(UPDATE - April 2024 - this page was written when Pope Benedict was alive, since Pope Benedict's passing this page needed updating to reflect he is no longer with us, which I had been unable to get to until now. )
Do the Great Catholic Monarch and Angelic Pontiff prophecies support Sedevacantism?
Sedevacante' literally means 'empty seat' - it is a term to describe the period when a pope dies / or abdicates and there is no pope until a new one is elected.
But now, there is a large group of Catholics around the world taking up the position of 'Sedevacantism', i.e. that “there has been no 'valid' pope since Vatican II and that the seat of Peter has been left 'empty' all this time and that we have no pope since then."
The prophecies DO NOT support that at all.
They point out we will have anti-popes, and that a true sedevacantist (empty chair) period with no literal pope will last only about 3 and a half to maybe about to 4 and half years during literal wars before the Restoration of the Church, but do NOT indicate we would have decades of a long line of 'invalid' or heretical popes for years with no visible pontiff at the head of the Universal Church.
Regarding an anti-pope: it's best to define what an anti-pope is before continuing. An anti-pope is basically a claimant to the throne of Peter while there is a legitimate pontiff elected, which is no different than a pretender or several pretenders to a royal throne who think they have a legitimate claim to a royal throne. And, an anti-pope is not necessarily anyone 'evil' or heretical - the earliest known anti-pope was a saint! Spirago and Clarke's "The Catechism Explained" (Traditional explanation) also notes in their only reference to anti-popes that this is all an anti-pope is - a claimant to the throne of Peter when there is a legitimate Pontiff elected: "If there were anti-popes it is none the less true that some one was the true pope; the existence of of many pretenders to a throne to a throne does not exclude the claim of the true king." (Spirago and Clarke: 7 Notes of the True Church).
Now with regard to prophecies, Spriago and Clarke state: "God for the most part entrusts the prophesying of future events to His messengers, for the confirmation of the true faith or for the benefit of men. (...) (Prophesies) must not contradict any revealed doctrine, or be inconsistent with the holiness of God. It must be edifying and profitable to men." (VI The Motives of Faith, 6.)
Also, this means true prophecies cannot contradict Church doctrine or dogmas.
Therefore, when the credible prophecies are put together in Timeline and the fake prophecies are weeded out we see they indicate that close to or during the chastisements, there will be an old pope with white hair who will be 'shoved aside', and the letter 'B' will be in his name, and, he will share a name with St. Pius X. (Joseph?)
We have a definite candidate with Pope Benedict XVI, who was shoved aside, and another pontiff took power (Pope Francis).
The prophecies show when
the chastisements are about to break loose, one pope with the true
authority will be shoved aside and rendered silent, while another
will take his place and assume power, but he won't have the real
authority. (i.e. an anti-pope).
(Also check out my answer to the question: "What is an anti-pope, and does having an anti-pope or anti-popes
mean we are in a sedevacatist period?” - Click here.)
Seeing what has happened, this prophecy seems to have come to pass. There are many questions being asked about the nature of Pope Benedict's abdication, and if it was licit or legally done. So, if there was something not right about his abdication, even a technicality, yes, he could still have been the legitimate pontiff. But, he was placed in a position where he could not act, and his hands were tied. He was rendered out of action if this is the case.
The prophecies state that the chastisements will grow and finally break out during the 20th and 21st centuries. Just look at history: it is about 600 years since we have had a papal abdication with two popes living at one time, and now this finally occurred again in the 21st century. See the events lining up? Even the alleged prophecies of St. Malachy show Pope Francis is the last pope (or anti-pope) before a severe chastisement falls on a seven-hilled city (obviously Rome).
This means that Pope Benedict was a valid pope even with Pope Francis present, according to the prophecies.
So, the prophecies point out there was a pope! Even St. John Bosco's famous dream of the ship of the Church and the two pillars shows there will be a pope leading the helm of the Church during all the upheavals, and, when the pope is struck dead, a new one is up immediately, so, the 'ship' of the Church immediately gets a new leader before being 'anchored' during the Age of Peace- his vision did not point to longs decade without a pope.
No Sedevantism.
If this is the case, what is meant by some of the prophecies saying there 'will not be a pope' for years, or even a long time?
