of the Church, in explaining his understanding of Christology that was being disputed at the Council of Chalcedon (451), affirming that Jesus was 'true God and true man' and led to the response that "This is the faith of the apostles!", "Peter has spoken through Leo" and other superlatives ... it was a watershed moment ...
Pope John XXIII (1958-1963)
Elected, aged 75, he was supposed to be a 'caretaker' pope, to hold the post as a safe pair of hands who wouldn't upset any apple-carts while the cardinals figured out their next move ... and then he went and declared a Council – the Second Vatican Council!
He was criticised for speaking to East European communists, but replied that 'whenever I see a brick wall, I think if I can loosen even one little brick' ... he opened dialogues to other communions and other religions, the ecumenical outreach, and laid the foundations for the Church in the modern world. In so doing he triggered a 'liberal v conservative' tussle that's still reverberating today.
A photographer was once setting up a shoot in the Vatican, while the pope was receiving a delegation. So the attendants asked the photographer to take off his shoes. He subsequently dropped a heavy piece of kit on his foot, and was in obvious pain, but didn't make a sound.
Pope John walked across, and said, "Why didn't you just shout 'Oh, shit!' like the rest of us?"
Pope John Paul II
Any pope who gets even a modicum of your approval has got to have done something right!
Pope Leo the Great (reign 440-461)
In a letter to the bishops of the Church, in explaining his understanding of Christology that was being disputed at the Council of Chalcedon (451), affirming that Jesus was 'true God and true man' and led to the response that "This is the faith of the apostles!", "Peter has spoken through Leo" and other superlatives ... it was a watershed moment ...
Pope John XXIII (1958-1963)
Elected, aged 75, he was supposed to be a 'caretaker' pope, to hold the post as a safe pair of hands who wouldn't upset any apple-carts while the cardinals figured out their next move ... and then he went and declared a Council – the Second Vatican Council!
He was criticised for speaking to East European communists, but replied that 'whenever I see a brick wall, I think if I can loosen even one little brick' ... he opened dialogues to other communions and other religions, the ecumenical outreach, and laid the foundations for the Church in the modern world. In so doing he triggered a 'liberal v conservative' tussle that's still reverberating today.
A photographer was once setting up a shoot in the Vatican, while the pope was receiving a delegation. So the attendants asked the photographer to take off his shoes. He subsequently dropped a heavy piece of kit on his foot, and was in obvious pain, but didn't make a sound.
Pope John walked across, and said, "Why didn't you just shout 'Oh, shit!' like the rest of us?"
Pope John Paul II
Any pope who gets even a modicum of your approval has got to have done something right!
Nicholas Weeks
Bodhicitta
See Gateway Pundit for 8 possibilities.
Nicholas Weeks
Bodhicitta
Conservative and Traditionalist Hopefuls for next Pope:
Cardinal Wim Eijk (Netherlands)
A rare European defender of orthodoxy. Eijk challenged Francis over civil unions and the Eucharist, and opposes diluting Catholic teaching to appease Protestant or secular sensitivities. A strong voice for restoring Catholic clarity in a morally confused age.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Congo)
An African cardinal who rejected Francis’ endorsement of blessings for same-sex couples. His firm stand aligns with the rising African bloc that resists secular infiltration. If elected, it would send shockwaves through the liberal Catholic establishment and signal a return to spiritual strength over social trendiness.
Cardinal Péter Erdő (Hungary)
An ally of traditional Catholic values, Erdő has previously resisted pressure to liberalize the Church’s stance on communion for divorced couples and has drawn praise for defending Europe’s Christian roots. Viewed as pragmatic and diplomatically competent, he’s also fluent in multiple languages—a bridge builder without compromising the truth.
Cardinal Raymond Burke (USA)
A lion of Catholic orthodoxy. Burke has long challenged Francis’ ambiguity on marriage, sin, and sexuality. Francis retaliated by stripping him of his Vatican housing and salary—proof of Burke’s threat to the Left. His election would be nothing short of a conservative uprising within the Church.
Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana)
A media-savvy African prelate with experience in Vatican justice offices, but whose public flirtation with climate change alarmism has raised eyebrows. Though once seen as a rising conservative star, he remains a wildcard—possibly trying to appeal to all sides.
Cardinal Wim Eijk (Netherlands)
A rare European defender of orthodoxy. Eijk challenged Francis over civil unions and the Eucharist, and opposes diluting Catholic teaching to appease Protestant or secular sensitivities. A strong voice for restoring Catholic clarity in a morally confused age.
Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu (Congo)
An African cardinal who rejected Francis’ endorsement of blessings for same-sex couples. His firm stand aligns with the rising African bloc that resists secular infiltration. If elected, it would send shockwaves through the liberal Catholic establishment and signal a return to spiritual strength over social trendiness.
Cardinal Péter Erdő (Hungary)
An ally of traditional Catholic values, Erdő has previously resisted pressure to liberalize the Church’s stance on communion for divorced couples and has drawn praise for defending Europe’s Christian roots. Viewed as pragmatic and diplomatically competent, he’s also fluent in multiple languages—a bridge builder without compromising the truth.
