On May 8, former Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, was confirmed as the next head of the Catholic Church, making Pope Leo XIV the first American to occupy the office. The Irish mystic. While most Catholics celebrate the new pope’s election, some conspiracy theorists are concerned about the Church’s future. Why? Because an ancient prophesy suggests that Pope Leo XIV may be the final pope.
According to USA Today, this doomsday prophecy, known as the Prophecy of the Popes, is credited to Saint Malachy, an Irish mystic from the 12th century. According to the prophecy, there would be 112 popes after Malachy’s time, with the last one known as “Peter the Roman.” Some conspiracy theorists are seeking to relate this statistic to Pope Leo XIV, however academics point out multiple problems in the forecast.
Who is “Peter the Roman”? For starters, “Peter the Roman” does not really correspond to Pope Leo XIV’s name or background. Pope Leo XIV, formerly Robert Francis Prevost, is an American and Peruvian citizen, not an Italian. So far, the theory appears to be off base. Some have even sought to connect the mystery figure “Peter the Roman” from St. Malachy’s prophesy to the late Pope Francis, but this hypothesis has not held up.
In 2013, Josh Canning, director of Toronto’s Chaplaincy at the Newman Centre, rejected the proposal, saying, “I don’t know how you can connect Peter the Roman with Pope Francis. Other experts have quickly dismissed the prophecy. Fr. James Weiss, an Episcopal priest and professor at Boston College, described the Prophecy of the Popes as a “forgery.” He explained, “The prophesies are forged. I don’t believe they have any credibility.
Quite accurate. Fr. Weiss also takes issue with the phrase “city of seven hills” (which most people associate with Rome) and the reference of a “dreadful judge.” He feels this could be referring to something much less apocalyptic, such as a country leader’s judgment rather than a worldwide tragedy. According to Fr. James Weiss, the list attributed to St. Malachy contains 112 mysterious sentences, each apparently associated with a future pope, beginning with Celestine II, who assumed office in 1143. “The popes are not specifically named,” Weiss remarked, noting that the mottos contain cryptic adjectives such as “swift bear” and “rose of Umbria.”
Weiss went on to say that from Malachy’s time until the late 1500s, when many academics believe the list was genuinely compiled, the phrases were quite similar to the actual popes. However, beyond that time, accuracy becomes inconsistent. “It’s hit or miss,” he claimed, with some words roughly resembling actual pontiffs and others being far more difficult to connect.
Thrown back into the spotlight. Following Pope Francis’ death on April 21 at the age of 88, St. Malachy’s ancient prophesy received renewed attention. Many speculated that Francis was the 112th pope on Malachy’s list, implying that no future pope has been foreseen in nearly a millennium. For many historians, one of the most significant red flags is the timing of the prophesy.
According to Joëlle Rollo-Koster, a professor of medieval history at the University of Rhode Island, there is no evidence linking Malachy to any prophetic works. “As a historian, I am hardcore on the evidence, and that, for me, is the ultimate proof that Malachy did not utter prophecies or write prophecies,” according to her. So, while the Prophecy of the Popes may have piqued the interest of some, it appears that there is little to no relationship between it and Pope Leo XIV. Despite the conspiracy claims, this next pope is undoubtedly worth watching, but don’t anticipate the Prophecy of the Popes to play a significant role in determining his future.