As most readers are aware, one of the central arguments of the first version of my book (which has been furthered throughout this blog) is that the world wars which took place over the course of the 20th century were directly related to the "wars and rumours of wars" mentioned by Christ in His Olivet discourse as being one of the birth pangs of the Second Coming. These wars are said to take place when "the end is not yet", but would ultimately result in a major falling away from the faith: "because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold". (Matt 24:12). It is well enough known that both Benedict XV and Pius XII shared the belief that the wars which took place throughout the courses of their respective pontificates were the ultimate fulfilment of this prophecy. As Pope Benedict XV famously stated in his 1914 encyclical Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum: "Certainly those days would seem to have come upon us of which Christ Our Lord foretold: "You shall hear of wars and rumours of wars - for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matt. xxiv, 6, 7). Another quote by Pius XII is frequently cited to confirm that he shared this belief:
“We believe that the present hour is a dread phase of the events foretold by Christ. It seems that darkness is about to fall on the world. Humanity is in the grip of a supreme crisis.”
While the above quote is well enough known in the English speaking world (at least amongst those interested in Catholic prophecy), it appears to differ somewhat from Pius XII's original homily, which has never been translated from Italian in the Vatican's official website. The quote never appears with a citation of the original source (which is bad practice from a scholarly perspective), so it was difficult to track down. While I can't read Italian, a quick comparison with the original text by using Google translate seems to highlight that although there are some considerable differences, the key passage is authentic enough, and the Holy Father did seem to be genuinely convinced that the events of WW2 were in fact the ultimate fulfilment of Christ's prophecy of the "wars and rumours of wars". Below is a copy of Pius XII's original text accompanied by the (flawed) translation using Google translate. If any readers know Italian, I would be deeply grateful if they could provide a proper translation, as I was hoping to use this quote in the forthcoming revised version of my book.
E là, in quel medesimo discorso sull’Oliveto, in vista di Gerusalemme, li ammonisce a guardare che alcuno non li seduca. «Perché, diceva loro, sentirete parlare di guerre e di rumori di guerre. Badate di non turbarvi; giacché bisogna che queste cose succedano; ma non è ancora la fine: Audituri enim estis praelia et opiniones praeliorum. Videte ne turbemini; oportet enim haec fieri, sed nondum est finis.No; la consumazione dei secoli non è ancora giunta. Cristo, se è asceso in cielo, sta sempre con noi tutti i giorni, anche in mezzo alle guerre e ai rumori di guerre. Non dobbiamo turbarcene, come non se ne turbarono gli Apostoli, nella predicazione del Vangelo. Ma, se il turbamento non Ci abbatte lo spirito, sentiamo però nel profondo del Nostro animo che l’ora presente è una fase della grave storia dell’umanità predetta da Cristo. E voi, diletti figli, non ignorate quanto questa nuova e fierissima guerra, che pesa sull’Europa e sul mondo, gravi necessariamente anche sul Nostro cuore, per quel paterno affetto, derivante dall’ufficio impostoCi da Dio verso tutte le genti; giacché ben sapete che dell’affetto e dell’amore è figlio il dolore. Non è forse la dolorosa passione di Cristo il frutto del suo amore per noi Sic Deus dilexit mundum!(The full text of the original document in Italian can be found here, and is worth reading even if only using Google translate)
And there, in that
same speech on Olivet, in view of Jerusalem, he warns them to watch that anyone
not seduce them. "When you hear of wars and
rumors of wars. Take
heed that ye be not troubled; since it is necessary that these things
happen;
but it is not yet the end: No; the end of time is not yet come.
Christ, when He ascended into heaven, is always with us every day, even in the
midst of wars and rumors of wars.…however, we feel deep
in our mind that the present time is a phase of serious human history foretold
by Christ. And you,
dear children, do not ignore what this new and fierce war, which weighs on
Europe and the world, be necessarily severe on our heart, for that is paternal affection, arising
from the office imposed on us by God to all nations; because you know that affection and love is the labour pains".
(
Pope Pius
XII, “Plea for Peace in the World”, Homily of Pope Pius XII, 24th Nov, 1940)
