
It is an apocryphal text attributable to the Spiritual heretics or Fraticelli of the Middle Ages. Cf Membership no. 49, April 1999, pp. 65-67. Therefore it has no reliability on a Catholic level. While on a historical level it is an interesting observation. The clarification, arrived from Don Francesco Ricossa, which we thank, is also useful at the source “Gloria.tv”
Reporting of Luciano Gallina
“Our Lord Jesus Christ will send them not a worthy shepherd, but an exterminator".
After summoning his brothers shortly before his death (1226), Francis warned of future tribulations, saying: “Brothers, act with strength and firmness while waiting for the Lord. A period of great tribulations and afflictions in which great temporal and spiritual dangers and embarrassments will occur; the charity of many will grow cold and the iniquity of the wicked will abound. The power of the demons will be greater than usual, the immaculate purity of our religious community and others will have withered to the point that very few Christians will want to obey the true Supreme Pontiff and the Roman Church with a sincere heart and perfect charity.
“At the decisive moment of this crisis, a non-canonically elected character, elevated to the papal throne, he will do his best to wisely dispense the deadly poison of his error to many.
While the scandals will multiply, our religious congregation will be divided among others which will be completely destroyed, because their members will not oppose it, but they will allow the error. There will be so many and such opinions and divisions among the people, and among the religious and clerics who, if those evil days were not shortened, as announced by the Gospel, even the elect would fall into error (if it were possible), if in such a hurricane they were not protected by the immense mercy of God. Thus our Rule and our way of life will be violently attacked by some. Terrible temptations will arise. Those who pass the great test will receive the crown of life. Woe to the lukewarm ones who will put all their hope in religious life, without firmly resisting the temptations permitted to test the elect. Those who in spiritual fervor will embrace piety with charity and zeal for the truth, they will suffer persecution and insults as if they were schismatic and disobedient. Because their persecutors, spurred on by evil spirits, they will say that in this way they give great honor to God in killing and removing such evil men from the earth. Then the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted and he will save them, because they hoped in Him. And then to respect their Leader, they will act according to Faith and choose to obey God rather than men, acquiring with death eternal life, not wanting to conform to error and perfidy, to absolutely not fear death. So some preachers will keep the truth silent and by denying it they will trample it underfoot.
“Sanctity of life will be mocked by those who profess it only outwardly and for this reason Our Lord Jesus Christ will send them not a worthy shepherd, but an exterminator".
Opera Omnia St. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, col. 430 Paris Imp. Ecclesiastical library 1880 (slab annotations by Louis-Hubert Remy)
There will be a great schism and tribulation in the Church.
Shortly before his death, the brothers were summoned, He warned them of future tribulations, saying : "Behave manfully.", brothers, comfort, and support the Lord. The times of great tribulation and affliction are fast approaching, in which, temporally and spiritually, perplexities and crises will flood, the charity of many will cool, and the iniquity of the wicked will abound. The power of the demons will be released more than usual, the immaculate purity of our Religion and others will be distorted, to the extent that very few of the Christians truly obey the Supreme Pontiff and the Roman Church with perfect heart and charity : Someone who was not chosen by the connoisseur, in the article of that tribulation he was assumed to the papacy, He will endeavor to bring death to many by the sagacity of his own error. Then the scandals will multiply, our religion will be divided, many of the others will be completely broken, because they do not contradict each other, but they will agree to the error.
There will be many opinions and schisms among the people, and in the religious, and in the clerk, unless those days were shortened according to the Gospel word ( if it could be done ) even the elect would be led into error, unless they were governed in such a storm by the immense mercy of God.
Our rule and our life will then be attacked most vigorously by some. There will be immense temptations. They were then tested, they will receive the crown of life. But woe to them, who, relying on the only hope of religion, will remain warm, they will not resist constant temptations, to the evidence of the elect.
But those who, fervent in spirit from love and zeal for the truth, adhere to piety, as disobedient and schismatics they will endure persecutions and injuries. For those pursuing them were driven by evil spirits, They will say that it is a great service to God, to kill and destroy both pestilential men from the earth. And then the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save them, because they hoped in him. And that they conform to their heads, act in confidence, and through death, purchasing eternal life, they choose to obey God rather than men ; and death, unwilling to consent to falsity and treachery, they will not be afraid at all. The truth will then be covered by silence from some preachers, trampled upon by others, it will be denied. The sanctity of life will be held in derision by his professors, wherefore he is not worthy of a shepherd, but the Lord Jesus Christ will send them an exterminator"
Source: https://gloria.tv/article/QAm7XPR9eFKv1ZNmZZ8Nxxgrb


It is an apocryphal text attributable to the Spiritual heretics or Fraticelli of the Middle Ages. Cf Membership no. 49, April 1999, pp. 65-67
Thank you Reverend for the clarification, which we were not aware of. We put it in the article because it makes a difference on a Catholic level.