“John 23” and the enigma of Bérenger Saunière Part 1: The enigma of John 23

 

An enigma that commences at the very end

Allegedly a photograph of Saunière on his deathbed. In reality, a photograph of Father Jean, from the Monastery of Fontfroide.

It is January 5, 1917 and Bérenger Saunière has just signed for a new project on work to be carried out on his property. It is a remarkable decision to make, for it is generally accepted that he is in great financial difficulties. Still, it seems that he has a trick up of his sleeve, which will generate an enormous amount of money for him, which would pay for the works. Where did he find financial sources that would assure the completion of the new work, the size of which is difficult to imagine, for the total project cost was said to cost 18 million old Francs.
Did this good fortune come from his discoveries in Perillos? Perhaps knowledge he was about to sell? No doubt we will never know, but it is felt that Fate is once again about to smile on him. Unfortunately for him, it is not to be, for on January 17, he is felled by a stroke in the vicinity of the Tour Magdala. The attack will soon prove to be fatal, despite the interventions of two doctors, Roché and Courrent. He is beyond their reach and on his way to another realm. He dies on January 22, aged 65, but apparently not without making sure to give one final addition to his mysterious persona. We do not know what he said on his deathbed to Roché or Courrent, but what he said in confession – which should be treated as even more sacrosanct than the oath of a doctor! – has apparently come down to us. Still, it was now or never, if he wanted to impart a secret or a knowledge to someone.

A terrible confession

Reconstruction of the priest's final confession, for a television documentary

It was father Rivière, who had stayed a trusted friend of Saunière at the time of his hardship with the bishop, who assisted Saunière in his final moments. For sure, the secret of confession was never breached, and it is impossible to know what knowledge Saunière confided to him at this moment of agony – perhaps we are better off not knowing. But French author Gérard de Sède states that at the moment of this final truth, that what his confessor learned left him stupefied, shaken. The author, well-versed in creating suspense, added: “when Rivière left his friend, expired, he was pale and upset. […] He became a recluse, silent, quiet. Until his death, no-one sees him smile anymore. What terrible secret did he receive in confidence?”
We now know that Rivière did not remain as shocked as de Sède claimed he was, though it is clear that the death of his close friend must have caused him emotional distress and we would not expect a priest to leave the house of a recently departed smiling, would we? But when exactly Rivière smiled again or not is really secondary, for Saunière may or may not have said something. And it is one curious detail about this entire story that remains. “It is said” that with his last breath, Saunière murmured: “Jean vingt-trois”… “John twenty-three.” If these final words were solely attributed to Gérard de Sède’s books, we should rightfully place them in doubt until confirmation of these statements could be found elsewhere. But he is not alone in talking about these three last words. It does necessarily mean they come from Saunière, but they do make them part and parcel of the story, and not just the “addition” of one man. Remarkably, few if any researchers have paid much attention to them, hence why many seem to consider them on occasion to be a “de Sède invention”. Not this time…

One John 23 and several John XX-IIIs

The end of Saunière’s life marked the end of a period that few understood. Saunière in his own lifetime was an enigma, one that did not seem to be answered at the time of his death. And “John twenty-three” was as enigmatic as anything else in his life. And it was indeed thanks to Gérard de Sède that the enigma of this priest would become known to the world once again, more than half a century after Saunière’s demise.
If Saunière indeed uttered these words as his final breath, then it means that it represented an ultimate truth to him, something that he had to convey. Alternatively, if not, perhaps they were “invented” by someone who thought they provided a clue to that final truth? For even if they are not from Saunière’s mouth, that does not mean they are not important.
If Saunière uttered them, then it is clear that for a priest, using a religious model through which to express himself comes with the nature of his profession – vocation. We have seen a similar devotion in his famous model.
The most obvious solution is that he uttered a biblical reference, perhaps close to the heart of Saunière. “John 23” should thus be interpreted as the Gospel of John, chapter 20, 3rd paragraph: “So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.” There are already two intriguing words here that we also know as being elements in Perillos: Peter and tomb. The connection with “tomb” is straightforward, for the model shows two tombs. As to the name of Peter, we will return to the “rock” of the Church later.
Chapter twenty, from verses 1 to 9, is none other than the story of the resurrection of Jesus. There is mention of Mary Magdalene, John (the “other disciple”) and Simon-Peter, the latter two who find themselves standing in front of the empty tomb. Earlier that morning, Mary had found herself alone, close to the empty tomb she had discovered and she saw a man, a gardener, who appeared to be none other than the risen Christ and who called her by her name.

