HAMAS EXCHANGES DEAD CHILDRENS MOTHER WITH A NON HOSTAGE DEAD WOMAN.THIS PEDOPHILIA DEATH CULT WILL PAY FOR THAT ONE RIGHT ISRAEL.

 JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

 HAMAS EXCHANGES DEAD CHILDRENS MOTHER WITH A NON HOSTAGE DEAD WOMAN.THIS PEDOPHILIA DEATH CULT WILL PAY FOR THAT ONE RIGHT ISRAEL.

EZEK 39:11-16
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: (IN THE JORDAN VALLEY) and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, (NUCLEAR SPECIALISTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

MEANING OF HAMONAH
Hamonah, ham-o'-nah (Heb.)-- host; multitude; noise; tumult; commotion of mind. The prophetic name of a city that is mentioned in conjunction with Hamon-gog: "And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city.
Metaphysical meaning of Hamonah (mbd) - Truth Unity

Strong's Lexicon-Hamonah: Hamonah-Original Word: הֲמוֹנָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location-Transliteration: Hamownah
Pronunciation: hah-mo-NAH-Phonetic Spelling: (ham-o-naw')
Definition: Hamonah-Meaning: Hamonah

Word Origin: Derived from the Hebrew root הָמוֹן (H1995), meaning "multitude" or "abundance."Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Greek equivalent for "Hamonah" in the Strong's Greek Dictionary, as it is a specific Hebrew proper noun. However, the concept of a multitude or abundance can be related to Greek words like πλῆθος (G4128), meaning "multitude."Usage: The term "Hamonah" is used as a proper noun referring to a specific location mentioned in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. It is associated with the aftermath of a significant battle, symbolizing the multitude of the slain.Cultural and Historical Background: In the context of the Hebrew Bible, names often carry significant meaning and are used to convey theological and prophetic messages. "Hamonah" is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel, a prophetic text that addresses the restoration of Israel and the judgment of the nations. The name reflects the abundance of God's judgment upon the enemies of Israel, serving as a reminder of divine justice and sovereignty.

GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.

And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.

FINALLY THE EUROPEAN UNION IS TALKING ABOUT HAVING THEIR OWN ARMY.AND IT MUST HAPPEN.
REVELATION 19:16-21
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.(JESUS RETURNG TO EARTH LITERALLY ON A WHITE HORSE WITH THE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS 7 YEARS EARLIER)
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.(2ND TIME GOD-JESUS TELLS THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS TO GET READY TO EAT HUMAN FLESH.THE FIRST TIME WAS WHEN GOD TOLD THE 500 MILLION MIGRATING BIRDS-TO EAT RUSSIA,GERMAN,ARAB, MUSLIM BODIES FOR 7 MONTHS IN EZEK 38 @ 39.
19 And I saw the beast,(E.U WORLD LEADER) and the kings of the earth, and their armies,(HERE IT SAYS THE E.U WILL HAVE ITS OWN ARMY) gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, (JESUS) and against his army.(RAPTURED CHRISTIANS)
20 And the beast (E.U WORLD LEADER) was taken, and with him the false prophet (POPE FRANCIS) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Ultranationalist demo for expulsion of Gazans, building settlements, set for next week-Demonstration labeled ‘Occupation, expulsion and settlement’ seeks to rally support against phase two of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, halt IDF withdrawals from Gaza-By Jeremy Sharon-20 February 2025, 8:52 pm

A large right-wing, ultranationalist demonstration is being organized for next week in Jerusalem to call for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza and the construction of Jewish settlements in the territory.Titled “Occupation, expulsion and settlement,” the demonstration is being organized by the Nachala settlement group and other right-wing organizations that have been advocating for full Israeli occupation and settlement of Gaza since the early months of the war following the October 7 atrocities.Nachala, which has long supported and advanced the construction of illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank, has held several events during the war to promote renewed Jewish settlement in Gaza, a policy that has been backed by several cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.Ultranationalist activists, apparently backed by Nachala, also tried to break into Gaza on several occasions during the war to establish new Jewish settlements in the territory but were ultimately removed by the army.Thursday’s demonstration, to be held at the capital’s Paris Square, is being staged just ahead of the final round of hostage-prisoner releases between Israel and Hamas, which will complete the first phase of the broader ceasefire agreement between the two parties.Nachala and its leader, Daniella Weiss, strongly opposed the ceasefire agreement and the withdrawals of IDF troops from Gaza, which were a key part of the deal.The organization, along with other ultranationalist groups, has campaigned relentlessly since the agreement took effect in January not to implement the second stage of the ceasefire deal, which would see all IDF forces leave Gaza and the return of all remaining living hostages.Instead, Nachala has called for the resumption of fighting against Hamas, the construction of Jewish settlements in Gaza, and the expulsion of the Palestinian population from the territory.“Ahead of the end of the [hostage-prisoner release] deal and the renewal of fighting, the organizers are emphasizing: this time will be decisive – no to stopping the war, occupy, expel, settle,” Nachala said on Thursday in announcing the coming demonstration.According to the group, an “operations room” has been established to coordinate organizational activities for the demonstration, which includes making large numbers of telephone calls to drum up awareness and participation for the event.Some 16,000 fliers have already been distributed, Nachala said, with teams of volunteers posting them around the country, while over 50 “transport coordinators” are helping to organize transportation to the demonstration, the group added.Nachala held an organizational conference to plan the demonstration last week in the Kiryat Arba settlement.Ultranationalist groups began calling for rebuilding Jewish settlements in Gaza not long after the October 7 invasion and atrocities and the subsequent war that ensued.Nachala staged a large rally in Jerusalem in January last year to build political and public support for the reconstruction of Jewish settlements in Gaza, with numerous cabinet ministers backing their call.At the conference, then-national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir endorsed a policy of “encouraging voluntary emigration,” while current Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of Likud advocated for the coercive resettlement of the Gazan population.During another conference later that year overlooking the Gaza Strip, Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and Likud minister May Golan made similar comments, while Weiss said that the Palestinians have “lost their right” to live in Gaza following the October 7 massacres.Explicit calls by ultranationalist groups for the “expulsion” of Palestinians from Gaza have become an increasingly explicit and prominent feature of their agenda following US President Donald Trump’s insistence at the end of January that the Palestinian population of the territory be permanently resettled outside of Gaza.

