Recent headlines surrounding the “Prophecy of the Popes” have piqued that interest. Instead, the attention of apocalyptic prophecy junkies has shifted to a character named Peter the Roman, whom some think will be the last pope. It is likely that Saint Malachy forged this prophecy himself. It’s followed by sometimes poetic, often colorful depictions of each pope and concludes with a terrifying portrait of Peter the Roman – pope during the last days of the church when Rome will be destroyed.
According to legend, Saint Malachy wrote the prophecy in the 12th century after he received a divine vision. The whole thing is then boiled down to just 112 brief, cryptic, largely unrevealoting lines that claim to describe the defining characteristics and life events of each pontiff. Strangely, the descriptions do not get ambiguous and vague until 1590, the year that dumb old prophecy was found again. Experts believe that Malachy might have had other plans in mind. He most probably wanted to increase his own standing in the imperiled church hierarchy.
The prophecy goes on to describe Peter the Roman as the one who will shepherd the church through a period of intense tribulation. It states, “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. The End.” This eerie omen signs that Peter’s future is going to be very tough. Unfortunately, his papacy will coincide with portentous events that may indeed doom Rome to destruction.
Michel de Nostredame, more commonly known as Nostradamus, deepened the mystery behind his predictions even further. In those days, he predicted a person referred to as Peter the Roman would assume power. Nostradamus wrote his predictions a few decades after Saint Malachy composed his own prophecies. Both are marked by vivid, disruptive themes of change and radical transformation within the church.
The “Prophecy of the Popes” ends, after a long string of popes with Pseudonyms, with Peter the Roman, in 2027. This timeline has spurred certain Christian groups to read these prophecies as prognostications of soon-to-come end times. Proponents of these forecasts view them as a siren call. They are inspired to build the foundation necessary to face a future full of chaos and change.
Experts are still arguing over the authenticity and significance of these prophecies. Others argue that they are better understood as precursors to public panic — basically, manifestations of cultural anxieties of the time — than true predictions. The temptation for these kinds of prophecies is hard to resist for those of us desperate to make sense of today’s global crises.
Rumors regarding Peter the Roman are already swirling like desert dust devils. Catholics around the world are today asking what this will mean for the future of the Catholic Church and its members. As conversations about faith and prophecy become louder, it’s unclear how the public will react to these announcements.
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