A 1,000-Year-Old Prophecy Resurfaces After Pope Francis’s Death — With a Grim Warning About the Future
The world is mourning the loss of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88. According to the Vatican, the pontiff died following a cerebral stroke that led to heart failure. As the Catholic Church observes its traditional nine-day mourning period, focus has shifted to an urgent and deeply symbolic task: choosing the next pope.
But amid the grief and ceremony, an eerie voice from the past is echoing louder than ever — the voice of a prophecy said to be nearly 1,000 years old.
The Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to 12th-century Irish Archbishop Saint Malachy, has returned to the spotlight with chilling timing. The prophecy, first published in the 1500s but claimed to originate centuries earlier, outlines a cryptic list of 112 popes leading to the final days of the Church. Many now believe Pope Francis was number 112 — the last.
The final line in the prophecy reads ominously:
“In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit 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.”
Interpretations vary wildly, but believers point to the poetic symbolism linking Pope Francis to “Peter the Roman”: Francis took his papal name from Saint Francis of Assisi, whose father was named Pietro (Peter), and he resides in Rome — arguably making him a symbolic “Peter” of our time.
The re-emergence of the prophecy has ignited fresh waves of speculation online. Some even tie the prophecy’s timeline to the year 2027, warning of a looming global upheaval. While there’s no concrete evidence to support such claims, the narrative resonates in a world already rattled by war, climate crises, and political unrest.
Skeptics, however, urge caution. Historians largely consider the Prophecy of the Popes a 16th-century forgery, likely crafted to influence a papal election. The detailed accuracy of earlier predictions — and the vagueness of more recent ones — suggests a retroactive hoax rather than divine insight. As Josh Canning, director of Toronto’s Newman Centre Chaplaincy, said in 2013, “I don’t know how you can connect Peter the Roman with Pope Francis.”
Still, the timing is hard to ignore. At a moment of global uncertainty and spiritual transition, the idea of an ancient prophecy coming to pass feels less like fantasy and more like a mirror reflecting our collective unease.
For now, the faithful are focused on honoring Pope Francis’s legacy and preparing to welcome his successor — whoever he may be. Whether the next pope is a harbinger of prophecy or simply the next chapter in the Church’s long history remains to be seen.
What’s your take? Is this just religious folklore reborn in an anxious age, or could Saint Malachy’s prophecy carry more weight than we thought?