SP-PS

Peter, or Simon-Peter, who is then linked with Paul, the apostle who had changed his name from Saul. Simon-Peter; Paul-Saul: S-P, P-S… Apart from our own organisation’s name, there is also the Priory of Sion, but more specifically the P and S also feature on the second tombstone of the Hautpoul grave in Rennes-le-Château, the one near the wall of the church and its bell-tower. Furthermore, in the story of the Priory of Sion, we note that the Navigators – the titles used by this organisation to identify their leaders – were given the honorary name John. This is of interest not only in light of the story of the biblical passage, but also within the framework of Saunière’s last words. Indeed, we know all too well that the Priory is not an organisation dating back to medieval times; instead, it is a modern invention… but could it be that the elements that were used to create this modern myth were carefully chosen – handpicked so to speak, rather than line-produced?
For the record, let us note that the 23rd Navigator of the Priory has been listed as Charles Nodier. He died in 1844, so even if he was a member or leader of a non-existent Priory, Saunière’s statement makes little sense within this framework… but no stone can be left unturned.

The Apocalypse

“John” within the context of the bible has a dual aspect, for not only is there a Gospel of John, John was also believed to have been the author of the Apocalypse. Whether true or not, the Apocalypse remains firmly linked with his name. So, what is verse 3 of chapter 20 of the Apocalypse? “He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” The one that is thrown into the Abyss is none other than the demon, the terrible monster, the devil. The beast was said to have been struck by an angel, who threw him into the depths of the Earth, where he would be bound for a thousand year.
We note that a similar story is present in Perillos, where there is the local legend of Babaos, an evil creature that was conquered by Ramon de Perillos, who threw it down into the depths of Perillos, only to follow it and finally reach its rotting carcass, after an underground voyage that was said to have lasted three days. He brought three bones with him, one which was given to the city of Perpignan, the other to Prats-de-Mollo, the third remained in Perillos. Only the bone of Prats-de-Mollo has survived and it is known to have been a whalebone. But historical accuracy is not the most important aspect of this legend – any legend. Let us also note that the church of Perillos is dedicated to the archangel Michael, the angel that slayed the dragon. Statues of this saint, such as in Perillos itself, show him with his lance, subduing the creature that lies at his feet.
We note how the creature was said to be thrown in the Abyss, for a period of one millennium, so that he could not “deceive the nations”. Let us note that for Salvador Dali, who had a personal interest in Opoul-Perillos, the “abduction” of Europe would begin from this very region. Coincidence, or evidence of a coherent belief, shared by certain people? And we are at present not interested whether such beliefs are true or not. If a group of people believed something, they may have acted accordingly.

Combination

When we combine both verses, we could argue that the Abyss was seen as the prison or “tomb” of the devil, so that both stories play with a tomb, one of the Risen Christ, the other of a Fallen Devil. Like Christ will return, so will the Devil return. This is, of course, an inversion, mirroring, which we know plays such an important role in Saunière’s model and the layout of Rennes-le-Château, for the landscape of the model has to be mirrored for it to fall on the real landscape of Perillos, just like the church of Rennes-le-Château is mirrored in the garden in front of it. Furthermore, the “Tomb of Christ” of the model should, according to some, be mirrored too, in which case it would become “the Prison of the Devil”, which is exactly the interplay we have noted between John 20:3 and the Apocalypse 20:3. And it may explain why Perillos’ postcode has 666 in it.

The dangers of a final chapter

Let us note for the record that the Apocalypse only has 22 chapters, so it is not possible that the reference “John 23” related to an entire chapter. Let us note that 22 is an important esoteric number, such as the number of characters in the Hebrew alphabet, the number of Tarot cards, as well as being two times 11. Whether this is important, we do not know, but we note that whereas 22 suggests a finality, 23 seems to suggest the start of a higher order. Furthermore, at the end of the Apocalypse, the writer has inserted a warning: “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” It is a stern warning for anyone who might want to add something to the Apocalypse, like take it one step forward, which would become the subject of a chapter 23… or try to bring it about? For such an apocalyptic predisposed person, of which the region has seen some (e.g. Vincent Ferrer), John 23 may indeed be a totally new chapter.

Pope John XXIII?

Whereas a reference to “John 23” as Navigator of the Priory of Sion would have been a reference to the past, it would have been highly prophetic of Saunière to identify a future pope as John XXIII. In fact, there had already been a Pope John XXIII, buried in the Baptistry of Florence, and everyone agreed that though John had once been a very popular name for popes to take, from then onwards, it was extremely unlikely to be used again. But all that changed when Roncalli was elected as pope.
Angelo Roncalli was born on November 25, 1881 and died June 3, 1863. He would go down as one of the greatest and most controversial reformers of the Church. At the time of Saunière’s death in 1917, Roncalli had already been a priest since 1904, and was living in Bergamo. He was elected pope on November 4, 1958.

