The Prophecy of the Popes according to Saint Malachy is a list of 112 short Latin phrases purported to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few antipopes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a future pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman," whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome and the Last Judgement.
Provenance
The prophecy was first published in 1595 by Arnold de Wyon, a Benedictine historian, as part of his book Lignum Vitæ. Wyon attributed the list to Saint Malachy, a 12-century bishop of Armagh in Ireland. According to the traditional account, in 1139, Malachy was summoned to Rome by Pope Innocent II. While there, he purportedly experienced a vision of future popes, which he recorded as a sequence of cryptic Latin phrases. This manuscript was then deposited in the Roman Archive, and thereafter forgotten about until rediscovered in 1590.
On the other hand, Bernard of Clairvaux's biography of Malachy makes no mention of the prophecy, nor is it mentioned in any record prior to its 1595 publication. This has led to the theory that they are a late 16th century forgery. Some have suggested they were created by Nostradamus and credited to Saint Malachy so the purported seer would not be blamed for the destruction of the papacy.
Skepticism and authenticity
Those who doubt the prophecy's authenticity claim that the prophecy's mottos fit the earlier popes much better than they do those popes elected after the document's first publication, and that whatever similarities exist between the later popes and their mottos are a product of coincidence and the mottos' vagueness; that is to say, the later prophecies are susceptible to a confirmation bias. For example, the motto De labore Solis, associated with John Paul II, can be an example of statistically likely postdiction, as an eclipse occurs twice or more times in a single year. Since there is no rule stating which event should coincide with the eclipse the odds of a "hit" are high. Using the date of funeral and not his date of death (which lacked any notable solar activity) is suspect and evidence of postdiction, as the date would otherwise be considered insignificant in the prophecy if it did not already fit the assumed interpretation. Ultimately, the rarity or high frequency of whatever type of eclipse is irrelevant, since the date chosen would have no significance if it did not already fit the assumed interpretation.
When Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger chose the name Benedict XVI, this was seen as fulfilling the prophecy for this pope (Gloria Olivae). However, prior to the Papal conclave, 2005, there were numerous speculations in the media as to what could be considered as "fulfilment of the prophecy".
It was said that any pope named Benedict (since Benedictines are known as Olivetans), or any pope from the Benedictine Order, or any Latin American pope (with olive complexion), or any black pope (coinciding with St. Benedict the Black), or any pope with links to Judaism would also fulfill the prophecy, thus giving a very broad array of possibilities.
Also, the choice of the name Benedict for the current pope, while interesting for those who predicted the choice of the name, was not statistically unlikely. The papal names are generally chosen from a fairly limited, traditionally closed list of names and 6% of past popes chose Benedict as their papal name. The only more popular papal name, John, has been chosen by 8% of popes. The media has commented on Pope Benedict XVI's choice of name, stating that Pope Benedict XVI seeks to emulate Pope Benedict XV's legacy of diplomacy and theological conservatism. Ultimately, however, the vagueness of the "Glory of the Olive" prophetic phrase makes postdiction a requirement now that we know the current pope has nothing to do with any of the previously suggested ideas.
The last entry about Petrus Romanus seems to have appeared sometime after 1820 and thus may not be part of the original prophecy. Obviously this calls into question the accuracy of the last motto. Consider also that the prophecy has been public knowledge since 1590. As such, it is easy to make a purposeful effort to fulfill that prophecy by electing someone who matches the prophecy well, or to cause an event that helps the pope match the prophecy. It is possible (although unlikely) Cardinal Ratzinger picked the name Benedict deliberately to fulfill the prophecy.
Interpretation
Interpretation of the mottos has generally relied on finding correspondences between the mottos and the popes' birthplaces, their personal arms, and the events of their pontificates. For example, the first motto, Ex castro Tiberis (From a castle on the Tiber), fits Pope Celestine II's birthplace in Città di Castello, on the Tiber. Pope Clement XIII, whose used a rose as his personal emblem, is called in the prophecy Rosa Umbriae, the rose of Umbria.
In recent times, some interpreters of prophetic literature have drawn attention to the prophecies, both because of their success in finding correspondences between the prophecies and recent popes, and because of the prophecies' imminent conclusion. Interpretations made before the elections of recent Popes have turned out not to accurately predict their papacies. (John Paul II was assumed to be predicted to be named Gregory by the People's Almanac in 1975.)
The Prophecy of the Popes according to Saint Malachy is a list of 112 short Latin phrases purported to describe each of the Roman Catholic popes (along with a few antipopes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a future pope described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end in the destruction of the city of Rome and the Last Judgment.
