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| Pius XII blessed on his death bed, Castel Gandolfo, 1958 |
'I understand the point, but is there anything in Scripture or prophecy on the possibility of a lengthy interregnum? …especially as we suffer the Church’s Passion in these dark days? There are numerous examples of prophecy regarding the loss of faith and the failure of our shepherds, but I’m not aware of a prediction of no shepherd.'
I thought this question deserved a proper answer rather than a quick reply. So here it is:
Does the Bible Predict a Long Papal Vacancy?
Old Testament
Jeremiah 33:17
'For thus says the LORD; David shall never lack a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.'
'David. This was verified
in Christ, who is of the house of David; and whose kingdom in his Church shall
have no end. (Challoner) The tribe of Juda continued most eminent till his
coming. But there was no king till Hyrcan, and he was of another tribe.
The priests governed after Nehemias, till Herod was appointed by the Romans.
This must therefore be explained of Christ's eternal kingdom, Genesis xlix.
(Calmet)' (Haydock, Commentary, 1859)
Zachariah 13:7
'Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that cleaveth to me, saith the Lord of hosts: strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn my hand to the little ones.'
'Besides, Christ himself has confirmed this prefigurement of himself when he said that a shepherd who flees when he sees the wolf and leaves the flock to be devoured is wicked. Such a shepherd will be banished from the farm; his separation pay will be kept from him as compensation for his damage; in fact, he will have to pay back something from his former wages to indemnify the losses of the master. “For to him who has shall be given and from him who does not have even that which he seems to have shall be taken away.” Thus Zechariah threatens, “Arise, O sword, against the shepherds, and pluck out the sheep, and I will turn my hand against the shepherds.” And against them Ezekiel and Jeremiah thunder with similar recriminations, in that they have not merely battened upon their sheep and fattened themselves but they have themselves dispersed the flock and, without a leader to guide them, left them as prey to all the beasts of the field. For this is what happens when the church is deserted by the clergy in time of persecution.' (Tertullian, De Fuga in Persecutione)
Matthew 24:29
'And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved.'
'The Church is the sun,
moon, and stars, to which it is said, Fair as the moon, bright as the sun. Then
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light (Song of Solomon
6:10.), because in that ungoverned fury of wicked persecutors, the Church shall
not be seen. Then shall the stars fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven
shall be shaken, because many, who seemed to be shining in God's grace, shall
give way to their persecutors, and shall fall, and even the stoutest believers
shall be shaken. And these things shall be after the tribulation of those days,
not because they shall happen when the whole persecution is overpast, but
because the tribulation shall be first, that the falling away may come after.
And because it shall be so throughout all those days, it shall be after the
tribulation of those days, yet on those very days.' (Saint Augustine, Ep. 199,
39)
'The sun shall be darkened These seem to be the dreadful signs that shall forerun the day of judgment. The stars shall fall, not literally, but shall give no light. (Witham) According to St. Augustine, by the sun is meant Jesus Christ; by the moon, the Church, which will appear as involved in darkness.' (Haydock, Commentary, 1859) John 10:8 'All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.' The thief cometh not but for to steal, and to kill. As if He said, And well may the sheep not hear the voice of the thief; for he cometh not but for to steal: he usurpeth another's office, forming his followers not on Christ's precepts, but on his own. And therefore it follows, and to kill, i. e. by drawing them from the faith; and to destroy, i. e. by their eternal damnation.' (Alcuin, apud Aquinas, Catena Aurea, John 10:8.)
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7
'And now you know what
withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity
already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out
of the way.'
A perpetual barrier
(κατέχον) hinders the revelation of the Antichrist. This restraining power is
referred to as "that which holdeth" and "he who holdeth,"
suggesting that it is both a system and a person. According to St. Augustine,
there are two opposed mysteries: the mystery of Godliness and the mystery of
iniquity led by Satan.
The mystery of Godliness
was fulfilled by the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. In contrast, the kingdom of
Satan will be consummated by the advent of the lawless one (ὁ ἄνομος), who will
reject both Divine and human law, causing disorder and revolutions. Some Church
Fathers believed that the Roman Empire was the barrier to his coming, while
others thought it was the Holy Spirit or the apostolic power. These
interpretations are complementary to each other. As a whole, they indicate that
Christendom and its head, the Vicar of Christ, are the forces preventing the
mystery of iniquity.
