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Priest in 1955: Apocalypse indicates Satan may try to impede Papal Election to cause Long-Term Vacancy in the Apostolic See

As we noted in a recent post, Fr. Herman B. Kramer (1884-1976) was a diocesan priest in Sioux City, Iowa, who in 1955 published a work called The Book of Destiny, which is an explanation of the Apocalypse, the last book of the Holy Bible (otherwise known as Revelation).

What makes The Book of Destiny so interesting is that it is an interpretation of the Apocalypse released shortly before the death of Pope Pius XII and the Modernist takeover. That is, Fr. Kramer was able to draw from all of the research and insights into this last book of the Bible that had been gathered and made available up until that time, and yet his work was in no wise tainted by the Modernist Novus Ordo religion that was about to be introduced just a few short years later.

In the excerpt we wish to share of Fr. Kramer’s interpretation, the author is commenting on verses 2 and 3 of the twelfth chapter of the Apocalypse. For fuller context, we will quote some preceding and subsequent verses as well. Here is Apocalypse 12:1-5:

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his heads seven diadems: And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.

Catholic biblical scholars typically see “the woman” as a symbol of both the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Catholic Church. Applying this prophecy to the Church, Fr. Kramer comments as follows:

…[T]he text demands a … specific application to the definite future event to which the prophecy obviously points, and in which the Church suffers the keenest pangs passing at that time through the greatest crisis of her whole life. In that travail, she gives birth to some definite “person” who is to RULE the Church with a rod of iron (verse 5). It then points to a conflict waged within the Church to elect one who was to “rule all nations” in the manner clearly stated. In accord with the text this is unmistakably a PAPAL ELECTION, for only Christ and His Vicar have the divine right to rule ALL NATIONS. Furthermore, the Church does not travail in anguish at EVERY papal election which can be held without trouble or danger. But at this time the great powers may take a menacing attitude to hinder the election of the logical and expected candidate by threats of a general apostasy, assassination or imprisonment of this candidate if elected. This would suppose an extremely hostile mind in the governments of Europe towards the Church and would cause intense anguish to the Church, because an extended interregnum in the papacy is always disastrous and more so in a time of universal persecution. If Satan would contrive to hinder a papal election, the Church would suffer great travail.

…Satan knows how extensively an interregnum in the papacy would favor his success in recovering his ancient lordship over the world. (See 2 Thess II. 7).

…As the Church is the mystical body of Christ, so the evil world-powers constitute the body of Satan, of which he is the soul. As a dragon, Satan through the evil world-powers of that time will enter the Church, interfere with her liberty and perhaps by stealthy suggestions having long before directed the choosing of candidates for the episcopate will now endeavor by threats of force to hinder the election of the worthiest candidate for the papacy.

(Rev. Herman Bernard F. Leonard Kramer, The Book of Destiny: An Open Statement of the Authentic and Inspired Prophecies of the Old and New Testament [Belleville, IL: Buechler Publishing Company, 1955; reprinted by TAN Books, 1975], pp. 277-279; italics and all-caps given; underlining added. Full text available online here and also on Google Play.)

Let us keep in mind that what Fr. Kramer says here is not based on, and has nothing to do with, some alleged apparition, locution, vision, or other private revelation. Published in 1955 with the required imprimatur, this is a proper Catholic interpretation of the biblical text by a competent Roman Catholic authority, one who had no knowledge of future events nor the hindsight we have today. In other words, he was not trying to read a known particular event into the biblical text; rather, he simply interpreted the passage according to the teaching of the Church and the laws of scriptural hermeneutics.

We mention this interpretation of Apoc 12:1-5 because it appears that it was fulfilled, at least to some extent, in the disputed papal conclave of 1958, which met from October 25-28 to elect a successor to Pope Pius XII. Instead of producing a true Pope, however, it produced Anti-Pope John XXIII, the former Cardinal Angelo Roncalli of Venice, who called the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and prepared the way for the Novus Ordo religion by laying its foundations. Since Pius XII’s death, there has been no (known) valid Pope, and the result is precisely the “extended interregnum in the papacy” which Fr. Kramer warned against, causing “intense anguish to the Church” and “great travail.”

In fact, some believe that a true Pope was elected in that conclave — two days before Roncalli — but in some fashion was prevented either from accepting or from exercising his pontificate, or was forced to resign. The name of Cardinal Giuseppe Siri (1906-1989) is usually brought up in connection with that theory.

More information on the 1958 conclave can be found here and in this video:

We share this video not to endorse the idea that Cardinal Siri was definitely Pope Pius XII’s legitimate successor, but to make people aware of the mysterious goings-on at this conclave, to get more people to investigate it, and to pinpoint the exact moment in history that appears to contain the cause of the eclipse of the Catholic Church and the introduction of the Novus Ordo Sect, its false popes, and the false new religion.

Examining the historical facts, making astute observations, and carefully analyzing the collected evidence can help people realize that the situation of sede vacante (no Pope) we have found ourselves in for decades now is not only the necessary conclusion that follows from Catholic doctrine applied to historical events but was even predicted in a way by some of those who had studied in depth the Apocalypse and had published their findings with the approbation of the Church before the whole mess began.

Thus, while no one is required to accept Fr. Kramer’s interpretation per se as entirely accurate, the point is that it is a possible and an acceptable view, one fully compatible with traditional Church doctrine, being wholly untainted by the doctrines or historical developments of the Vatican II Church.

Here are some more reliable and insightful resources regarding the Papacy, the False Prophet, and the Antichrist:

To conclude, a few remarks regarding the person of Fr. Kramer, taken from the biographical blurb found in The Book of Destiny, are in order:

He served as a priest in the Diocese of Sioux City for 40 years in various capacities, including a two-year term as chancellor and 37 years as a pastor. He is presently retired (1975) and residing in Oakland, California. Father Kramer learned to read and write seven languages. He became interested in the Apocalypse after reading it as a student in the seminary, and it later became a life-time study. His world famous Book of Destiny took 30 years to complete and is the result of these years of study.

It is tragic, of course, that Fr. Kramer apparently died as a member of the Novus Ordo Sect (in 1976), but it is irrelevant to the extremely valuable insights he provided in his 1955 book.

Let us pray a Hail Mary for the repose of his soul.

Image source: TAN Books
License: fair use

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