Did You Hear the One About How the Pope Will Be the Beast of Revelation?
October 1, 2009 by Patrick Madrid
Filed under Patrick's Blog
This theory has been making the rounds for a few hundred years now, and it typically centers on the (bogus) claim that one of the popes’ alleged official Latin titles — Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God) — is the fulfillment of the infernal “number of the beast,” described by St. John in Revelation 13:17-18:
“[I]t causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.”
