On Petrus Romanus and The Prophecy of the Popes

The Prophecy of the Popes by Arnoldo Wion. 16th Century. Wikipedia

St. Malachy of Ireland. Wikipedia

I'd read about the Prophecy of the Popes a long time ago in an old book published by Reader's Digest. Purportedly from Saint Malachy (1094-1148), it predicted some of the Catholic Church's Popes up to the last one identified as Petrus Romanus, who, supposedly, will lead the Church's flock in a time of tribulation and destruction in Rome, when the "dreadful judge will judge his people." Intriguing, but is it true?

Pope Benedict XVI, who preceded Pope Francis, had been linked to the Malachy prophecy. He's supposedly the second-to-the-last-Pope with the title, The Glory of the Olive. Benedict's choice of name as Pope was inspired by St. Benedict of Nursia, who founded the Benedictine Order which has a branch called Olivetans. It's a stretch, but the connection is there.

Now with the new Pope, some people were challenged to connect him with Petrus Romanus (though it's also a stretch). Well, whether you believe in St. Malachy's Prophecy of the Popes or not, here's the imaginary connection I came up with, which is intriguing, nonetheless.

Here it goes. If you've followed the election process for the new Pope, a sea bird, which is common in Italy, came to rest on the Sistine Chapel chimney just before white smoke came out of it (black smoke meant "no Pope yet" and white smoke meant "yes, we've a new Pope").

Sea bird. Wikipedia.

In sailors' lore, sea birds warned of coming storms. One of these sea birds is the stormy petrel, which were omens to ancient sailors of bad weather ahead. The sea bird which alighted on the Sistine Chapel Chimney was identified as a Yellow-legged Gull, not a petrel, as petrels aren't found in the Vatican. But this gull may be seen as the petrel of Rome. Like the petrel, seagulls were also thought to cry out before a disaster and also warned of impending storms. It's believed these birds carried the souls of dead fishermen and sailors. The etymology of the word Petrel, according to Wiktionary, is, "Perhaps a diminutive of Peter, with reference to St. Peter's walking on water (Matthew 14:29). St. Peter, the first Pope, was once a fisherman who got off his boat and walked briefly on water to go to Jesus before he began to sink, supposedly, due of fear... From here on, you can follow though with your own thoughts, but you really shouldn't take it seriously.

TRIVIA: Pope Francis is the first pope to have visited the grave of St. Peter, the first pope, in the underground necropolis beneath the Vatican, after archaeologists found the site with an inscription that reads, "Peter is here" in 1965.

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What Is "Usog" in the Philippines? "Kontra Usog" Amulet Contents Revealed

Kontra usog amulet from Pulilan, Bulacan, Philippines

In some parts of the Philippines, there’s this practice of putting saliva on the abdomen of a baby by someone who’s given the child impromptu notice, whether in greeting or contact. Visitors who’ve given attention to a baby may be asked by the parent or guardian to do this and state, "pwera usog." The act is supposed to counter the effects of usog which is similar to the concept of the ”evil eye” in Western culture. It’s said that anyone (although there are those who are more inclined to it), can unknowingly place a hex on a baby (or adult) causing it to feel ill.

A baby who’s under the influence of “usog” termed colloquially as nausog or nabati may start to vomit or show signs of fever. To remove the effects of usog, the person responsible must be called to smear saliva on the baby’s belly with a finger. If the person is not available, the alternative is to look for someone who can naturally counter the effects of usog. Such people are rare, but somehow, they instinctively know if a baby is under the influence of usog. If they rub the head of a baby affected by usog, it’s said the effects can be reversed. A person with this inherent healing ability once touched the head of a baby who’s been vomiting, supposedly as a result of usog, and immediately after, the baby repeatedly burped, relieving the discomfort. If there’s no one around who has this ability, the only option is to wait for the symptoms to subside on their own. If the symptoms are severe, the parents simply take the child to a doctor, letting go of any traditional beliefs to the wind.

If you go to one of those big old Catholic churches around the Philippines, you may find vendors in the vicinity selling charms, amulets, and talismans. Some of these are designed to counteract usog. The amulet pictured here is from Pulilan, Bulacan. It consists of red and black plastic beads strung in a garter. The red cloth pouch has a cross stitched on one side. It measures roughly 1 ¼ inch. The pin is what’s used to secure the usog amulet on clothing. A baby wearing this kontra usog amulet is supposed to give protection to the child.

Inside the “counter usog” amulet, there’s a rolled piece of paper secured by transparent tape. Opening this revealed what looked like powdered tree bark. The paper is obviously cut from a grade school textbook. Anybody who’s not familiar with the idea of usog will not understand the logic behind all these and that it’s all simply superstition, but to someone who believes and has faith, it all makes sense. In the end, it’s really all about a person’s faith in God and the counter usog amulet is just a crutch to support someone’s belief. 

The paper used to wrap the amulet's bark powder.

Read more about the Philippines - A Taste of the Philippines blog

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Supernatural Mojo Store in Boracay Island

A tourist poses beside a mojo store display table in Boracay.

Here is a small mojo store in Boracay Island situated along world-famous White Beach. The stuff sold and displayed here appear to be charms which come from different places in the Philippines and abroad. For instance, many of the wooden statues on display are likely from the Northern mountain regions of the Philippines like Baguio. They are called anito and they represent either ancestral spirits or granary gods.

If you're into lucky charms and other scary stuff, then the items in this store should be of interest to you. It's hard to say what the items shown in the pictures are for. But you can see what appears to be a dream catcher in one of the pictures (top); there are also monkey skulls, which, in some cultures, are considered lucky. Sometimes, they are used to cast spells - for good or otherwise.

Boracay island is just off the northern tip of Panay island in the Philippines, where it is said, many residents practice a local form of witchcraft and where monsters like aswangs and manananggals roam at night looking for victims. The aswang is supposed to be like a werewolf that can shape-shift into a large dog through the application of a magical balm on the skin; the manananggal on the other hand, is a woman who can separate her upper body from her torso when she goes off in search of fresh, young human meat. Could there be charms in this store that will help protect you from such supernatural creatures? Could there be charms here that can turn you into an aswang? Perhaps they are just ordinary trinkets with no otherworldly powers at all? There's only one way to find out!

Photos, unless specified, are owned by alvinwriter. Contact him for copyright inquiries.

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