Following Pope Francis’s death on April 21, 2025, the nearly 1,000-year-old Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to 12th-century Archbishop Saint Malachy, is gaining renewed attention. The prophecy lists 112 popes, with the last—believed by some to be Francis—presiding over the Church during apocalyptic times.
The final pope, dubbed “Peter the Roman,” is said to guide the Church through tribulation before the fall of Rome. Some connect this to Francis, noting his papal name honors St. Francis of Assisi, whose father was named Pietro (Peter).
While some see ominous parallels, others dismiss it as unfounded. Critics, like Josh Canning of the Newman Centre in Toronto, argue linking Francis to “Peter the Roman” is a stretch.