Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner in France at the behest of Napoleon. “In 1798 General Berthier made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 1941 edition. Having established the end of the prophecy to be 1798, going back 1260 years, we arrive at 538 AD. For the papacy to fulfill this identifying mark, an important event must have occurred in 538 AD to mark the start of the 1260-year period. Historical evidence reveals that in 533 AD the Roman Emperor Justinian recognized the pope’s ecclesiastical supremacy as ‘head’ of all the churches in both east and west of the Roman Empire. However, it was not until 538 AD when the papacy was effectively freed from its last Arian opponent, the Ostrogoths (who were at that time ruling Italy), did the pope emerge as the leading figure in the West. Thus, in 538 AD the stage was set for the gradual but steady ascendancy of the papacy.
“Vigilius…ascended the papal chair (538 A.D.) under the military protection of
Belisarius.” History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 327. As the papacy increased
in power, she subjugated not only her followers but also the rulers and kings of Europe. To that end, the popes issued several papal bulls to bolster their authority over the kings of Europe: “It is the office of the papacy to tread under foot kings and emperors.” J.H.
Ignaz Dollinger, The Pope and the Council, (London), p. 35. In the papal bull of Pope Gregory XI, dated 1372 AD, and entitled In Coena Domini, the pope pronounced papal dominion over the entire Christian world, secular and religious, and excommunicated all who failed to obey the popes and to pay them taxes. This papal bull was confirmed by
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