Arab leaders to meet Friday, discuss Egyptian alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan-Cairo’s yet-to-be-unveiled plan said to include 3 reconstruction stages, with Palestinians moved to ‘safe zones’; major challenges loom regarding funding, Strip’s postwar management By AFP and ToI Staff 20 February 2025, 6:53 am

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Arab leaders will gather in Saudi Arabia on Friday to counter US President Donald Trump’s plan for American control of Gaza and the expulsion of its inhabitants, diplomatic and government sources said.The plan stirred rare unity among Arab states which roundly rejected the idea, but they could still disagree over who will govern the enclave and who will pay for reconstruction.Umer Karim, an expert on Saudi foreign policy, told AFP the summit would be the “most consequential” in decades in relation to the wider Arab world and the Palestinian issue.Trump provoked Arab outrage when he announced that the United States would “take over the Gaza Strip,” moving 2.4 million Gazans living there to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.A source close to the Saudi government told AFP that Arab leaders would discuss “a reconstruction plan counter to Trump’s plan for Gaza.”Meeting with Trump in Washington on February 11, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Egypt would present a plan for a way forward.The Saudi source said the talks would discuss “a version of the Egyptian plan” the king mentioned.Friday’s summit was originally planned for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan.However, it has been expanded to include the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Palestinian Authority.Reconstruction-Reconstruction will be a critical issue at the summit after Trump highlighted this as the key reason for moving its inhabitants out while Gaza’s infrastructure is rebuilt.Egypt has not yet announced its counter-initiative, but Egyptian former diplomat Mohamed Hegazy described a plan “in three technical phases over a period of three to five years.”The first would be a six-month “early recovery phase,” said the member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, a think tank with strong ties to decision-making circles in Cairo.“Heavy machinery will be brought in to remove debris, while designated safe zones will be identified within Gaza to temporarily relocate residents,” Hegazy said.The second phase will require an international conference to provide details of reconstruction and would focus on rebuilding utility infrastructure, he said.“The final phase will oversee the urban planning of Gaza, the construction of housing units, and the provision of educational and healthcare services.”A UN estimate on Tuesday put the cost of rebuilding at more than $53 billion, including more than $20 billion over the first three years.The last phase would include “launching a political track to implement the two-state solution and so that there is… an incentive for a sustainable truce.”Umer Karim believes that adopting this plan would require “a degree of Arab unity not seen before in decades.”Finance-One Arab diplomat familiar with the Gulf told AFP: “In the end, the biggest challenge facing the Egyptian plan is how to finance it. Some countries like Kuwait will inject funds, perhaps for humanitarian reasons, but other Gulf states will set specific conditions before any financial transfer.”Karim said the “Saudis and Emiratis won’t spend any money if [the] Qataris and Egyptians don’t guarantee something on Hamas.”Egypt’s plan seeks to address the complex issue of postwar oversight for Gaza, which the Hamas terror group has controlled since taking over in a 2007 coup, with “a Palestinian administration that is not aligned with any faction.”It will comprise “experts” and will not be “factionally affiliated and is politically and legally subordinate to the Palestinian Authority,” Hegazy said.The Cairo initiative also envisions a Palestinian Authority-affiliated police force supplemented with security forces from Egypt, Arab states and other countries.Differences remain, however.Hegazy said that Hamas “will retreat from the political scene in the coming period,” while the Saudi source said Riyadh envisions a Gaza Strip controlled by the Palestinian Authority.Qatar, a key mediator in the war, believes the Palestinians themselves must decide Gaza’s future.“I think all regional actors understand that any alternative plan they propose cannot include Hamas in any form as presence of Hamas will make it unpalatable for the US administration and Israel,” Karim said.“So overall, some things within the Strip have to fundamentally change in order for this plan to at least have a chance.”However, even if all these obstacles are overcome, the proposal is likely to be rejected out of hand by Israel, whose government has consistently ruled out any Palestinian Authority role in managing Gaza after the war.