When you read the details of the credible prophecies, the time when we will literally 'not have a pope' and the papal seat is legitimately empty is when the carnage of the civil wars break out, the cities of Paris and Rome are destroyed or ravaged, and blood begins running in the streets. This will last 3 and a half or 4 and a half years.
Note: NONE of that happened when Vatican II occurred.
So, the other argument that the prophecies must have indicated a 'mystical' or 'spiritual' war through Vatican II does not hold up at all.
This
also includes the prophecies of Marie-Julie Jahenny: she warned there
would be long months, or even years without a pope, but people have mistaken that to mean Sedevacantism. Her prophecies HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT. Her revelations show that the real terrible time of a literal vacant seat without any pope (apparently sometime after two successive anti-popes, so this means after we have a legitimate pope or popes) will occur when the actual bloody physical wars break out in Rome AFTER the Great Monarch has already established peace in France. And, these wars will only last a far years, 4 and a half years at most. Yes, she warned
of the bad fruits that were coming, obviously from Vatican II, such
as the Leonine prayers being removed from the end of the Mass, which
was an act of Hell she cryptically foretold, but actual Sedevacantism
itself as is currently understood – no, she did not predict that at
all. In fact, she predicted it is the corrupt bishops attempting to bring in a fake Christian-like religion more akin to Islam in union with red states that will break unity with Rome and the pope. She warned we are not to break union with the pope or Rome.
Again I repeat, as she mentioned anti-popes - so there would have to be a legitimate pope or or popes present before the 'empty seat' periods she saw!
And, a prophecy she made that has come true indicates Pope Paul VI A 'Vatican II Pope' was indeed a valid pope. She predicted that St. Teresa of Avila would be declared a Doctor of the Church: this happened in on September 27, 1970, and she was declared a Doctor by Pope Paul VI. While declaring someone a 'Doctor' is not an ex cathedra order, there is no indication Heaven had disapproved of St Teresa being declared such, for Marie-Julie was told she too would be declared a Doctor of the Church on the same level as her. Heaven seem to have approved of Pope Paul VI's declaration - meaning, indication of a valid pope.
So, no, Marie-Julie Jahenny did not predict the Sedevantism position as is currently understood, not according to the texts that have been made public that I know of
In all, the prophecies are showing that since Pope Benedict was shoved aside and was unable to officially act, we may have no pope licitly acting, at least not since 2013 and up until Pope Benedict's death. Although we could also note Pope Benedict may have given us tacit authority to follow Francis as he himself honored him as the ruling pope, so, we had a pope, but also had considerable confusion on who had the authority here!
However, since Francis is officially recognized as pope with no other contenders, his claim to the throne is now made valid since Pope Benedict's passing. (Also contrary to what people think - I have NEVER said Pope Francis is still an anti-pope now after Benedict's passing - I've only ever stated that the prophecies indicate Pope Benedict, while alive of course, was still the legitimate pope.)
Time has now to prove what is meant by the other anti-popes coming, and thus who is the legitimate pope during this time, and how the upheavals will bring about a truly vacant seat that will last only 3 to 4 years until the wars are over, the Great Monarch appears, and the Angelic Pontiff is elected.
* So, the main point I'm trying to make here is that the prophecies do not support the “anti-Vatican II” definition of Sedevacantism of not having a pope since the 1960s.
There will be a legitimate pope (or popes) still present when anti-popes are present - even Spirago and Clarkes' explanation of the Catechism says this.
Instead, the prophecies support an 'authentic sedevanctist' period in which the papal chair will only be vacant for about 3 and a half to 4 and a half years, which is how long a real sedevacantist period basically lasts as we've seen from history, and, will happen when real bloody wars break out, not hidden 'spiritual' ones.
3) If anything, the credible prophecies show Sedevacantism to be false.
Credible prophecies are in accordance with Church teachings and doctrine: the Church has taught the line of Peter cannot be broken, the line of succession is perpetual until the end of time. "Perpetual" mean the line cannot be broken, therefore, it is not like the line of a secular monarchy that can be broken and picked up by different houses or blood lines. It is one continuous line back to Peter and Christ Himself. If Benedict XVI was the pope according to the prophecies, then they show we had and still have apostolic papal succession, which is Church teaching. This cannot be broken.
