I believe that the successor to Pope Benedict XVI will be Cardinal Arinze, and he will take the name Pope Pius XIII. He is the Pope called ‘Peter the Roman’ by St. Malachy. Pope #112 is last on St. Malachy’s list and is given this description:

“In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there shall reign Peter the Roman who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the terrible judge will judge the people.”

Pope Benedict XVI has taught the true Faith, but he has been mild in his approach to apostates, heretics, and schismatics. Canon Law, and truly also the eternal moral law, impose a sentence of automatic excommunication against all Catholics who commit apostasy, formal heresy, or formal schism. But Pope Benedict XVI has not done much to enforce this sentence, preferring to teach and correct and exhort instead.

Over the past several decades, a situation has arisen in the Church. Most persons who call themselves Catholic have deliberately rejected the infallible teaching of the Magisterium on important matters of faith and morals, especially on abortion, contraception, and various sexual sins. This crisis of faith has reached its height under Pope Benedict XVI; but the fault is not his. He has not wavered in reaffirming the infallible teaching of the Magisterium on all these matters. But, as I said, his role in God’s plan is to offer one last attempt to correct these sinners, with a mild approach.

The next Pope fulfills his particular role in God’s plan, by using a different approach. He enforces the sentence given by the eternal moral law and by Canon law against all who commit apostasy, formal heresy, and formal schism. Reconciliation with the Church will always be available for such persons, but they will be excommunicated not only in theory, but also in practice. Pope Pius XIII will require the faithful to believe and practice the Catholic Faith in order to be able to receive holy Communion. There is nothing at all unreasonable about this type of requirement: that Catholics must believe the teachings of their own Church in order to continue as a member of that Church.

But most Catholics will abandon the Catholic Faith because of this requirement. This event is the great apostasy, and it begins (ironically) during the Year of Faith (Nov. 2012 to Dec. 2013) proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI. The vast majority of laypersons will leave the Faith during the great apostasy, along with very many religious, many priests, a large minority of Bishops, and several Cardinals. Soon afterward, some of these persons will attempt to establish their own separate Church, with their own Bishops and priests. After the reign of Peter the Roman ends, they will even attempt to elect their own pope (he will be a misguided but well-meaning antipope).

The above text is an excerpt from my booklet: The Future and the Popes.

Related Recent Posts:
Reassessing the Dates in my Eschatology: 2013
On the Destruction of Rome and Vatican City

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.