Red Cross: 'Operations should be done privately' UN human rights chief: Hamas ‘parading’ of hostages’ bodies is ‘abhorrent and cruel’-Volker Turk says terror group’s treatment of remains ‘flies in the face of international law’; Germany laments families being ‘exposed to Hamas’s limitless terror’ during handover-By Agencies and ToI Staff 20 February 2025, 6:22 pm

The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday that the parading of the bodies of hostages in Gaza before they were handed over to Israel is abhorrent.“The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care.”In the statement, UN rights chief Volker Turk added that “under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”Hamas said that it returned on Thursday the bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young redheaded boys, Kfir and Ariel, as well as that of Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped at age 83.Lifshitz’s family said Thursday that they received confirmation from Israeli authorities that his remains were returned. Israel has said it is still testing the other three bodies before providing the Bibas family with confirmation.Before they were handed to the Red Cross, the coffins were placed on a stage, with armed Hamas gunmen wearing black and camouflage uniforms surrounding the area, and cruel psychological propaganda adorning the stage, including plaques on the coffins declaring the dates of their “arrest” and slogans blaming Israel for their deaths.In a statement about its role in the handover on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the operation should have been done “privately” but stopped short of blaming Hamas.The ICRC, which has itself faced criticism for its position of neutrality, said that it took part in the return of “the remains of those who should have been reunited with their loved ones in life, not in death.”The Red Cross said its role was “to fulfill a vital humanitarian duty to allow families to mourn with dignity.” The statement added that “these operations should be done privately out of the utmost respect for the deceased and for those left grieving. We have been unequivocal: every release — whether of the living or the deceased — must be conducted with dignity and privacy.”The day before the handover, the ICRC issued a statement saying that “any degrading treatment during release operations is unacceptable.”German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday condemned Hamas’s “limitless terror” after the handover.“Four coffins, presented on stage — images that are unbearable,” she wrote in a message on X. “Until the very end, the families of the hostages are exposed to Hamas’s limitless terror. My thoughts are with them. Hopefully they are soon able to mourn their loved ones and bury them with dignity.”Thursday marked the first time that Hamas handed over the bodies of hostages to Israel since the start of the war, which was triggered by the terror group’s murderous rampage through southern Israel on October 7, 2023.Hamas took 251 hostages during the attack, more than 100 of whom were freed in November 2023. Israeli forces have rescued eight hostages and recovered the bodies of 40 of them.Since the start of the latest ceasefire last month, Hamas has freed 24 hostages in handovers featuring large public ceremonies and terrorist propaganda, forcing the hostages to wave and praise their captors before being freed. Israel has expressed anger over the spectacles and Hamas has also faced international criticism.Following Thursday’s handover, 66 of the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.

IDF in Gaza drapes coffins in Israeli flags, Psalm 83 recited-Bodies of slain hostages brought to Israel after grotesque Hamas ceremony, 503 days since they were abducted alive-Caskets said to hold bodies of Shiri Bibas, young sons Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz handed to Red Cross, then IDF; driven through Israel to forensic institute for ID process By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff 20 February 2025, 1:15 pm

The coffins holding what were believed to be four slain Israeli hostages were returned to Israel on Thursday morning, 503 days after they were abducted from their homes and dragged to Gaza on October 7, 2023, by Hamas-led terrorists.Hamas had said earlier in the week that it was handing over the bodies of Shiri Silberman Bibas, her two young sons Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 at the time of his abduction. All four were taken alive from their homes in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre in southern Israel.(Update: The IDF said early Friday morning that while the bodies of Lifshitz, Ariel Bibas and Kfir Bibas were indeed returned, the fourth body was not Shiri Bibas.)The bodies were transferred to the Red Cross at around 9:30 a.m., in a propaganda-filled ceremony in the Bani Suheila area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, where the terror group set up a stage covered with propaganda posters in defiance of pleas for a more respectful affair.From there, the Red Cross handed the caskets over to IDF troops inside the Gaza Strip and, following a brief military ceremony, a convoy carrying the coffins, now draped in Israeli flags, crossed the border into Israel just before midday.Unlike the recent hostage release ceremonies in which the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross alive, most Israeli media outlets, including The Times of Israel, decided not to air the live footage from Khan Younis out of respect for the dead.Ahead of the handover, live footage showed crowds of Palestinians waiting near the stage, as music blared in the background. Parked nearby were white pickup trucks, some of them draped in Hamas flags, reminiscent of the ones driven into Israel by invading Hamas terrorists on October 7.Armed Hamas operatives were stationed among the crowd, many of them milling about freely.Others could be seen off to one side hosting what appeared to be a makeshift weapons show for children and teens, allowing them to hold their guns and pose for photos and videos.Meanwhile, footage from Israel showed that, unlike previous rounds of hostage releases, Hostages Square in Tel Aviv was mostly empty, with a scant few people braving the rainy weather. More people gathered in the square as the hours passed.Rows of Israeli flags, with yellow ribbons intertwined with the Star of David, were tied to barriers.Shortly before 9 a.m., a convoy of Red Cross vehicles started making its way to the stage in southern Khan Younis to pick up the bodies.With its large propaganda posters and celebratory atmosphere, the public ceremony was a far cry from the private and dignified handover that the International Committee of the Red Cross had requested of the terror group.As the Red Cross vehicles approached the stage, with some onlookers pushing and shoving their way through the crowds to get a closer look, terror operatives displayed four coffins, apparently containing the bodies of the slain Israeli hostages, which had been concealed behind a curtain.On the stage, a large propaganda poster portraying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire above pictures of the four hostages denounced Israel and blamed it for the deaths of the four. Hamas also displayed munitions allegedly used by Israel.The coffins were labeled with a picture of each hostage, as well as a propaganda message. The Kfir and Ariel Bibas coffins had the names switched. A sign on the coffins claiming to hold the remains of Shiri Bibas and Lifshitz also featured their “date of arrest” — October 7, 2023, the day they were abducted from their homes.The military had stressed ahead of time that all claims made by Hamas as to how the hostages died were unverified, and that the causes of death would be examined during the identification process.In what appeared to be an attempt to protect the dignity of the slain hostages from the jostling crowds, Red Cross representatives held up small privacy screens as they received the caskets, although Hamas operatives walked in between them, taking photos as they worked. Live footage broadcast on Al Jazeera also showed the coffins being handed over.As the Red Cross convoy departed the staged event to transfer the bodies to Israeli forces stationed in the Strip, the screens in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square — now much fuller than it had been earlier in the day — aired photos and videos of Lifshitz and the Bibas family from before October 7.In one clip, Lifshitz could be seen playing the piano, and in another baby Kfir giggled as he played with his father Yarden.Mournful music played across the square and a bunch of yellow and orange balloons, symbolizing the plight of the hostages and the recognizably bright red hair of the Bibas children, stood out against the grey sky.Abducted alive 503 days ago-Shiri Silberman Bibas and her two young sons Ariel and Kfir, who were aged 4 years and 9 months respectively at the time of their abduction, were abducted from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion and massacre in southern Israel.The three were abducted by members of the Mujahideen Brigades, a relatively small armed faction in the Gaza Strip, which is allied with Hamas.The family’s father Yarden was abducted separately by Hamas terrorists after he left the safe room of their Nir Oz home in an attempt to distract the gunmen and save his family. He was freed from Gaza on February 1.Footage from the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel showed Shiri Bibas clutching her redheaded sons as they were led away by Mujahideen Brigades gunmen. The IDF later released a video it found, showing them being moved at a Mujahideen Brigades post in Khan Younis that same day.Their fate since then had remained unknown, and the Mujahideen Brigades and Hamas claimed in November 2023 that they had been killed in an IDF airstrike. Israel did not confirm the claim, which it said was cruel propaganda, but acknowledged that there were “grave concerns” for the young family.Shiri’s parents, Margit Shnaider Silberman, 63, and her husband Yosef José Luis (Yossi) Silberman, 67, were killed at their Nir Oz home on October 7. They are survived by their daughter Dana.Lifshitz was held captive by Palestinian Islamic Jihad after he was abducted from his Nir Oz home. His wife Yocheved was kidnapped separately, and released by Hamas 16 days later.The couple, who were among the founders of Nir Oz, were lifelong peace activists and would regularly transport patients from Gaza to receive medical care in hospitals across Israel. Oded, a great-grandfather, was a journalist and a passionate advocate for human rights.Military ceremony in Gaza-Upon receiving the four caskets apparently containing the bodies of the four slain hostages, IDF sappers conducted a security screening on them, the military said, to rule out the possibility that they were booby-trapped.Israeli troops also checked that the locks on the caskets could be opened, so there would be no delays when the bodies were brought to a forensic institute in Tel Aviv for identification. The IDF said that all of the coffins could be opened.The IDF also checked if any personal items belonging to the hostages were returned with the bodies.The coffins were then draped in Israeli flags for a short military ceremony, led by IDF Chief Rabbi Brig. Gen. Eyal Karim, who read aloud Psalm 83 as troops saluted.The mourner’s Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, was not recited at the ceremony because the bodies were not yet identified.The caskets were then carried by IDF officers of the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion into waiting vehicles for the journey back to Israel for identification. Lifshitz himself served in the same battalion.Said Oded’s son Ofer, sadly, before the ceremony: “It’s the closing of the circle since October 7: IDF soldiers will get to my father, and put a flag on him, but a little late. Hence the sense of the missed opportunity.”The IDF holds a ceremony in the Gaza Strip honoring the four slain Israeli hostages whose bodies are apparently in coffins returned by Hamas, February 20, 2025. The coffins are seen draped in Israeli flags as they are carried by officers of the Nahal Brigade. (IDF)-The vehicles carrying the slain hostages crossed into Israel minutes before midday.Israelis line the streets-They were escorted in a convoy by the Israel Police to the Abu Kabir National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification, a process that Health Ministry officials said could take up to 48 hours.Within a few hours, however, officials said, they would be able to update the families on how long it would take them to confirm the identities of their loved ones.The Prime Minister’s Office said an official notice would be issued to the families following their identification, and asked the public to respect their privacy and refrain from spreading rumors.“Our hearts go out to them at this difficult time,” the PMO said.The streets leading to the forensic institute were lined by Israelis, including from the ravaged community of Nir Oz, holding flags and waiting to pay their respects.Netanyahu was said to have briefly considered participating in the proceedings on the Israeli side of the Gaza border as the hostages were returned, and according to Channel 12, security arrangements were being put in place on Wednesday night to enable him to do so.Later in the night, however, it was decided that he would not attend. Despite multiple invitations, Netanyahu has not visited Nir Oz since the massacre.Sixty-six of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.In addition to the four bodies returned Thursday, Hamas has so far released 24 hostages — 14 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — during a ceasefire that began on January 19. Israel is releasing some 2,000 Palestinian terrorists and other detainees.The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014.Lazar Berman contributed to this report.

