I was preparing myself for the possibility that whoever the next pope would be, it would be a far cry from all the prophetic buzz that's been going around from St. Malachy to current world visionaries. However, the more I look into this, the more I am now CONVINCED that this is a MOST prophetic time and prophecy has been fulfilled.

St. Malachy wrote this list of popes in the year 1139 ... and listed all to the end of times. (On his last trek to the holy see in Rome, in 1148, Malachy accurately predicted the place and time of his own death: Clairvaux, France, on All Souls Day, November 2, of that same year.)
The fact that Cardinal Ratzinger took the name Benedict nearly knocked me over. He also was pictured carrying an olive branch (as many cardinals did) on Palm Sunday. Here's a little refresher about what Malachy said: The Glory of the Olive. The Order of St. Benedict has said this Pope will come from their order. This Pope will reign during the beginning of the tribulation Jesus spoke of.

The Glory of the Olive. The Order of St. Benedict has said this Pope will come from their order. It is interesting that Jesus gave his apocalyptic prophecy about the end of time from the Mount of Olives. This Pope will reign during the beginning of the tribulation Jesus spoke of. The 111th prophesy is "Gloria Olivae" (The Glory of the Olive). The Order of Saint Benedict has claimed that this pope will come from their ranks. Saint Benedict himself prophesied that before the end of the world his Order, known also as the Olivetans, will triumphantly lead the Catholic Church in its fight against evil. Traditionally, the olive branch has been associated with peace, but in both the Old and New Testaments it also serves as an emblem for the Jews. Putting the two together, some commentators believe that the reign of this pope will be a peaceful one during which the prophesied conversion of the Jews will take place. Several ex-Jews are said to be highly placed in the Catholic Church now. And, it is noteworthy that the previous Benedict (XV) was a pope obsessed with peace. Some others say, he will lead all faithful followers of the Lord Jesus to martyrdom and others say that he will tear down the walls of the Vatican, auctioning off all the objects within, in order to feed and enlighten those in the 3rd World who have not yet heard the Gospel of Christ.

Present day mystics have constantly told of visions of the pope fleeing the vatican with a few trusted cardinals and dying in a pool of blood on foreign soil and that the chair of Peter will be vacant for a time.
In 1909, while granting an audience, pope Pius X leaned back and closed his eyes. Suddenly he "awoke" and cried out: "What I see is terrifying. Will it be myself? Will it be my successor? What is certain is that the pope will quit Rome, and in leaving the Vatican, he will have to walk over the dead bodies of his priests."
They say too that the church and faithful will undergo a horrid persecution. But remember, Jesus promised that the gates of hell will NOT prevail against HIS CHURCH, so take heart and be strong, trusting in the Lord!

I think it's notable too that he took the name Benedict because we are in the last days and the final battle with satan approaches. St. Benedict was known for his strong powers over devils and demons. He broke up many pagan altars and banashed many, many demons in those places. The (blessed) St. Benedict medal is one of the strongest aides against witchcraft and demonology around. In fact, in light of all this unfolding, I'm buying more medals to go over every window and door in my house.

Selecting the name Benedict ties him to the Olivetans of Malachy's Prophecy.

There is however, a slight problem with the prophecies as listed in The Prophecies of St. Malachy published by the Thomas A. Nelson, Catholic Publishing House. Malachy's original works listed only 111 Popes, not 112, as given in the TAN version of the prophecies. Sometime between the first and subsequent printings the 112th, Petrus Romanus, was added to Malachy's prophecy. It was added after the 1820 publication of the prophecies.

St. Benedict
The name Benedict means "blessing". Does this name automatically fulfill this prophecy? Will the papacy of this 78 year old pope be short lived? Is this the beginning of Tribulation? Will the next pope be the last pope? Will the next pope be a Roman, choose the name Peter and be the devil himself?