The gates of hell shall
not prevail against the Apostolic See until God allows its removal. Just as
Christ delivered Himself when His time had come, His Mystical Body must also
endure suffering, apparent defeat, and persecution. As Christ rose from the
dead, His Church will rise again in glory. Rome will become apostate from the
Church and the Vicar of Christ, returning to paganism, idolatry, and imperial
greatness. Once again, Christians will be cruelly persecuted in the city of
seven hills, and many will be martyred. Having lost its sacred status before
God, as ancient Jerusalem did after rejecting Christ, the eternal city will
eventually be destroyed for its transgressions.' (Manning, The Present Crisis,
pp. 45–92).
Revelation 12:4
'And a great sign
appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and
on her head a crown of twelve stars: And
being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be
delivered. And there was seen another
sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten
horns: and on his heads seven diadems: And his tail drew the third part of the stars
of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman
who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might
devour her son. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations
with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.'
'The "sign" in heaven is that of a woman with child crying out in her travail and anguish of delivery. This has often been held to mean the constant travail of the Church to beget faithful followers for Christ, the teaching Church ever suffering from the curse of sin. The blame for the sins of her members has persistently been imputed to the priests, who thus suffer the curse pronounced upon Eve. When saving souls the Church suffers the agony or travail in giving them spiritual birth. Hippolytus and Methodius give such applications to this detail of the vision. However, the text demands a more specific application to the definite future event to which the prophecy obviously points, and in which the Church suffers the keenest pangs passing at that time through the greatest crisis of her whole life. In that travail, she gives birth to some definite "person" who is to RULE the Church with a rod of iron. It then points to a conflict waged within the Church to elect one who was to "rule all nations" in the manner clearly stated. In accord with the text this is unmistakably a PAPAL ELECTION, for only Christ and His Vicar have the divine right to rule ALL NATIONS. Furthermore, the Church does not travail in anguish at EVERY papal election which can be held without trouble or danger. But at this time the great powers may take a menacing attitude to hinder the election of the logical and expected candidate by threats of a general apostasy, assassination or imprisonment of this candidate if elected. This would suppose an extremely hostile mind in the governments of Europe towards the Church and would cause intense anguish to the Church, because an extended interregnum in the papacy is always disastrous and more so in a time of universal persecution. If Satan would contrive to hinder a papal election, the Church would suffer great travail...As a dragon, Satan through the evil world-powers of that time will enter the Church, interfere with her liberty and perhaps by stealthy suggestions having long before directed the choosing of candidates for the episcopate will now endeavor by threats of force to hinder the election of the worthiest candidate for the papacy.' (Kramer, The Book of Destiny, p. 134)
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Check out My Lenten Devotional—twenty-three selected meditations, including sermons by St Leo the Great, along with reflections on sin, salvation, and the Passion of Christ. Perfect for daily prayer and reflection.
✅HOW TO OBTAIN PERFECT CONTRITION?
✅ON APOSTASY FROM THE CHRISTIAN FAITH: AN OVERVIEW
✅''ALL RELIGIONS ARE A PATH TO REACH GOD''- A REVIEW OF 'POPE' FRANCIS' LATEST HERESIES
REFERENCES
Tertullian, De Fuga in Persecutione, in The Fathers of the Church, trans. Rev. S. Thelwall, available at: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0409.htm [accessed 5 April 2025].
Haydock, George Leo. Haydock
Catholic Bible Commentary. Compiled by Rev. George Leo Haydock. New York:
Edward Dunigan and Brother, 1859.
Alcuin, apud Thomas
Aquinas, Catena Aurea in Ioannem 10:8, ed. et trans. Ioannes Henricus
Newman (Oxonii: John Henry Parker, 1845), CaJohn.C10.L2 - Aquinas10.8 [accessed 5 April 2025].
Manning, Henry Edward. The
Present Crisis of the Holy See Tested by Prophecy: Four Lectures. London:
Burns & Lambert, 1861.
Kramer, Herman Bernard. The Book of Destiny: An Open Statement of the Authentic and Inspired Prophecies of the Old and New Testament. Originally published Belleville, IL: Buechler Publishing Company, 1955; reprinted Charlotte, NC: TAN Books, 1972.
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