Army: Bibas brothers were 'brutally murdered' in captivity-Remains ID’d of Oded Lifshitz, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, but other body isn’t the boys’ mom Shiri-IDF says forensic experts can find no match for fourth body handed over by Hamas, slams terror group for ‘very serious violation’ of hostage-ceasefire deal By Lazar Berman,Noam Lehmann, Emanuel Fabian-and ToI Staff Today, 2:41 am-FEB 20,25

Slain hostages Oded Lifshitz and brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas were identified after their remains were returned to Israel by Hamas on Thursday, but the military said another body sent by the terror group was not the young boys’ mother Shiri Silberman Bibas.Specialists at Abu Kabir Forensic Institute were not able to identify the fourth body, the Israel Defense Forces announced early Friday morning.The shocking statement came after the return of the remains, in a propaganda-filled ceremony, had already sparked anger and mourning across Israel. Hostages’ families demanded the freeing of all the captives, alive and dead, still held by terror groups in Gaza, and leaders vowed to destroy Hamas.The revelation that Shiri Bibas’s body had not been returned, as promised by Hamas, and that the body was not that of any other hostage either, left the future of the ongoing hostage-ceasefire deal looking more uncertain than ever.“This is a very serious violation by the Hamas terrorist organization, which is required by the agreement to return four dead hostages,” said the IDF. “We demand that Hamas return Shiri home, along with all of our hostages.”“We share the deep sorrow of the Bibas family at this difficult time and will continue to make every effort to return Shiri and all the hostages home as soon as possible,” the army added.Coffins apparently containing the bodies of slain Israeli hostages Shiri Bibas, her two children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz, are displayed on a stage with a propaganda message before being handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)-At Hamas’s handover ceremony on Thursday morning, one of the four coffins handed over was marked as being that of Shiri Bibas, featuring her photograph and name in Hebrew and Arabic, and her “date of arrest”: October 7, 2023.Forensic experts conducted numerous examinations on the body, comparing it her DNA and that of other female hostages, but Hebrew media reports said there were no matches and the identity of the remains was still unclear.Using forensic evidence and intelligence, authorities assessed that the two young boys were ”brutally murdered” by terrorists in November 2023, according to the IDF statement. Ariel was 4-years-old and Kfir was 10-months-old when they were killed.The family’s father Yarden was abducted separately by Hamas terrorists after he left the safe room of their Nir Oz home in an attempt to distract the gunmen and save his family on October 7, 2023. Oded Lifshitz mourned-Earlier, the head of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed that Oded Lifshitz was slain in captivity more than a year ago, after positively identifying his remains.This is a “difficult moment” for all of Israel, Dr. Chen Kugel said, sending condolences to the Lifshitz family.Like the Bibas family, Lifshitz, 83, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. His wife Yocheved was separately abducted that day and freed by Hamas over two weeks later.“We received with sorrow the official and bitter news about the identification of the body of our beloved Oded,” the Lifshitz family said in a statement, carried by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.“503 agonizing days of uncertainty have come to an end,” the family said, adding: “We hoped and prayed so much for the ending to be different. Now we can mourn the husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who we have been missing since October 7.”But, they added: “Our family’s rehabilitation will start now and won’t end until the last hostage is returned.”The Prime Minister’s Office said the IDF had told Lifshitz’s family that he was murdered in captivity by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.Netanyahu: We will ‘settle the score’ with Hamas-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday offered a message of unity and victory over Hamas, in a short video published to social media after the terror group handed over four coffins but before the results of the identification processes.“On this day we are all united,” says Netanyahu in a video message. “We are all united in unbearable grief. We all ache with pain that is mixed with rage.“We are all furious at the monsters of Hamas,” he said, adding that Israel must “settle the score with the vile murderers — and we will settle the score.”He then quoted Psalm 94: “O God of vengeance, O Lord; O God show vengeance.”“We will bring back all our hostages, destroy the murderers, eliminate Hamas, and together — with God’s help — we will secure our future,” he pledged.Defense Minister Israel Katz also issued a statement, saying: “The heart of the entire nation is mourning today. Hamas abducted, Hamas murdered, Hamas will be destroyed. We will take revenge against our enemies, and secure our future.”Demonstrators mourn hostages in Tel Aviv-Some 1,500 people gathered at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square on Thursday evening for a memorial to the slain hostages, following the release of the remains.Israeli flags dotted the crowd, many featuring a Star of David interspersed with a yellow ribbon representing the hostages.Pop star Omer Adam opened the ceremony with a rendition of Chava Alberstein’s 1988 song, “We Are All a Single Human Tissue.”The ceremony’s title was a lyric from the song: “If one of us departs from us.”The performance was followed by a moment of silence in memory of the four hostages.Yael Adar, mother of Tamir Adar, whose body is held captive in Gaza, called for the public to demand all hostages, living and dead, return by Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and terror victims, marked this year on April 29-30.“This is Tamir’s last will and testament,” she said.On Memorial Day, there should be “no family in Israel without a grave, no casualty abandoned in foreign land, and the living will return to independence and freedom,” she said, adding that every family of a slain captive is still “troubled by the hope that there’s been an error” and their loved one is alive.“The only way to get certainty is to bring them back for burial,” she said.Tamir Adar, a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s emergency response squad, was killed defending the kibbutz on October 7, 2023, and his body was snatched to Gaza.“Tamir is a hero,” said his mother. “When Assaf, his son, misses his dad, we remind him that his dad was a hero — he saved people. But then Assaf asks: ‘What’s a hero worth if he’s dead?’ And I ask: What’s a dead hero worth if he hasn’t been returned for burial?”Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Silberman Bibas, and Bibas’s young sons Ariel and Kfir were all members of Kibbutz Nir Oz, where roughly every fourth resident was murdered or kidnapped.“They are another testament to the failure of October 7, 2023,” said Adar.She said she used to live next door to Lifshitz, “a man of words and peace.” She also recalled Ariel Bibas, “a child of life,” playing at the entrance to the kibbutz when she would visit.Rabbi Elhanan Danino, father of slain captive soldier Ori Danino, also eulogized “the four wondrous ones.”In a speech borrowing heavily from Jewish liturgy, Rabbi Danino, whose son’s body was retrieved last August, recited a prayer attributed to the Jewish High Priest on Yom Kippur: “Lead us upright to our land… prevent plague and pillage from befalling us and the entire House of Israel.”Referring to the Bibas boys’ shock of red hair, he said, “Today our heart was painted orange.”Addressing the nation’s leaders, he added: “If you fail to bring everyone home, you will bear the stain.”Danino ended with Kaddish, the Jewish mourners’ prayer.The ceremony also featured a speech by Tzvika and Ruti Greenglick, whose son, 26-year-old Shauli Greenglick, was killed in December 2023 while fighting in Gaza.Before the war, the younger Greenglick had been accepted to compete in Israel’s pre-Eurovision singing tournament.His parents said he “fulfilled two dreams: to be a singer and to defend his country.”Terror groups slip propaganda into slain hostages’ coffinsIn a public, propaganda-filled ceremony on Thursday morning — which drew harsh condemnation by Western diplomats, the United Nations, and the International Red Cross — the Hamas terror group turned over four coffins that it said contained the remains of Lifshitz and the three members of the Bibas family, as part of the hostage-ceasefire deal agreed to in January.The Kan public broadcaster reported Thursday night that the terror group had inserted propaganda material into the coffins, which prompted Jerusalem to immediately contact the mediators of the deal — Egypt, Qatar and the United States — and demand stern action, against what it said was a desecration of the sanctity of the dead.In addition, a propaganda video issued on Thursday by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the terror group that held Oded Lifshitz, showed a terror operative supposedly digging up the elderly hostage’s remains.The casket seen in the video, different from the one seen at the ceremony staged by Hamas, was plastered with propaganda messages blaming Israel for Lifshitz’s death, and was topped with a map of the claimed borders of Palestine with text reading: “We will not give up a centimeter of Palestine.”Sixty-seven of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014.Six more living hostages are set to be released on Saturday. All of them are alive.The releases come as the first, 42-day stage of the three-phase ceasefire deal nears its end. The second phase, which is to see the release of the rest of the hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war, appears up in the air, with conflicting messages from the government about whether Israel intends to carry on with the ceasefire, or return to fighting.Netanyahu has vowed to return all the hostages, while also refusing to countenance any end to the war that would allow Hamas to remain intact in Gaza or allow the Palestinian Authority to take over as a civil government instead.

