Quoted below is from
catholictradition.org quoting "
Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi, Washbourne, 1882, pp. 248-250" [1]:
1. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
2. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death.
3. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
4. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
5. Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
6. Those who preserve in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. but the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head, [Christ] these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
7. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days JESUS CHRIST WILL SEND THEM NOT A TRUE PASTOR, BUT A DESTROYER." [EMPHASIS as quoted from catholictradition.org.]
On this very prophesy of San Francesco d'Assisi, there is an article dated November 16 (without a year, but probably in 2017) written by Christopher Ferrara entitled
A Stunning Prophecy by Saint Francis To Whom Does It Apply? You Decide... In it, the author referred to "an interesting anecdote regarding the current pontificate: the former Cardinal Bergoglio.... In that regard," [2] the author noted that Bergoglio once joked about he (Bergoglio) being "'Jesus II'" [3], [4].
In order that Bergoglio is the person referred to in Saint Francis of Assisi's prophesy, he had to be "a man, not canonically elected, [who] will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death." [5]
The question therefore is this: was Bergoglio was canonically elected and raised to the Pontificate?
This blogger is neither knowledgeable nor smart enough to answer the question, or even imagine one. There is, however, a highly educated and intelligent man that gave this blogger the help that he needed to arrive at his conclusion.
The help came in the form of an article published on September 28, 2018, by
The Catholic World Report entitled
Francis was never pope? Call me unpersuaded written by Edward N. Peters. One is able to read it and come to one's own conclusion. The conclusion this blogger drew, reasonably or unreasonably, was based on this paragraph below [6], quoted without hyperlink:
Contrary to Universi Dominici Gregis 78, before or during the conclave some electors might have entered into simoniacal agreements to vote for Bergoglio subjecting themselves to latae sententiae excommunication and rendering, under older law, the election of the pope invalid. But, in that same ¶ 78, John Paul II (for the peace of the Church) expressly provided for the validity of a papal election achieved in simony—even if it involved the new pope himself. So much for that argument.
The words that this blogger wants to highlight from the paragraph quoted above are these: "before or during the conclave some electors might have entered into simoniacal agreements to vote for Bergoglio subjecting themselves to latae sententiae excommunication
and rendering, under older law, the election of the pope invalid." [
Emphasis added.] [7]
When Saint Francis of Assisi made his prophesy, Section 78 as amended by John Paul II was not in existence. Saint Francis of Assisi's prophesy was made based on the original Section 78 and accordingly, the election of Bergoglio as pope was invalid or, in other words, non-canonical [8] even by the author's own admission in the paragraph quoted above.
The author's conclusion that Bergoglio was canonically elected does not invalidate Saint Francis of Assisi's prophesy, assuming that Saint Francis of Assisi's prophesy refers to Bergoglio. The conclusion and the prophesy were each based on a different canon separated by time. Saint Francis of Assisi looked to the future based on his then present whereas the author's analysis is based only on the "current" present. Both the conclusion and the prophesy are in a way symbiotic.
This symbiosis is evidence of Divine Providence: God had allowed Francesco d'Assisi to make a prophesy before his death on October 3, 1226, [10] long before Karol Józef Wojtyła was even born [11]. When Karol Wojtyla became pope, God gave him the foresight to amend Section 78 to allow for Bergoglio "be raised to the Pontificate" (quoting Saint Francis of Assisi), licitly (canonically) during the papal conclave on March 13, 2013, [12] but illicitly (non-canonically) by applying the fact that a group of cardinals had made "simoniacal agreements" to Section 78 operative during the time when Francesco d'Assisi made his prophesy in order to make Bergoglio pope.
In order for Saint Francis of Assisi's prophesy to be credible, what may appear to be a conflict, that Bergoglio was both non-canonically and canonically elected, had to take place--non-canonically elected based on the old law because that was mentioned in the prophesy and as amended, canonically elected because that was the only way Bergoglio was able to be pope.
After reading Saint Francis of Assisi's prophesy repeatedly and taking into considerations many of the events, past and ongoing, under Bergoglio, this blogger concludes with near certainty that the man Saint Francis of Assisi was referring to in his prophesy is indeed the current pope. Even for this blogger who finds Bergoglio to be crafty from day one of his papacy, naming himself after Francesco d'Assisi, it is difficult to accept that a "destroyer" is presently in the Vatican and that the prophesy of Saint Francis of Assisi is unfolding in his lifetime.
[1]
http://www.catholictradition.org/francis-prophecies.htm
[2]
https://www.catholicfamilynews.org/blog/2017/11/16/saint-francis-prophecy
[3]
https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/fetzen-fliegen/item/3439-socci-on-bergoglio-as-jesus-ii
[4]
https://www.antoniosocci.com/quello-vuole-papa-gesu-ii-demolitore/#more-6502
[5]
http://www.catholictradition.org/francis-prophecies.htm
[6]
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/09/28/francis-was-never-pope-call-me-unpersuaded/
[7]
Ibid.
[8]
Note: this blogger does not know if the old Section 78 was in existence at the time of Saint Francis of Assisi. His conclusion is based on his assumption that it was since Saint Francis of Assisi referred to a pope not canonically elected.
[9]
http://www.paceminterris.org/experience-pacem/the-hermitages/st-francis-of-assisi/
[10]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi
[11]
https://www.biography.com/people/john-paul-ii-9355652
[12]
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis
