Prophecy of the Popes

The Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to Saint Malachy, is a list of 112 short phrases in Latin. They purport to describe each of the Catholic popes (along with a few anti-popes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a pope described in the prophecy as “Peter the Roman”, whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome. What is most interesting about this prophecy is that the current pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI (listed as the “Glory of the Olive” – Benedict is the founder of the Benedictine monks whose symbol is the olive branch) is the last Pope before Peter the Roman. Tying this in with other aspects of Catholic eschatology (the study of the end times) which generally describes a great apostasy in the Church prior to the second coming of Christ, many Catholics believe that we are now in the end times and that the next pope will be the last before the final judgment. Here is the text of the prophecy as it relates to the final Pope:

“In the last persecution of the Holy Roman Church, Peter the Roman will hold the see (lit. “sit”), who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations: and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [Rome] will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people. The End.”