Prophesy of the Popes

Statue of Saint Malachy

Saint Malachy was a reforming Catholic prelate of the 12th century born in Armagh, Ireland in 1094, who became the Archbishop of Armagh and ruled his See from 1132 to 1137. Later, after his death on November 2, 1148 in Clairvaux, France, numerous miracles were attributed to him and was canonized on July 6, 1199 by Pope Clement III. He was the first Irish saint to be canonized by a pope. He was also endowed with the gift of prophecy.

In 1139, on a pilgrimage to Rome to give an account of his affairs, Saint Malachy was suddenly struck with a series of prophetic visions in Latin phrases identifying the 111 popes who would rule the Catholic Church until the end of time, from Pope Celestine III, elected Pontiff in 1130 until the last Pope who is unnumbered and described in his list as "Peter Romanus" or Peter of Rome whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome.

Many believed that many of the phases are too precise to be the results of chance. The visions described the popes' birthplaces, the names of the personal Coat-of-Arms of every pope and the events of their pontificates until Judgment Day.

John XXIII

For example, Italian John XXIII who ruled Vatican from October 28, 1958 to June 3, 1963, the 107th pope of the prophesy, was referred to as "Pastor et Nauta" (Priest and Sailor). 

Before becoming a pope in 1958, he was the Patriarch of Venice in 1953, a marine city, home of the gondolas. Occultist Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli chose the same name and number as Antipope John XXIII (1410-1415) for his papacy in 1958.

Paul VI

Italian Pope Paul VI, born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, assumed the Papacy in June 21, 1963 and ruled Vatican until his death in August 6, 1978. He was the 108th pope of the prophesy, and referred to as "Flos Florum" (Flower among Flowers). His Coat-of-Arms was a Lilly among Lillies.

John Paul I

Italian Pope John Paul I, the 109th pope of the prophesy and referred to as "De Medietate Lunae" (From the midst of the Moon), was elected pope in August 26, 1978 and headed Vatican for 33 days until his death in September 28 of the same year. Born Albino Luciani in Canale d'Ogardo, Diocese of Belluno (Beautiful Moon), his reign is among the shortest in papal history which lasted from half a moon to the next half.

John Paul II

Polish John Paul II was the 110th pope in the prophesy and referred to as "De Labore Solis" (Of the eclipse of the Sun, or From the labour of the Sun). He was the second-longest serving Pope in history and the first non-Italian since 1523, from October 16, 1978 until his death in April 2, 2005. Karol Józef Wojtyła of Wadowice, Poland, was the only pontiff among the list that was born on an eclipse (May 18, 1920) and later entombed during eclipse on April 8, 2005.

Benedict XVI

And the 111th, the final pope in the prophesy, was referred to as the "Gloria Olivae" (Glory of the Olives).

After John Paul II's death, the Cardinals came to Vatican to elect a successor. On April 19, 2005, the conclave was immediately held and soon thereafter white smoke came out of the Sistine Chapel chimney indicating that a new pope was elected. When the identity of the pope was disclosed, it was Cardinal Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger of Germany, and everybody thought that the "Glory of Olives" had nothing to do with the newly elected pope. People soon wondered what name Ratzinger will assume during his rule of the church. When word came out the following day, it was announced that the new pope will take on the name of Benedict XVI in honor of Saint Benedict, the Patron Saint of Europe, who established the Benedictine Order whose symbol is the Olives.

Since the incumbent Benedict XVI is the 111th and the final pope of the prophesy, many are now asking, "ARE WE NOW LIVING IN THE END TIMES?"

Ratzinger is the oldest person to have been elected Pope since Clement XII (1730–40) at aged 75. The Cardinals elected an old pope on purpose because his predecessor, John Paul II had ruled Vatican for so long that he had totally changed the texture of the Catholic Faith.

Just recently, on February 11, 2013, Benedict XVI announced his resignation from the papacy effective February 28, 2013 because of lack of "mental and physical strength to carry on", becoming the first pope to resign since Pope Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294.

According to the prophesy of Saint Malachy, the next pope, or the successor of Benedict XVI, which was unnumbered and identified in his list only as "Peter Romanus" or Peter of Rome, his pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome:

"In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, & Judex tremêdus judicabit populum suum.

Finis."

Translated:

"In extreme persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep through many tribulations, at the term of which the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the formidable Judge will judge his people.

 The End."

Final part of the Prophesy in the Lignum Vitae (1595) page 311.

The prophecy was first published in 1595 by Arnold de Wyon, a Benedictine historian, as part of his book Lignum Vitæ. According to the traditional account, Malachy wrote them while in Rome and had given his manuscripts to Innocent II to console him in the midst of his tribulations, and that the manuscripts were buried in the Roman Archive until 1590, when Wyon discovered them.