Popes and corresponding mottos
The Prophecies of St Malachy
| Pope No. | Name (Reign) | Motto (Translation) | Historical Reference and Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | Celestine II (1143-1144) | 1 Ex castro Tyberis (From a castle on the Tiber) | Hist.: Born in Città di Castello, Tuscany, on the shores of the Tiber |
| 168 | Lucius II (1144-1145) | 2 Inimicus expulsus (Enemy Expelled) | Gheraldo Cassianemici, of Bologna.Noble whose surname signifies expels enemies.and complied with currency and surname, inasmuch as with armor and shield of leather took the Capitol of Rome, but was injured of death in it takes of the Senate, for which died in the monastery of San Gregorio, out of Rome. Enemy expelled, by their own parishioners, in defiance with the Papacy, and supported by the normandos that occupied the south of Italy. |
| 169 | Eugenius III (1145-1153) | 3 Ex magnitudine montis (Of the greatness of the mount) | Born in the castle of Grammont (latin: mons magnus), his family name was Montemagno |
| 170 | Anastasius IV (1153-1154) | 4 Abbas Suburranus (A Suburran Abbott) | |
| 171 | Adrian IV (1154-1159) | 5 De rure albo (Field of Albe) | Educated in the St Albans School |
| Antipope Victor IV (1159-1164) | 6 Ex tetro carcere (Out of a harsh prison) | ||
| Antipope Paschal III (1164-1168) | 7 Via trans-Tyberina (Road beyond the Tiber) | ||
| Antipope Calistus III (1168-1178) | 8 De Pannonia Tusciae (From Tuscian Hungary) | ||
| 172 | Alexander III (1159-1181) | 9 Ex ansere custode (Out of the custodian goose) | |
| 173 | Lucius III (1181-1185) | 10 Lux in ostio (A light in the gate) | |
| 174 | Urban III (1185-1187) | 11 Sus in cribo (A sow in a sieve) | |
| 175 | Gregory VIII (1187) | 12 Ensis Laurentii (The sword of Larence) | |
| 176 | Clement III (1187-1191) | 13 De schola exiet (Coming out of school) | |
| 177 | Celestine III (1191-1198) | 14 De rure bovensi (From cattle country) | |
| 178 | Innocent III (1198-1216) | 15 Comes signatus (Signed Count) | Descendant of the noble Signy, later called Segni family |
| 179 | Honorius III (1216-1227) | 16 Canonicus de latere (A canon from the side) | |
| 180 | Gregory IX (1227-1241) | 17 Avis Ostiensis (Bird of Ostia) | Before his election he was Cardinal of Ostia |
| 181 | Celestine IV (1241) | 18 Leo Sabinus (The Sabine lion) | |
| 182 | Innocent IV (1243-1254) | 19 Comes Laurentius (Count Lawrence) | |
| 183 | Alexander IV (1254-1261) | 20 Signum Ostiense (A sign of Ostia) | |
| 184 | Urban IV (1261-1264) | 21 Hierusalem Campaniae (Jerusalem of Champagne) | Native of Troyes, Champagne, later patriarch of Jerusalem |
| 185 | Clement IV (1265-1268) | 22 Draca depressus (A dragon held down) | |
| 186 | Gregory X (1271-1276) | 23 Anguinus vir (A snake-like life) | |
| 187 | Innocent V (1276) | 24 Concionatur Gallus (A French preacher) | |
| 188 | Adrian V (1276) | 25 Bonus Comes (A good count) | |
| 189 | John XXI (1276-1277) | 26 Piscator Tuscus (The Tuscan fisherman) | |
| 190 | Nicholas III (1277-1280) | 27 Rosa composita (A composed rose) | |
| 191 | Martin IV (1281-1285) | 28 Ex teloneo liliacei Martini (From the receipt of custom of Martin of the Lilies) | |
| 192 | Honorius IV (1285-1287) | 29 Ex rosa leonina (Out of the leonine rose) | |
| 193 | Nicholas IV (1288-1292) | 30 Picus inter escas (A woodpecker among fodder) | |
| 194 | St. Celestine V (1294) | 31 Ex eremo celsus (elevated from a hermit) | Hist.: prior to his election he was a hermit in the monastery of Pouilles |
| 195 | Boniface VIII (1294-1303) | 32 Ex undarum benedictione (From a blessing of the waves) | |
