Why the Pope Must be a Martyr

By John D. O’Brien, S.J.

There is a new Pope. The speculation and declarations of which candidate would make the best pontiff had reached their fever pitch. Much of what was written was quite valid, but much also missed an important point. Yes, the new Pope should be a reformer, a pastor and a leader. Really there is no candidate that can fill those almost impossible expectations, plus be a saint, a scholar, a linguist, and a rock star. But we may have forgotten that the Pope must also be a martyr. Indeed, must primarily be a martyr.

Let me explain. The Pope must be a martyr because the whole Church is called to be martyrological – that is, a living witness to Christ, and Christ crucified. Since Peter’s foundational declaration, “You are Christ, the Son of the Living God”, the Petrine Office has primarily been about professing this living reality. Jesus responded to this first ecclesial “faith-statement” by declaring that flesh and blood had not revealed this to Peter but the heavenly Father, and that Peter would be the rock on which he would build his church. The church, then, is built upon a public profession of faith. Peter becomes the first credo-bearer – or witness. But there is more.

The Next Pope and the Number of the Beast

By John D. O’Brien, S.J.

Amid the fervent speculation over the identity of the next Pope has been an undercurrent of conjecture over whether the Church is about to elect its last Pope, the pontiff who will preside over the apocalyptic era, perhaps the final consummation predicted by Christ.

The dominant fuel is provided by the Prophecies of St. Malachy, the 12th century Archbishop of Armagh, who reportedly had visions of all the popes from 1143 until “the end of the world”. He left a series of cryptic Latin phrases which supposedly describe each one. Pope Benedict XVI is the second-last on the list; his successor, therefore, will be the final pope. He will be called “Peter the Roman”, of whom the prophecy says:

In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Petrus Romanus, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [i.e. Rome] will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.