Feb. 20: IDF to step up counterterror op in some West Bank areas after attempted bus bombings-None hurt as 3 bombs explode on empty buses in Tel Aviv area, 2 others disabled * Israel: PIJ murdered Oded Lifshitz in captivity; ID ongoing for purported bodies of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas-By Michael Bachner-and ToI Staff 20 February 2025, 3:51 am

The IDF says it is investigating this evening’s bus bombings in Bat Yam and Holon jointly with the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police.Following a fresh assessment, the military says its counterterrorism operation in the West Bank will continue and will be focused on specific areas per the findings of the investigation.Additionally, the IDF says it has blocked several checkpoints leading into the West Bank in specific areas, and will ramp up activities in the so-called seam zone, the area between the Green Line and Israel’s West Bank barrier.After attempted bus bombings, Gantz calls for reaction that terror groups ‘won’t forget’National Unity party chief Benny Gantz calls for the series of attempted bus bombings in central Israel to “be treated as a mega terror attack.”“We must not focus on the outcome but on the intent,” the opposition lawmaker says in a statement. “We cannot repeat the mistake made in the foiled attack in Megiddo,” he says, referring to a March 2023 car bombing in northern Israel perpetrated by a Hezbollah terrorist who crossed from Lebanon, which wasn’t followed by an Israeli escalation.“An attempt to murder dozens of Israelis on this difficult day must be met not only with tactical actions, but also with direct targeting of the planners and funders of the attack, as well as the use of powerful measures against the terrorists’ strongholds,” Gantz says.“A heavy price must be exacted — one that terrorist organizations will not forget.”