An esoteric initiation for a pope

In 1908, Roncalli was secretary of Mgr. Radini Tedeschi. He went to the Holy Land to “study the geography of the Holy Places”, to quote what he said. Afterwards, he went to Switzerland, Germany and Austria to “study the writings”, but it would be good to have some more detail about all of this and why specifically he went to these three countries. In 1931, “Angelo Roncalli continuously travelled. He had to overcome the mistrust of the local governments, but also the obstacles that the Vatican put in its way – recalling him, warnings. For four years, he will visit the most remote communities, will organise secret meetings, will create an important network of sympathisers and friends that will open for the Catholic Church a world that had seemed lost to it.” Remarkable words, written by Pier Carpi. What kind of warnings? Where did they come from? Why were they given? And what to make of “secret meetings”? What worlds had been lost to the Church?
Charles de Gaulle

For 1944, we read: “Angelo Roncalli is named Nuntius for France, with a very difficult mission […] He becomes the friend of Freemasonic ministers […] De Gaulle shows him the greatest of admiration. After the death of Pius II, at the conclave, the general, who in the mean time has returned to power, specifically instructs the French Ambassador to the Holy See to act to his best ability to promote Roncalli. The future John XXIII never knew.” Again, we need to ask questions about his friendship with prominent Freemasons as well as the personal intervention from de Gaulle in such an important matter, without the knowledge of the person involved. Let us note that he also makes inroads towards the Hungarians and the Armenians when he meets the Metropolite. In France, he meets people from all lifestyles, even those that are anti-clerical, and is photographed with the Prince of Bourbon, the descendant from the Bourbon-Naundorff. Indeed, we could argue that he received top marks in diplomacy and relationship management, but it is contrary to the nature and personality of this very open and direct man, who does not appear to require such a backing and support behind him. And what to think of the fact that he wants to receive the cardinalship according to the ancient custom, from the hands of the President of the Republic, Vincent Auriol, himself, whom they actually have to baptise three days prior to the ceremony so that he is able to fulfil the task! It begs belief.

There are some enigmas in everyone’s life, but in the case of Roncalli, there seems to be quite an accumulation. In 1981, Jacques Duchaussoy tries to explain the Roncalli phenomenon: “To understand him, we need to find him at the time when he was apostolic delegate in Turkey and to highlight the revelations that high members of the Fraternity made to Pier Carpi so that he would reveal to the world a part of the Truth, the only one capable to assimilate this without danger to humanity.” Still, what this author condenses in his book “The prophecies of Pope John XXIII” must have provoked terrific or terrifying reactions from the highest echelons for in the week that the book appeared in France, it also disappeared from all points of sale and the publisher replied that it had “sold out”. Such an unexpected and no doubt important financial benefit did not result in an obvious reprint however, which makes one wonder whether it was indeed “sold out”, or someone “paid off”.
But the most interesting aspect is that in 1935, when he is still in Turkey, Roncalli “seemed ripe to be useful and was contact by an old man sent by one of the most important lodges of the Fraternity.” According to Pier Carpi, he was taken to a “secret temple” where he would undergo what he describes as “the major initiations”. After this secret ritual, he receives the status of master and his mystical name: Johannes. And it would therefore be according to this secret path that he would later choose the bizarre title of John XXIII.

We should also note that Pier Carpi rather enigmatically writes that this ritual that the future pope underwent “curiously reminded, in some of its details, the initiation ceremony that Spencer Lewis described in an initiatory centre in the Languedoc.” We can only wonder what that statement refers to.
Let us finally note that Roncalli frequently visited Lyon, where he met with members of a discrete religious order, nevertheless well-known in certain circles, specifically in those whose name itself is linked with the first name of this remarkable cardinal. While there, he also visited three parishes in the Pilat Massif, where he received a more than warm welcome.

