Death of Pope Francis and the Prophecy of the Popes

The death of Pope Francis this past Easter Sunday concludes one of the most famous and long-standing prophecies known. In 1139 AD, Archbishop Malachy of Ireland was visiting the Vatican and had a vision of 112 future popes. The bishop gave each pope a descriptive name in Latin (the language of the Church in those days). His descriptive names have been surprisingly accurate for 111 of the historic popes. Each pope’s description matched his life and actions. For example:

John Paul II

Malachy nicknamed him, De Labore Solis (meaning “the labor of the sun”), that was 849 years before John Paul II was elected pope in 1978. John Paul was Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła (WOH-tee-wah – the “ł” is pronounced similar to a soft “w” in English). He was from Poland and fought for the labor unions against the Soviet Union (Poland’s “Solidarity Movement”). The renowned seer, Nostradamus appears to have also seen John Paul II, and 2 assassination attempts on his life (published in 1555, 426 years before the actual event). The first attempt occurred on 13 May 1981, the same day of the first Apparition of Mary in Fatima, Portugal, 13 May (1917). John Paul was blessing people in St. Peter’s Square when he saw a young girl wearing Our Lady of Fatima medallion, he reached down to bless it at the exact moment the assassin (believed to have been hired by the Soviets) fired a pistol four times, hitting the pope twice (wound in his abdomen and a hand wound, requiring multiple hours of surgery). Because he was bent over, none of the bullets proved fatal, he survived. Then the second assassination was described by Nostradamus: “Oh, great Rome, the sharp one of letters will be so horrible a notch. Pointed steel placed up his sleeve, ready to wound.” (Quatrain10:65) This attempt occurred during the pope’s visit to Portugal on 12 May 1982. The stabber was a disgruntled, former priest who was a journalist and lawyer, thus a “sharp one of letters.” He pulled a knife out of his sleeve (“pointed steel placed up his sleeve”) and attempted to kill John Paul. The pope was wounded but lived. Despite these attempts, John Paul II’s reign was the second longest in recorded history – 26 years, 5 months and 18 days. John Paul II thought that Mother Mary had spared him, and in turn changed the prophecy. That may be, we shall see.

Benedict XVI

Malachy gave this pope the Latin motto, Gloria Olivae (meaning “glory of the olive”). By taking the name Benedict, Cardinal Ratzinger from Germany fulfilled Malachy’s prophecy because The Order of Saint Benedict is also known as the Olivetans! This comes from Jesus’ time on the Mount of Olives. The highest ranking among the Benedictines would be “the glory” of the Olivetans. The prophesied name fit. Pope Benedict XVI resigned his papacy in 2013. It was rumored that he or his brother where somehow involved with a coverup of child abuse scandals among priests and bishops. Some researchers believe that the surprise resignation may have changed the prophesied line of popes.

The Last Pope – Francis

In Malachy’s line, this is the 112th pope, the last in the prophesied line. Malachy gave him the Latin motto: “Petrus Romanus” (Peter the Roman). Born in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (last name meaning “mount of oil” always olive oil)! He was elected pope in 2013 at the age of 76 and continued to reign until Easter Sunday. When he took the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, many felt it did not fit with Malachy’s Latin name “Peter the Roman.” Consider that Saint Francis was born while his father was in France, so his mother (Pica de Bourlemont) had him baptized Pietro di Bernardone, translated “Peter of (his father) Bernardone.” This would fit the “Peter” name, and he was an Italian, but not really a Roman. However, when his father returned, he called the boy “The Frenchman,” thus Francis, and that name stuck. Jesus told St. Francis, “Rebuild my church, see how it has fallen.” Cardinal Bergoglio, the first pope from the Americas, the “Promised Land,” was determined to correct the errors and sins of the global church, which he too considered “fallen.” However, there is no clear connection between the name Francis and Peter the Roman, so this pope does not fit the prophesied line.

“Peter the Roman” implies that the return of the first pope, Peter, Jesus’ apostle and “rock,” will be the last pope. Returning souls in new roles is not unusual, as Elijah returned at the time of Jesus as his prophesied forerunner and was then called John the Baptist (Matthew 17:13).

The question remains, was John Paul II correct about a change in the number of popes because Mother Mary saved him twice? Did Benedict XVI’s resignation change the line? Is Pope Francis the prophesied last pope? Could there be another pope, and would he dare to take the name Peter? A Conclave meets soon, and we will see.

Here is the closing prophecy of Bishop Malachy’s vision:

Malachy’s closing in English: “In the extreme persecution, the Holy Father will sit. Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep in many tribulations, after which the city of Septicollis (“seven-hilled” or “city of seven hills”) will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people. The end.

For those who question, here is Malachy’s closing in the original Latin: “In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit. Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus, quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, & judex tremendus judicabit populum suum. Finis.”

As we can see, Bishop Malachy did see “many tribulations” in the Church. He also saw “the terrible judge” that will require penance.

How might Rome, the City of Seven Hills, suffer some degree of destruction? Possibly, Vesuvius and the super volcano Campi Flegrei in Naples could destroy Rome in some way. Edgar Cayce also mentioned “greater activity in Vesuvius” and its destructive effect.