The Prophecy of the Popes has divided experts since it was discovered and published in the 1590s
A doomsday prophecy potentially listing Pope Francis as the last head of the Catholic church has resurfaced online, but experts claim it is a ‘forgery’.
On Easter Monday morning (April 21), Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Camerlengo, announced that Pope Francis had died aged 88 at Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City.
The head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State ruled from March 13, 2013, up until he died in 2025 and was the first Latin American pope, having been born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Vatican marked its final day of mourning for Pope Francis on Sunday (May 4), with the papal conclave set to begin electing the next pope on Wednesday.
However, an alleged prophecy – discovered and published by Benedictine Arnold de Wyon – claims that there will be no 113th Pope, with Francis being the last.
The process of electing a new Pope is set to begin this week (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
This phenomenon is known as The Prophecy of the Popes, a Latin legend containing 112 short, cryptic phrases which purport to predict popes, beginning with Celestine II, named pope in 1143.
Published in 1595, The Prophecy of the Popes was attributed to Irish Saint Malachy, a former Archbishop of Armagh alive during the 12th century.
The long list, which is thought to accurately describe the church’s elected leaders up until around 1590, begins in the 1100s and ends after 112 popes.
Following Pope Francis’ death, some conspiracy theorists have interpreted the list to believe there will be no pope selected at the upcoming conclave.
Others believe that there will be a pope elected, and they will be the first in 1,000 years that was not foretold by St. Malachy.
Speaking about the doomsday prophecy, Fr. James Weiss, an Episcopal priest and professor of church history at Boston College, told USA Today that he believes they are a ‘forgery’.
He explained to the publication that most of the examples describing supposed popes after 1590 are ‘hit and miss’, with some examples being more of a stretch than others.
The Prophecy of Popes has been scorned by experts (Wikimedia)
The 112th pope was described in The Prophecy of the Popes as ‘Peter the Roman’, with some interpreting a short paragraph to describe the end of the world or ‘second coming’ of Jesus.
The publication says that the paragraph describes the destruction of the ‘city of seven hills’, thought to be Rome, and a ‘dreadful judge’.
“In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people,” it reads. “The End.”
Weiss added that the common doomsday interpretation of the paragraph could be entirely off.
Instead, he stated it could refer to a non-apocalyptic event and perhaps judgment by a nation’s leader.
Pope Francis, who took his papal name from Francis of Assisi, is the 266th pope in Vatican history and the 101st pope officially recognized by the Church since Malachy lived.
Smoke will billow from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney when a new Pope has been elected (Eric Vandeville-Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
However, Weiss claims some people believe Francis is the 112th and final pope because the Catholic Church once had multiple leaders claiming to be hope at the same time.
“Believers in Malachy’s prophecy include in the count a few of those antipopes – figures not formally recognized by the Vatican,” USA Today writes.
Whether you believe there will be another pope or not, an official conclave is set to begin in the Sistine Chapel in Rome this week, where qualifying cardinals will cast their votes.
They will meet until the next pope has been elected, with key candidates in an unpredictable process being listed as Pietro Parolin, Peter Erdo, Jean-Marc Aveline and Pierbattista Pizzaballa.When the Catholic Church officially elects a new pope, smoke will rise from a small chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.
