What happened earlier this year in Italian politics is going to shock this world—if not now, very soon. The pope humbled and even humiliated Prime Minister Prodi. It was the kind of humiliation that has been common throughout the Vatican’s history. The pope’s action was only the tip of a politico-religious iceberg that the American Titanic is sailing toward. Nothing in politics and religion is more important for you to understand.

From a.d. 554 to the present, there have been six Holy Roman Empires. They have been the bloodiest church-state empires ever on Earth! These Holy Roman Empires have been comprised mainly of Germany and the Vatican (which is why the empires are called “holy”).

Now the seventh Holy Roman Empire is rising fast. It is destined to be the bloodiest one of all! In May, the Trumpet reported,

On February 19, a number of senior Italian government officials met at the Vatican for a closed-door session with some of the pope’s senior advisers. The topic under discussion was a burning issue on which Pope Benedict xvi had publicly declared his stance at extreme odds with Italy’s Prime Minister Romano Prodi: the matter of state recognition of unwed and homosexual couples.

In numerous public declarations, both the pope and senior Vatican sources had declared vehement opposition to the Prodi government’s attempt to ram legislation through the Italian parliament that would allow for the official recognition by the government of such civil unions. If passed, this legislation would allow for those involved in such unions to receive certain government benefits currently available only to those engaged in the traditional institution of marriage between man and woman as endorsed by the church.

Upon emerging from the in-camera session at the Vatican, Prime Minister Prodi was closed-mouthed. His sole words to the press were that it went “well.”

Two days later, Prodi resigned his post.

What would have caused the prime minister of Italy to resign? To the public it looked like it was over Italy’s role in a nato-led force in Afghanistan. But that was only the superficial view. Here is what we learned by some in-depth research (emphasis mine throughout):

Our news bureau combed the news wires during the day, and all remained silent on Prodi’s future … until Friday evening, European time.

That February 23, 10:30 p.m. cet, Catholic World News (cwn) released a story that seemed to tell it all. It was tucked away in the midst of the normal sheaf of news that cwn releases regularly in doing its usually admirable job of keeping its subscribers aware of the latest happenings at the Vatican. It ran under the headline, “New Italian government would not require allies to support civil-union bill.”

“Romano Prodi—struggling to forge a new ruling coalition in the Italian parliament after a key foreign-policy loss prompted his resignation as prime minister—has drafted an agreement that will not require his coalition allies to support civil unions,” the report said. “The 12-point agreement seemed likely to draw enough support to return Prodi to the parliamentary leadership post. Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema, a Prodi ally, told reporters that the coalition ‘can continue on this basis.’”

Now that is intriguing!

The foreign minister made no reference to the Afghanistan issue, which is what was originally touted as the reason for Prodi’s resignation! The main issue highlighted in this statement, alluding to the prospect of the Prodi coalition being able to come together to re-form a government, was the removal of the requirement to push the civil-union bill through parliament in opposition to the pope’s powerful stand against it!

The Trumpet article continued,

On February 26, the most reliable news services were reporting the prospect of Prodi retaining the prime ministership, based on the acceptance by his coalition partners of the 12-point program, the highlight of which was not the Afghanistan issue, but Prodi’s changed stance on civil unions. “To lure support from moderates, Prodi watered down a 208-page program crafted during his April election campaign. The revised version is a 12-point list that drops legislation that authorizes same-sex unions, a measure opposed by some Catholics in the coalition” (Bloomberg.com, February 26).

Sure enough, following agreement to the 12-point program by Prodi’s coalition, Prodi won a confidence motion in both houses of parliament, ending the current crisis.

So who rules now in Italy?

It would seem that this victory for the papacy has significantly strengthened not only the Roman Catholic vote in the Italian parliament, but especially Pope Benedict’s own political authority and hence that of the Vatican State. It is a notable victory for the pope in his aggressive endeavors to claim the moral high ground for the Vatican in its quest to turn the whole of Europe away from the influence of secularism, back to that which he calls “Europe’s traditional roots”: its Roman Catholic roots!

Europe’s traditional roots, of course, refers to the Holy Roman Empire.

Does the pope believe in democracy? No, he does not. The Vatican never has. Look at how he is involved in politics—exerting so much pressure over the leader of Italy.

