Compare that specificity to the post-1590 popes: Leo XI, who was briefly pope in 1605, matches the entry on the list that simply says "wavy man." Benedict XIV (1740-1758) gets the descriptor "country animal." Paul VI (1963-1978) is simply "flower of flowers."
That hasn't stopped believers from interpreting the
vague phrases to match some event or perceived trait of each pope. Under these interpretations, Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, was pope No. 110, "from the labor of the sun," so defined, believers say, because there were solar eclipses somewhere in the world when John Paul II was born and on the day of his funeral. [History's 10 Most Intriguing Popes]
That makes recently retired Benedict XVI, No. 111, the "glory of the olive." Proponents say this descriptor fits because Benedict chose his papal name after the saint who founded the Benedictine Order, which has a branch called the Olivetans (of which Benedict was not one).
Benedict XVI's status as No. 111 matters because pope No. 112 is the last on the list. "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people," the line reads. "The End."
Originally Posted by Saved By Jesus
Well, that **is** some interesting information there in some of those links!.