When the pope is sick, Italians always gossip about who comes next - even before 'Conclave'ROME (AP) — The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death. “A pope dies, they make another,” goes one, suggesting how life goes on.Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press

ROME (AP) — The pope looms so large in everyday Italian life that there are lots of expressions that make light of even a dark event like his death.“A pope dies, they make another,” goes one, suggesting how life goes on.“Every death of a pope …” starts another, indicating a rare occurrence.But the one most frequently heard when a pope is actually sick is perhaps the darkest: “The pope is fine until he’s dead.”That one's been making the rounds as in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, battling pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection.While the Vatican has been providing twice-daily updates on his condition and said they “joked around as usual” during her visit Wednesday, all kinds of reports — true and not — abound about Francis' health.They've taken on a life of their own in an age of chat groups, conspiracy theories and internet memes — not to mention the perennial Roman fixation on the pope and who might succeed him.The ‘Conclave’ effect-It doesn’t help that the is in theaters and has made everyone an expert in the arcane rules and spectacular drama involved in a papal election. Or that Francis recently of the College of Cardinals rather than find someone new to fill a key job during the next papal transition. Or that at 88, he is one of the oldest popes ever.Francis still has a ways to go to outlive Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at 93. But he’s on track to equal or surpass Pope Gregory XII, perhaps best known for being the most recent pope to resign until did so in 2013. Gregory was 88 when he stepped down in 1415 to end the Western Schism, according to online resource Catholic Hierarchy.Francis has frequently said he, too, would consider resigning if his health made him unable to continue, though more recently he said a pope's job is for life.Vatican correspondents are usually preparing for upcoming papal trips at this time of year, but none are confirmed so far. Instead, between medical updates, they are preparing stories looking back at his life, just in case.“I think the dictum of ‘A pope is fine until he’s dead’ is always true,” said Giovanni Maria Vian, former editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, who knows about how Vatican information is managed. “It’s a very Roman way of speaking that represents, on the one hand, the traditional skepticism of Romans and Italians, but on the other hand, an informational opacity.”The Vatican hasn't allowed any member of Francis' medical team to appear on camera or give detailed updates on his health, and no photos of him have been released since his Feb. 14 hospitalization.A papal video fuels rumors-But to understand how entwined the pope is in Italian life, one only needs to consider another tradition religiously observed by Italians: the annual Sanremo song festival, a weeklong series on RAI television in which viewers vote for their favorite rising vocalists who perform nightly in the kitschy, .When it aired last week, it made even more headlines than usual because Francis — already sick with bronchitis but not yet in the hospital — appeared on opening night in a pre-taped video, a publicity coup for Sanremo and a first for the papacy.When popular Italian blog Dagospia subsequently claimed the video had been made nearly a year earlier for another event, near-hysteria broke out among Vatican watchers. The apparent deception suggested that Francis’ latest illness was much worse than it seemed, and raised questions about the solidity of the papacy if an old video had been released without his knowledge.As it turns out, Dagospia was wrong. The video was legit, recent and recorded for Sanremo. But it was true that Francis’ bronchitis was indeed much worse. By week's end, he was that turned into pneumonia.The episode though underscored the truism that the papacy is a matter of , interest and debate here, and that speculating about the pope's current health and who might be next is a national pastime.“I’m certainly very, very worried,” said Maurizio Di Folco, who was being treated Tuesday at the same hospital. “I wish him a speedy recovery and we’re praying for him deeply. A very good pope. A great pope! We hope he’ll be with us for a long time to come.”Francis' conservative critics weigh in-But elsewhere, Francis’ right-wing critics are circulating alarmist -– and wholly uncorroborated -– stories about his condition. Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a Francis nemesis who was excommunicated for schism last year, revived his conspiracy about the legitimacy of Francis’ 2013 election, calling for the CIA to investigate what he claims was a “Deep State” plot to elect him.Francis knows this dynamic well.he told Slovakian Jesuit priests in 2021, referring to what he learned while he was hospitalized that year for intestinal surgery. “I know there were even meetings among priests who thought the pope was in worse shape than what was being said. They were preparing the conclave.”It's considered poor taste to discuss publicly who's up or down in the papal stakes of a future conclave, much less to start plotting one. But privately, Rome is abuzz with such conversations. Taxi drivers chat about it with passengers, doctors with patients, butchers with customers.For now, Francis is holding on. Thursday's bulletin said his overall clinical condition was “improving slightly” and that his heart was working well. He had breakfast sitting up in an armchair and was working with aides.“There is a greater measure of transparency, but even that is not complete,” said Christopher Bellitto, a church history professor at Kean University in New Jersey. “Surely everyone with aging parents and grandparents said, ‘that’s pneumonia’ before the Vatican did.”___Visual journalist Silvia Stellacci contributed.

The Prophecy of St. Francis About a Future Pope-TAKEN FROM Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi, Washbourne, 1882, pp. 248-250

With the latest rabid statements from Francis, Bishop of Rome [title, per his request], the castigation of a mother who bore eight children, whom we presume, based on related comments, he considers a rabbit, then giving an audience to a so-called "transgendered" hopeful wishing "to marry", our Pope appears to have become deranged, if not outright mad. This is also indicative of hypocrisy: The "Who am I to judge" Pope in reference to objective sin, accuses an obedient, heroic woman of subjective sin. Francis exposes his true self along with his actual beliefs about morality, in particular the purpose of marriage.When he was chosen as Pontiff, it was considered odd that he would choose the name of St. Francis for a number of reasons, but after pondering it a bit more, perhaps God was warning us early on, although by now is there anyone who would need such an admonition? The irony abounds when one reads the prophecy by our Seraph, the glorious St. Francis. Here I am referring to the abuse of papal power when Francis forbade traditional Franciscans the use of the Traditional Mass. I do not know if the prophecies below refer to our time, but one can't help considering the possibility, especially in light of the prophecies of St. Malachy and the number of Popes, although we are not obliged to believe his list. But when Saints provide us with prophecies, we ought not be so prudent as to dismiss them out-of-hand necessarily.We must continue to pray for Pope Francis, while being faithful in resisting whatever attacks the body and soul of the Church, following the exhortation of the Saints.Shortly before he died, St. Francis of Assisi called together his followers and warned them of the coming troubles, saying:

1. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
2. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death.
3. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
4. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
5. Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
6. Those who preserve in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. but the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head, [Christ] these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
7. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days JESUS CHRIST WILL SEND THEM NOT A TRUE PASTOR, BUT A DESTROYER."

