Contact: Donna Anderson, Raiders News Update, 417-723-0610

GRESHAM, Ore., March 20, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Last week ended with the death of a Pope. No, it wasn't Benedict XVI. 88 year-old Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. He had been suffering from kidney disease. Benedict XVI, the 111th Roman pontiff of St. Malachy's Prophecy of the Popes, sent his condolences Sunday. It is likely the event reminded Benedict of his own impending death. He turns 85 next month and his health has been declining. Last November Cardinal Paolo Romeo even predicted Benedict would be dead within a year.

One of the issues the papacy has been struggling with since 1962 has been the reluctance of traditionalist elements to accept the changes of Vatican II. On Friday, the Vatican issued an ultimatum to the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), a prominent splinter group. He gave the group a month to accept certain doctrinal principles; otherwise, they would risk a painful break with Rome. Benedict has previously made concessions, including limited use of the old Latin liturgy, but that has met resistance from other quarters in the Church. While some elements of the Catholic Church relish in the reforms of Vatican II, others are pushing the boundaries even further, or at least allowing them to be pushed by an "evolving" society.

Recently, a series of articles at www.RaidersNewsUpdate.com containing details of Vatican II and the imminent conclave to elect Benedict's successor has focused on turmoil within the Roman Curia as well as the ancient prophecy ascribed to St. Malachy in which every pope through the last one is provided in detail...

To continue reading this special report, please visit www.raidersnewsupdate.com/eastman-2.htm