Cardinal Raymond Burke (USA)
A lion of Catholic orthodoxy. Burke has long challenged Francis’ ambiguity on marriage, sin, and sexuality. Francis retaliated by stripping him of his Vatican housing and salary—proof of Burke’s threat to the Left. His election would be nothing short of a conservative uprising within the Church.
Cardinal Peter Turkson (Ghana)
A media-savvy African prelate with experience in Vatican justice offices, but whose public flirtation with climate change alarmism has raised eyebrows. Though once seen as a rising conservative star, he remains a wildcard—possibly trying to appeal to all sides.
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That sounds familiar - say more.In the 1990's it was well known that Pope John-Paul II would be the last pope, according to prophecy.
I'm afraid I don't remember more - it was all part of the hysteria that the world would end around the year 1999/2000. Nostradamus was claimed to have predicted it, so did Mother Shipton (though apparently she said 1899, but someone extended it to make it more relevant), and there was also Y2K.
And y2k like most worries and prophecy was gone in a nanosecond...
Seems what bites us is always not what we worry and fret about, but often wory and fret itself.
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We got controversy in the conclave, there will be some movies made of this one. The parallels with US (p-word we shall not mame) will be debated
Tony Bristow-Stagg
One Planet One People Please
Great change is in process.I hope that is true of our current unsettled condition - nationally in the US I mean.
Regards Tony
🕊
Some reports indicate that Pope Francis died leaving only 100 dollars.
Yes, a hundred dollars. Less than 90 euros.
No house.
No bank account.
No investment in his name.
And yet, he was the head of the Catholic Church.
A post that could have earned him about €340,000 a year.
But he refused that money.
Every year.
Since 2013.
Why?
Because he was a Jesuit, and the Jesuits take a vow of poverty.
Rather than living in the luxurious Vatican apartments like his predecessors, he chose to move into the Casa Santa Marta, a simple, modest residence.
No gilding.
No personal servants.
Just a bed, a desk, and his faith.
He wore his old worn-out black shoes, refusing traditional red moccasins.
He was moving in a small Ford Focus, while other religious leaders are driving in limousines.
He ate with the Vatican employees, not in a private dining room.
He simply dressed, without special adornment, just his white outfit and an iron cross.
An invisible wealth...
While some cling to their property, their property, their image...
Pope Francis has chosen to own nothing to offer everything.
No millions.
No complex wills.
Just 100 dollars... and a powerful message: "It's not what you own that matters. That's what you are. What you do for others."
The world is shocked... but inspired.
At a time when wealth often becomes an ultimate goal, Pope Francis leaves an eternal trace without ever having sought to enrich himself.
He did not bequeath any material fortune.
He left a moral fortune. A lesson in humility. A vision of service.
He wasn't a luxury pope.
He was a pope of heart.
A man who has proved that to live simply is to reign differently.
What about you? What will you leave behind?
Money?
Things? Or a real inspiration?
The above was copied from the book of faces....for me it was a traveling preacher who.said he was down to two suitcases, his entire life in two suitcases....he used the money from one gig to get to the next, rented furnished rooms in boarding houses.
I ain't there yet, but a boy can dream...I miss the days hitching around the country with nothing but a backpack..I'd like to return to that before I go...RIP Francis.
Some reports indicate that Pope Francis died leaving only 100 dollars.
Yes, a hundred dollars. Less than 90 euros.
No house.
No bank account.
No investment in his name.
And yet, he was the head of the Catholic Church.
A post that could have earned him about €340,000 a year.
But he refused that money.
Every year.
Since 2013.
Why?
Because he was a Jesuit, and the Jesuits take a vow of poverty.
Rather than living in the luxurious Vatican apartments like his predecessors, he chose to move into the Casa Santa Marta, a simple, modest residence.
No gilding.
No personal servants.
Just a bed, a desk, and his faith.
He wore his old worn-out black shoes, refusing traditional red moccasins.
He was moving in a small Ford Focus, while other religious leaders are driving in limousines.
He ate with the Vatican employees, not in a private dining room.
He simply dressed, without special adornment, just his white outfit and an iron cross.
An invisible wealth...
While some cling to their property, their property, their image...
Pope Francis has chosen to own nothing to offer everything.
No millions.
No complex wills.
Just 100 dollars... and a powerful message: "It's not what you own that matters. That's what you are. What you do for others."
The world is shocked... but inspired.
At a time when wealth often becomes an ultimate goal, Pope Francis leaves an eternal trace without ever having sought to enrich himself.
He did not bequeath any material fortune.
He left a moral fortune. A lesson in humility. A vision of service.
He wasn't a luxury pope.
He was a pope of heart.
A man who has proved that to live simply is to reign differently.
What about you? What will you leave behind?
Money?
Things? Or a real inspiration?
The above was copied from the book of faces....for me it was a traveling preacher who.said he was down to two suitcases, his entire life in two suitcases....he used the money from one gig to get to the next, rented furnished rooms in boarding houses.
I ain't there yet, but a boy can dream...I miss the days hitching around the country with nothing but a backpack..I'd like to return to that before I go...RIP Francis.