An Irish saint's eerie prophecy that Pope Francis will be the last Pontiff-Irish Saint Malachy, the 12th-century bishop of Armagh, prophesied that there would be only one more pope after Benedict.IrishCentral Staff-@IrishCentral-Mar 26, 2022

The prophecies of the Irish Saint Malachy (1094-1148), the 12th-century bishop of Armagh, have thrilled and dismayed readers for centuries.In a series of 112 cryptic Latin phrases, the Irish saint "predicts" the Roman Catholic popes. He predicted there would be only one more pope after Benedict, and during his reign comes the end of the world. So Francis could be the last.Saint Malachy's final prediction in full is: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End.”Pope Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, chose his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. One theory that seeks to confirm the Irish saint's final prophecy is that Saint Francis's father's name was Pietro, or Peter. In 1139, then Archbishop Malachy went to Rome from Ireland to give an account of his affairs. While there, he received a strange vision about the future that included the name of every pope, 112 in all from his time, who would rule until the end of time. We are now at the last prophecy.St. Malachy gave an account of his visions to Pope Innocent II, but the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590.His predictions are taken very seriously. As one report states: "In 1958, before the Conclave that would elect Pope John XXIII, Cardinal Spellman of New York hired a boat, filled it with sheep and sailed up and down the Tiber River, to show that he was 'pastor et nautor,' the motto attributed to the next Pope in the prophecies."As for the prophecy concerning the 111th pope, Pope Benedict, the prophecy says of him, "Gloria Olivae," which means "the glory of the Olive." The Order of Saint Benedict is also known as the Olivetans, which many claims make Malachy's prophecies correct. The next and final pope then should be "Peter Romanus."Many of the prophecies are spot on. For example, the one about Pope Urban VIII is Lilium et Rosa (the lily and the rose). He was a native of Florence and the arms of Florence feature a fleur-de-lis.Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla) is De labore Solis meaning "of the eclipse of the sun." Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920, during a solar eclipse.Peregrinus apostolicus (pilgrim pope), which designates Pius VI, appears to be verified by his many journeys to new lands.So will Pope Francis be the last pope? The Irish seer of the 12th century has said it will be so. Time will tell.*Originally published in 2013.  Last updated in March 2022.

What is the prophecy of St. Malachy? Some say Pope Francis’ election signals the end of the world. Is it the vision of a 12th-century saint, or the work of a false prophet? Religion Joseph McHugh-Published September 17, 2013

No sooner did our new pontiff announce his name as Francis than some “prophecy experts” took to the airwaves, claiming that the new pope is “Peter the Roman,” the fulfillment of the “prophecy of St. Malachy” that this will be the final pope and the end of the world.Despite the new pope being an Argentine cardinal who chose Francis as his papal name, doomsday believers have tried to salvage the prophecy by arguing that Jorge Mario Bergoglio has Peter somewhere in his birth name and that Pope Francis really is a Roman, since his parents are Italian immigrants who moved to Argentina.I know from my own Irish family background that many Catholics take these prophecies very seriously. My grandmother, steeped in Irish-American Catholic culture, worried that the successor to Pius XII would choose the name Peter, signaling the end of the world. Throughout history someone is always predicting doomsday, but the hype about Malachy is, as they say, a bunch of malarkey.The real Malachy was an Irish saint who lived from 1094 to 1148. His alleged prophecies, however, were not discovered until around 1590. The legend goes that Malachy experienced a vision in which he was given insight into popes past, present, and future, and that he recorded this vision as a series of cryptic verses. The prophecies were quite accurate up to about 1590 (conveniently the point at which they were found), but then became rather vague, lending credence to the theory that they are a 16th-century forgery.Malachy’s predictions are contained in a list of 112 symbolic phrases supposedly representing a list of 112 popes in succession. Most likely, though, the prophecy was created as an attempt to influence the papal election of 1590 in favor of Cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli by having Malachy’s prophecy identify him as the next pope. But Simoncelli was not elected, and Niccolò Sfondrati, who took the name Gregory XIV, was.Prophecy supporters have already claimed that number 111 on the list, the “Glory of the Olive,” is Benedict XVI because the Benedictines have a branch called the Olivetans, though Benedict himself is not an Olivetan. The prophecy goes on to say of the supposed final pope: “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 End.”Papal historian Anura Guruge says that despite using the name of St. Malachy, the prophecy isn’t worth paying attention to. “The fact is that Malachy is a Catholic saint, so some Catholics attribute magical or spiritual qualities to [the vision]. What they don’t tend to grasp is that more than likely, the entire thing is a forgery.”This article appeared in the September 2013 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 78, No. 9, page 46).