Does Pope Leo XIV Fit the Prophecy?

Like Pope Francis, Leo XIV does not fit Archbishop Malachy’s prophecy of 112 popes and then the destruction of Rome and the Church. We can try to force all the details to fit, but the truth is, Francis and Leo do not fit the prophecy. This leaves us with only two options. One, somehow, Malachy lost his way and was wrong. The problem with this argument is that he was reasonably correct for 111 popes, so how did he go wrong on the final pope? The second option is that his vision was ending, and he closed the writing with his personal views. His written closing was not connected to the timing-bending message from on high, for he had paragraph spacing after Pope Benedict XVI (the 111th pope), indicating that the visionary lineup had stopped, or he could not hold communion on high any longer.

All of us on the spiritual path who have worked with dreams and even visions know how powerful and clear they can be until our outer self creeps in with its views and prejudices. Once our earthly self wakes up, the content becomes suspect because of the influence of wish fulfilment and egoistic influences that are so very difficult to suppress. Surprisingly, this fits! At the time of Malachy’s involvement with the Roman Catholic Church, there were many factions, non-Christian activities, schisms, and anti-popes claiming to be the true pope. The pope at the time of Malachi’s visit was Innocent II, who was involved in a schism and challenged by the antipope Anacletus II. For a pure-hearted, mystical Irish bishop living in the spirit of Saint Patrick, who also had visions and heard heavenly voices, the Church had lost its way. He may have closed the last paragraph from his own desire for Peter to return and cleanse the Church and destroy Rome.

We cannot be sure of this, but we can continue to watch the tectonic plates and volcanoes in Italy near Rome and the continuing line of popes and their efforts to cleanse the Church of its non-Christian activities. One thing we know about Pope Leo XIV is that he spent years as a missionary to the poor in Peru, followed by years inside the Church’s top management. He is also a member of the Augustinian Order, which seeks community, service to others, and values truth, unity, and love. He also received over 100 votes from 134 Cardinals eligible to vote, so he has the mandate.