According to journalist Peter Popham in the British Independent, "Although [Italian Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi may scoff, his country has become the sick man of Europe." Economic growth is in the doldrums at 0.6 percent and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has sharply criticized Italy for its meager level of financial growth. The European Commission is likewise very unhappy with its ballooning budget deficit, which is considered in some quarters a long-term danger to the euro.

Said a London Times feature article: "The weak point in Europe's monetary union is Italy . . . Since joining, Italy has lost competitiveness against other euro members. The economic situation in Italy has the potential to develop into a full-blown crisis."

And yet biblical prophecy strongly indicates that Italy will have a major role in the fulfillment of key end-time prophecies. To understand further, request or download our free booklets Are We Living in the Time of the End? and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Sources: The Independent, The Sunday Times [both London].)