Given all of the controversy surrounding Pope Francis’ death – and there has been a lot written – it’s unsurprising that an alleged prophesy, claiming to be nearly 1,000 years old, has slipped under the radar.
We know, right… prophecies and premonitions…cue the yawning. Nonetheless, this prophecy has piqued the imagination of internet users, prompting them to discuss it. This despite the fact that it appears to have first been recorded over a millennium ago.
Stick with us if you’re even somewhat interested in the occult, unusual, or frightening, or if you simply enjoy exciting apocalypse prophecies that have little to no possibility of ever coming true.
Unless you’ve been without access to any sort of technology for the previous few days, you’ll be aware that Pope Francis died earlier this week on Monday, April 21. The Vatican confirmed the 88-year-old’s death, which was later revealed to be a brain stroke that resulted in a coma and heart failure.
A nine-day period of grief has now begun, and preparations for Pope Francis’ funeral are well underway. However, their responsibilities pale in compared to the responsibility of selecting his next successor. The selection of the future pope is a major decision, especially if the 1,000-year-old prophecy is believed to be true.
According to sources, there is a book called the Prophecy of the Popes, which was allegedly authored in the 1100s by an Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, named Malach, who was later canonized as Saint Malachy. His prophecy is supposed to mention 112 popes, implying that there would only be one more pope after Benedict (who abdicated and was succeeded by Pope Francis).
Perhaps more dangerously, Saint Malachy is supposed to have predicted that reign would lead to the end of the world, implying that Pope Francis would be the final person to hold that position.
The final entry states that the final pope will be: “Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people.” “The end.”
Pope Francis selected his name in honor of St Francis of Assisi’s father, Pietro, also known as Peter in English. A flimsy link, perhaps, but one that people exploit to try to corroborate the prophecy.
Some interpretations of the Popes’ prophecy suggest that the world will end around 2027. This suggests there isn’t much time left until things start to go wrong.
Given the current state of global strife, the prophecy may strike too close to home. Despite this, we believe it is only appropriate to point out that many skeptics dismiss Saint Malachy’s dire prophesies.
Josh Canning, director of Toronto’s Chaplaincy at the Newman Centre, stated in 2013 (via Global News): “I don’t know how you can connect Peter the Roman with Pope Francis.”