But it goes much deeper.

The European Parliament hoped to ratify the constitution on the 50th anniversary of Rome, held in Berlin. The pope was invited to attend. He knew that there was to be no mention of God in the Berlin Declaration. So he scorned the meeting!

Later, the pope was invited to speak to the Parliament and help solve the problem—created by his not attending in the first place.

You can begin to see the power the Vatican has over the European Parliament—the nucleus of the coming Holy Roman Empire, the world’s next great superpower! People don’t have a clue as to where Europe is headed and the impact it will have on this world.

Reuters reported on March 24, “In a speech to European bishops on Saturday, Pope Benedict accused the EU of apostasy for refusing to mention Christianity in the Berlin Declaration.” By “Christianity,” he really means Catholicism. “Asking how leaders could hope to get closer to their citizens if they denied such an essential part of European identity, the head of the Roman Catholic Church said: ‘Does not this unique form of apostasy of itself, even before God, lead it (Europe) to doubt its very identity?’”

This religious leader, with 1 billion followers, is condemning many of the European leaders as apostate. That means they have fallen away from God! The strongest kind of condemnation. This is disturbing power from the religious side of the Holy Roman Empire.

The pope says this apostasy is causing everyone “to doubt its very identity.” What identity is that? The Holy Roman Empire. If you fail to embrace this bloody and evil past of forced conversions, he labels you apostate. Extremely alarming words.

Charlemagne began his rule over the Holy Roman Empire in a.d. 800. He is Europe’s greatest hero, it seems. And yet, it is common knowledge that he waded through a sea of blood to convert people to Catholicism. This is the identity the pope is promoting! So beware!

The pope is whipping Europe into the Catholic Holy Roman Empire. And the worst is yet to come. The world is going to be shocked beyond description very soon. On March 27, theTrumpet.com wrote,

The Berlin Declaration is an open challenge to the supremacy of the religion of Rome in Europe. The pope has met that challenge head on, and the EU has responded with an open invitation for him to come to its parliament and fix the problem [that he created!]. This provides the pope with an open door to peddle his spiritual wares directly to the main legislating body of the European Union.

Should the Parliament seize the moment and railroad the endorsing of the religion of Rome into its constitution, the EU’s spiritual gap may well be filled by official recognition of the pope’s religion as the state religion of the European Union. And remember, should this occur, the laws that the European Parliament makes trump all domestic law within its member nations.

That means this German pope already has an intensely disturbing control over the European Union.

This news overshadows what is happening in the Middle East. We just don’t know it yet. The people of America are too absorbed in their pleasures and lusts to even notice.

Germany—Economic and Military Power

Notice what the Wall Street Journal wrote on October 26:

Microsoft waved the white flag this week by dropping all appeals of the European Union’s 2004 ruling against the software giant. Such defeats are a familiar sight, and not only in antitrust. Europe writes the rules for global business today across the board—unapologetically to the benefit of its own industry. American companies are learning they have little choice but to obey.

For the past half century, Europe was supposed to be building a free market. But old habits die hard, and many Continental politicians think more and better regulation is the route to prosperity. Their control over access to a consumer market of 500 million lets them try to force the rest of the world, in particular that economic giant across the Atlantic, to play by its cumbersome rules. This is Europe’s way of staying competitive.

The result is a quiet but concerted war on American commerce. Antitrust policy in Brussels, particularly high-tech firms, is a battlefield. Mario Monti, the former EU competitions czar who issued the ruling against Microsoft’s “bundling” of software on its operating system, told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera last month that putting that company and other American giants in their place was “the true strength of a united Europe.” His successor, Neelie Kroes, celebrated an EU appeals court decision last month upholding his decision by musing about how low she’d like Microsoft’s market share to fall under the weight of regulatory pressure. Next in her sights are Intel, Qualcomm, Apple and Google, among others. … In effect, Brussels wants to force its environmental standards on the U.S. by saying—do things our way, or your goods won’t be sold here.

A vicious trade war is coming. America is going to be the tragic victim. The Wall Street Journal sees the “concerted war on American commerce.” However, American politicians are too divided to fight back. They just surrender. That is, if they even see the problem.

