Although the Merlin prophecies were expressly banned, the teachings of David, Patrick, and Columba were so firmly cemented in society that the Church was obliged to pursue a very different strategy of incorporation. A thousand years after the lifetimes of these druidic magi, the Vatican officials elected to bring them posthumously into the orthodox saintly fold so that the real truth of their pagan environment would be lost to history.
Reference:
Realm Of The Ring Lords: The Myth And Magic Of The Grail Quest
