Given all the fall-out regarding the death of Pope Francis – and there has been a lot written – perhaps it’s understandable that a supposed prophecy, claimed to be almost 1,000 years old, has flown under the radar.
We know what you’re thinking—predictions and premonitions? Snooze. But hold up. This particular prophecy has been stirring up enough buzz online to actually warrant attention. And get this: it was supposedly recorded almost a thousand years ago. Intrigued yet?
Stick with us if you’ve even a passing fascination with the occult, the eerie, or the downright bizarre. Or if you’re the type who enjoys a good old-fashioned doomsday prediction—especially the kind that’s unlikely to ever happen, but still makes your spine tingle just a little.
Unless you’ve been completely off the grid lately, you’ve probably heard the shocking news: Pope Francis passed away earlier this week, on Monday, April 21.
The Vatican confirmed the death of the 88-year-old pontiff, later revealing the cause as a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and eventual heart failure.
A traditional nine-day mourning period is now in motion, and preparations for Pope Francis’ burial are underway. But the real storm is brewing behind closed doors—because choosing the next Pope? That’s where things get truly historic… and maybe even a little prophetic.
While the selection of a new pope is always a weighty, time-consuming process—laden with centuries of tradition and global significance—this particular decision might carry even greater meaning… at least, if you believe in a chilling 1,000-year-old prophecy.
Enter the Prophecy of the Popes—a mysterious manuscript said to have been penned in the 1100s by Saint Malachy, an Irish Archbishop of Armagh who was later canonized. According to legend, Malachy’s writings outlined a list of 112 popes, eerily accurate in many of its descriptions over the centuries.
Here’s where things get spooky: the prophecy suggests there would be only one more pope after Benedict XVI—the same Benedict who famously abdicated and was succeeded by none other than Pope Francis.
Even more unsettling? Malachy’s final entry allegedly hints at apocalyptic events during the reign of this last pope. If the prophecy holds any truth, then Pope Francis wasn’t just the next in line… he might be the last.
The final line of Saint Malachy’s prophecy reads like something torn from the pages of a doomsday thriller:
“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.”
Chilling, right?
Now, here’s where the speculation starts to swirl. Pope Francis took his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi—whose father, coincidentally, was named Pietro (or Peter). It’s a tenuous link, sure, but one many point to when drawing connections between Francis and the cryptic “Peter the Roman.”
Adding more fuel to the fire, some interpretations of the Prophecy of the Popes suggest the end of the world could arrive as soon as 2027. If that’s true, we’re on a fast track to the finale—and let’s be honest, with everything happening in the world right now, the idea doesn’t feel entirely out of left field.
Still, not everyone’s convinced. Plenty of theologians and historians have cast serious doubt on the prophecy’s authenticity. One such critic, Josh Canning, director of Toronto’s Chaplaincy at the Newman Centre, dismissed the connection back in 2013, saying via Global News:
“I don’t know how you can connect Peter the Roman with Pope Francis.”
So, is it prophecy or just coincidence? That, as always, is up to you to decide.
What do you make of the prophecy? Let us know in the comments.