Germany has been the European power that has most resisted the U.S. policy against Iran, especially the trade sanctions. That country is the real power behind this commerce war. A little recent history should illustrate this point. Germany caused the early-1990s Yugoslavian civil war and benefited most by its outcome.

A New York Times article at the time, titled “UN Yields to Plans by Germany to Recognize Yugoslav Republics,” stated this: “The Security Council backed away from a confrontation with Germany over Yugoslavia today after Germany’s European allies on the council decided that they did not want a major clash with Bonn” (Dec. 16, 1991).

Why did the UN decide not to fight against Germany’s decision? Because Germany’s European allies “did not want a major clash with Bonn.” That means Germany won this battle against the whole world!

The historical plan of the European Union was to control a dangerous Germany. But it is clear that Germany is controlling the EU! This is the political side of the Holy Roman Empire.

The New York Times article continued: “The incident underscored Germany’s growing political power within the 12-nation European Community, diplomats said. Some added that it marked the single most visible demonstration of that power since reunification of the two Germanys more than a year ago [in 1990]” (ibid.).

The article continued, “Moreover, in its unusual assertiveness in moving ahead with a plan to extend diplomatic recognition to the breakaway Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia, Germany has stirred troubling historical associations …. Nazi Germany dominated the two Yugoslav regions during World War ii, absorbing Slovenia into the Third Reich and creating a puppet regime in Croatia” (ibid.). That was the sixth head of the Holy Roman Empire. (Request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)

“Germany has stirred troubling historical associations.” But just how troubled are we today? Even the New York Times doesn’t seem troubled anymore. I hear almost no discussion of that troubling history—or, more importantly, what it means for the future! That is why it is so troubling.

Are we afraid to face this frightening truth? America should be troubled enough to even risk a military clash with Germany. But such U.S. superpower actions are past history. After all, Germany could easily be stopped now if we had the will to use our power. But we are dangerously weak. So Germany’s power (with the EU) will grow until we can’t stop it.

A Warning Unheeded

In 1996, a shocking World War ii intelligence document was made public. The document, detailing an August 1944 meeting between top German industrialists, reveals a secret post-war plan to restore the Nazis to power. Several of Germany’s elite industries were represented, including Messerschmitt and Volkswagenwerks. These companies, the document asserts, were to “prepare themselves to finance the Nazi Party which would be forced to go underground.” When the U.S. declassified this document, it received only sparse news coverage. Yet even more disturbing than the deep stupor of the media is the fact that the U.S. government did not make it public until 1996—over 50 years later! (Request our free booklet The Rising Beast.)

The Nazis said repeatedly after World War II that America would be its number one target next time. Why? Because our abundant resources led to their defeat in World Wars I and II. Both of those wars were started by Germany.

And do you know who helped Nazis escape after World War II more than any other institution? The Vatican! Mark Aarons and John Loftus, in their book Unholy Trinity, have thoroughly documented the fact that the Vatican sponsored and engineered the infamous “Ratlines”—used to help many Nazi leaders escape from the Allies at the end of World War II. Aarons and Loftus based their 1991 book on intelligence documents that had just been released. Those documents had been classified for nearly 50 years. (That massive and diabolical cover-up is another tragic story in itself.)

When World War II concluded, it ended the sixth head of the Holy Roman Empire. But the empire did not die—it went underground. This world was warned about what was happening, but only a few people heeded. Herbert Armstrong warned of Germany’s post-war rise. Here is an excerpt from a radio broadcast given May 9, 1945:

We don’t understand German thoroughness. From the very start of World War ii, they have considered the possibility of losing this second round, as they did the first—and they have carefully, methodically planned, in such eventuality, the third round—World War iii! Hitler has lost. This round of war, in Europe, is over. And the Nazis have now gone underground. In France and Norway they learned how effectively an organized underground can hamper occupation and control of a country. Paris was liberated by the French underground—and Allied armies. Now a Nazi underground is methodically planned. They plan to come back and to win on the third try.

How could Herbert W. Armstrong have known that Germany would rise to power again? It is a terrifying story, but with the most exhilarating ending you could imagine. You need to read the wonderfully good news in his free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy. The bad news, followed by the good news of Jesus Christ’s return, will soon impact every person on this planet!