It is not possible to have
a vacant papal seat since circa 1960-decades of an empty papal chair with a load of 'invalid' popes ruling one after the other with no valid pope anywhere - that would mean the line of perpetual succession has been broken, and this is a serious doctrinal error worthy of excommunication as we can see by 'anathema'. Here is CANON LAW on that:
So, the cardinal who is elected Bishop or Rome and recognized by the Universal Church as such is the Pope, be he a good or bad pope. Remember, the first pope chosen by Christ and the Holy Spirit was called 'Satan' by Christ Himself, and, Peter denied Christ thrice.
Also, we do not have the authority to declare if a pope is heretical, even if we suspect it...only his successor can do that and undo his decrees, which has happened before in history. Which means the line has to continue in order to recognize the successor's right to overturn the previous 'bad' pope's decrees in any case! So, the line is still there.
Yes, I do recognize the issue that if a pope should turn into a heretic - he automatically is not pope and we must openly resist him when he does promote errors- but even then, we as lay people do not have the right to declare who is an invalid heretical pope 'ipso facto'. Only his successors can do that. As far as I can see, the only way we would know this for absolute certainty to where we as lay people could decry him to that extent publicly and show our open and licit disobedience to him would be if he ever taught serious error in an ex cathedra position - a real pope could never teach error in an ex caethdra situation which is a doctrine of our faith, so, if a heretic pope tried this, we would definitely know he was not a pope and could openly reject him as leader of the Church.
And, even then, also note the prophecies (the one attributed to St. Francis of Assisi) only point to ONE 'destroyer pope not canonically elected' - the prophecies do NOT point out a long list of them one after the other ad nausuam like the Sedevantists hold. Like I pointed out, they foretell anti-popes, so there will be a legit pope or popes!
Note: let's say for argument's sake that all the V2 popes are anti-popes, there is always a legitimate pope for there to an anti-pope in any case, but they have not shown themselves if that is the case, and if they did exist, there has been no recognition of the Universal Church of them, so they would not be legit either. There is no 'hidden real pope' over the last several decades. Not to mention if they did exist they are right cowards - they need to be the visible head of the Church, and yet for decades they just sit back in the dark and let 'anti-popes' rule? Yeah right.
And no, there is no 'hidden' pope 'Gregory XII' or 'Gregory XVIII'. History unfolding and the prophecies themselves also disprove the 'Cardinal Siri / Pope in Red Thesis', (which is being used as a money-making racket, even by fake priests),read more about that, click here.
4) We also see the fruits of Sedevacantism are bad, and the Lord said you will know a tree by its fruit.
Just look at the case of Dulcinus in the middle ages - sedevacantism has happened before, and it has brought forth bloody, disobedient, heretical fruits. Click here for his story.
People believing there is literally no valid pope at the moment since Vatican II are forming little exclusive 'Trad cults' around themselves, and also around any priest who happens to be working solo on his own and is under no authority that can be traced back to the Church, not if they are refusing to acknowledge any pontiff since Vatican II.
This is not much different that then old medieval 'mendicant monks' who claimed to be a religious but weren't tied to a monastery or a superior, they used to travel and beg to earn their own livings for themselves, but had no ordered structured religious life, and pretty much lived their own version of 'religious life'. If I recall correctly, St. Benedict considered them the worst kind of religious as they had no religious superior to submit to. He noted a true religious was obedient to an authority sanctioned by the Church.
Also, there is considerable disunity among the Sedevacantists. Another bad sign. One Sedevacantism group seems to differ from another, just look at the bickering online! So much for One, Holy, Apostolic, Universal Church. I know some who propose that going to Mass can be dispensed with altogether since they claim NONE of the Masses can be valid if there is no pope! Seriously, major errors on the extremist side are being spread by them, and, the flock is being scattered because of this. Our Lord warned he who does not gather with Him, scatters. Christ gathers His flock around His Vicar as His visible head on earth. Satan scatters.
In all, the prophecies are indicating Pope Benedict was the legitimate pope, was just rendered inactive, and we won't have a pope in hiding or a real vacant seat until the literal bloody wars break out in Rome and Italy. It is only when the wars come and the chastisements truly strike that the 'shepherd will be struck and the sheep will be scattered.' And, this real 'empty seat' will, only happen for a few years. This hasn't happened yet.
Thankfully, when it does, we know this period does not last for long and we will have an Angelic Pontiff who will restore all.
Return to the Great Catholic Monarch and Angelic Pontiff Prophecy Timeline, click here.
