1000-year-old prophecy predicted newly elected pope as final pontiff with chilling warning for humanity.
The election of Pope Leo XIV has inspired hope, celebration – and fear- due to a chilling prophecy said to predict his reign.
Pope Leo XIV Is Elected as the first American pontiff in Catholic history
The Vatican officially announced that Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected as the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
The news followed the symbolic white smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel on May 8. While it signaled a successful conclave.
The election comes just weeks after the death of Pope Francis.
He passed away at the age of 88 on Easter Monday, April 22.
This moment marks a monumental event for American Catholics, as Pope Leo XIV becomes the first American-born pope in Church history.
He also holds Peruvian citizenship due to his decades of missionary service in Peru.
Prophecy warns of Church’s catastrophic end
Celebration of Pope Leo XIV’s Election is shadowed by a prophetic warning.
As Catholics worldwide celebrate the election, a shadow has resurfaced in the form of an ancient text known as the “Prophecy of the Popes.”
This document, attributed to Saint Malachy, an Irish archbishop from the 12th century. This prediction has once again captured global attention.
Believers claim it foretold the identities—and fates—of 112 future popes following Malachy’s time.
According to the prophecy, the final pope would be known as “Peter the Roman, who is serving as the Bishop of Rome during end times.
He is said to lead the Church through great tribulation before the end of days.
The prophecy ends with a haunting line:
“Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.”
The city of seven hills” is widely interpreted to be Rome, the historic heart of the Catholic Church.
While, some believe this signals the fall of the Vatican and the final judgment.
Critics, however, quickly point out that Pope Leo XIV’s real name, Robert Francis Prevost, includes neither “Peter” nor “Roman.”
Born in Illinois, he is neither Italian nor connected to Roman heritage.
This glaring contradiction has led many scholars and clergy to dismiss the prophecy entirely, citing vague language and historical inaccuracies.
Experts doubt prophecy linking pope to apocalypse
Josh Canning, chaplaincy director at Toronto’s Newman Centre, previously addressed the theory in 2013.
He stated bluntly, “I don’t know how you can connect Peter the Roman with Pope Francis.”
That argument applies even more to Pope Leo XIV, whose identity, background, and papal name lack any direct link to Saint Malachy’s supposed final pope.
While some may argue for symbolic interpretations, mainstream religious experts and theologians have urged believers not to take the prophecy literally.