Angelo, Johannes and John XXIII

On November 4, 1958, Roncalli was elected as Pope John XXIII. Twenty days later, he named… 23 cardinals. The choice for this name was officially out of respect for the Evangelist and the Baptist, but it was also seen as his attempt to exorcise the anti-pope with the same elected name. Of course, in more private circles, the choice was explained as an homage to his name in the “major initiations”, Johannes.
That indeed remains the most intriguing aspect of a man who would become pope, but whose secret initiation does not seem to have a very Catholic aspect. Indeed, if anything, it seems that this initiation was pagan or heretical, rather than Catholic. And it is difficult to explain it as a “sin of youth”, for no-one undergoes an initiation innocently or without full awareness of what is about to happen. Furthermore, it remains doubtful that such an event would remain unknown to the inner circles of the Vatican. Should we therefore assume that no-one had any objections to this aspect of his life? Or was he in such a position of power that those who knew could not do anything about it? If so, how, for there seems little evidence in this person’s official biography that reveals how he could exercise such power over his colleagues, specifically before the time of his election. We would not argue that Roncalli was “imposed” upon all so that he would become pope, but we would suggest that some people, perhaps a group, strongly suggested that he should ascend to the highest position of the Catholic church.
Nevertheless, it is more difficult to find out why. Amongst the many suppositions that have been made, there is one that sits outside the usual frame. These are the so-called “Prophecies of John XXIII”. They centre on a belief that these prophecies would prevent the end of the Church. And as such, this prophecy is linked with another, namely that of St Malachy, who too announced the end of the Church and the Last Judgment for 2032 AD. Let us note that even though prophecies are not within the specific remit of the Catholic Church, the Church has never forbidden or condemned these two texts.

Silence: religious divination in progress

Indeed, a rather bizarre silence rests over these “religious divinations” and it seems that at each conclave convened to elect a new pope, everything is engineered so that they turn out to be right… as was once again underlined with the election of Pope Benedict XVI. If the Church wanted to dispel rumours that it is following the script of St Malachy’s prophecies, all it would have to do is have this Pope assume a different name, like John Paul III, or any other but Benedict… yet…
Jean-Luc Maxence, in his “Les secrets de la prophétie de saint Malachie” (The secrets of the prophecy of St Malachy), states: “if the prophecy of the popes has ‘held up’ during several centuries, it is that it has never appeared to anyone who really wanted to analyse them as a series of coincidences. The logic of the devices 106, Pastor angelicus, and 107, Pastoret naut, demonstrate this clearly. Without prophet or prophecies, the Church would be without purpose.”

Roncalli made his prophecies before ascending to the Papal office. In the words of Michel Gorgeu, written in 1656, a prophecy was “an inspiration, a revelation from God, which predicted or announced events which normally could not be known to men or the angels.”
The problem with this prophecy is that we approach the time when Malachy’s prophecies had listed the end of the Church. And it is clear that whereas some sections of the Church seems to do everything to fulfil the prophecy, at the same time, others will logically want to make sure that the end of the Church does not come anytime soon – even though, according to… prophecy, the end of the Church would normally see the return of Christ, the very goal of that Church.
For those who support the prophecy, it is clear that they believe that we are not too far from a tremendous event, or a revelation, that will rock the world and will end the Church. Unfortunately for those who want to know how this will happen precisely, the prophecies only announce the demise of the popes, but do not specify the reasons, the causes, whether it will be the result of a global, natural catastrophe, or a social revolution or a revelation through which the Church’s dogma and position become untenable, causing its eradication. If indeed these details were known, those that are intent on securing the Church’s position of power might be in a position to prevent its prophesised break-up.

It is clear that there is a parallel between the prophecies of Malachy and the Apocalypse, even though at first it may appear that the two have little or nothing in common. Both strands convene with the destruction of Rome, and with a Last Judgment, to which Pius XII perhaps referred to in 1947 when he said that “it is required that Mankind prepares itself to face challenges the likes of which it has never known” – strong words seeing that Mankind had just concluded World War II, which had been a war of unknown and inhuman proportions. These challenges seem to refer to the tribulations of the Last Judgment.
Let us also note that the Third Secret of Fatima was kept under wraps for a long time, even though it was at first supposed to be revealed by 1960. Many people suspected it contained revelations about the end of the world or Christianity. As it was not revealed in 1960, speculation continued. Instead, one had to wait a further four decades for it to be revealed, it seems. Was this because someone was indeed trying to change the “fate” of the Church around 1960? If so, the man in charge of the Papal office in 1960 was John XXIII. Indeed, it was he who decided to push back the revelation to 1980, but who equally seems to have decided to hold a Council that would radically reform the Church. Coincidence, or design? And if design, it is clearly Roncalli’s and it may have to do with his exposure to a world that seemed to have been “lost” to Christianity. Did he recover it and try to inject again into the fabric of Christianity by setting up the Council and setting out its agenda?

continued>>

André Douzet