So they buried Pope John Paul II today. As I read the news reports, I remembered something I read years ago. Nostradamus supposedly described every pope from his death in the 1560s to present day with a phrase of two or three words. What’s interesting is, according to him there were be only two more popes after John Paul II. The next pope will be “Gloria Oliviae,” or Glory of the Olive. Either that or the description means that the next pope will be named Gloria or Olivia, but I don’t think women are allowed to become pope.
(Unrelated side note: Olivia was the first name of Mother Jefferson. Remember her? She was only on for the first few seasons, played by Zara Cully. She never thought Weezie was good enough for her precious George.)
After “Gloria Oliviae,” the final pope will be named “Petrus Romanus,” or Peter the Roman. The prophecies seem to indicate that he will preside over the end of the world, which is kind of scary since his reign will almost certainly take place in our lifetimes.
Here’s my take on it: Petrus Romanus will actually preside over the end of the Catholic Church (and all organized churches as we know them). To Nostradamus, a Catholic, this would have indeed seemed to be the end of the world. But instead it will be the beginning of a new era of spirituality, where people begin to look inward to find truth, rather than looking outward to religious leaders to tell them what to do. In a sense, we will each be our own Pope.
Oh, man. The floodgates are opening in my mind. There’s so much more I want to write about this, but right now I have to get ready to go to Raiford’s. Priorities, you know. But, I hope to get back to this point and say more about religion and the role it currently plays in our lives and in society. It’ll have to wait until later though….