| 196 | Benedict XI (1303-1304) | 33 Concionator patereus (A Patarean preacher) | |
| 197 | Clement V (1305-1314) | 34 De fessis Aquitanicis (Ribbon/Ditches of Aquitaine) | Archbishop of Bordeaux in Aquitaine |
| 198 | John XXII (1316-1334) | 35 De sutore osseo (Of the cobbler of Osseo) | Family name Ossa, son of a shoe-maker |
| Antipope Nicholas V (1328-1330) | 36 Corvus schismaticus (The schismatic crow) | Note the reference to the schism, the only antipope at this period | |
| 199 | Benedict XII (1334-1342) | 37 Frigidus Abbas (Cold friar]]) | Hist.: he was a priest in the monastery of Fontfroide (coldfront) |
| 200 | Clement VI (1342-1352) | 38 De rosa Attrebatensi (From the rose of Arras) | |
| 201 | Innocent VI (1352-1362) | 39 De montibus Pammachii (From the mountains of Pammachius) | |
| 202 | Urban V (1362-1370) | 40 Gallus Vice-comes (A French viscount) | |
| 203 | Gregory XI (1370-1378) | 41 Novus de Virgine forti (Novel of the virgin fort) | Hist.: count of Beaufort, later Cardinal of Ste-Marie La Neuve |
| Antipope Clement VII (1378-1394) | 42 De cruce Apostilica (From an apostolic cross) | ||
| Antipope Benedict XIII (1394-1423) | 43 Luna Cosmedina (The moon of Cosmedin) | ||
| Antipope Clement VIII (1423-1429) | 44 Schisma Barcinonicum (A schismatic from Barcelona) | ||
| 204 | Urban VI (1378-1389) | 45 De Inferno praegnanti (Pregnani from hell) | |
| 205 | Boniface IX (1389-1404) | 46 Cubus de mixtione (The square of mixture) | |
| 206 | Innocent VII (1404-1406) | 47 De meliore sydere (From a better star) | |
| 207 | Gregory XII (1406-1415) | 48 Nauta de ponte nigro (Sailor from the black bridge/point) | |
| Antipope Alexander V (1409-1410) | 49 Flagellum Solis (Scourge of the sun) | ||
| Antipope John XXIII (1410-1415) | 50 Cervus Sirenae (Stag of Syrenae) | ||
| 208 | Martin V (1417-1431) | 51 Corona veli aurei (Crown with the golden veil) | |
| 209 | Eugenius IV (1431-1447) | 52 Lupa caelestina (Celestinian she-wolf) | |
| Antipope Felix V (1439-1449) | 53 Amator crucis (Lover of the Cross) | ||
| 210 | Nicholas V (1447-1455) | 54 De modicitate lunae (Of the moon's temperance) | |
| 211 | Callistus III (1455-1458) | 55 Bos pascens (Grazing ox) | Alphonse Borgia's arms sported a golden grazing ox |
| 212 | Pius II (1458-1464) | 56 De capra et Albergo (From a she-goat and a tavern) | |
| 213 | Paul II (1464-1471) | 57 De cervo et Leone (From a stag and a lion) | |
| 214 | Sixtus IV (1471-1484) | 58 Piscator Minorita (Minorite fisherman) | |
| 215 | Innocent VIII (1484-1492) | 59 Praecursor Siciliae (A fore-runner from Sicily) | |
| 216 | Alexander VI (1492-1503) | 60 Bos Albanus in portu (Alban bull in port) | |
| 217 | Pius III (1503) | 61 De parvo homine (Of a little man) | |
| 218 | Julius II (1503-1513) | 62 Fructus jovis juvabit (The fruit of Jupiter will help) | |
| 219 | Leo X (1513-1521) | 63 De craticula Politiana (From a Politian gridiron) | |
| 220 | Adrian VI (1522-1523) | 64 Leo Florentius (Florentine lion) | |
| 221 | Clement VII (1523-1534) | 65 Flos pilaei aegri (Flower of the Pills) | |
| 222 | Paul III (1534-1549) | 66 Hiacynthus medicorum (The Hyacinth physician) | |
| 223 | Julius III (1550-1555) | 67 De corona Montana ('Mount the Crown) | |
| 224 | Marcellus II (1555) | 68 Frumentum floccidum (Fluffy Wheat) | |
| 225 | Paul IV (1555-1559) | 69 De fide Petri (Of the faith of Peter) | |
| 226 | Pius IV (1559-1565) | 70 Aesculapii pharmacum (The drug of Asclepius) | |
| 227 | St. Pius V (1566-1572) | 71 Angelus nemorosus (Angel of the Forest) | |
| 228 | Gregory XIII (1572-1585) | 72 Medium corpus pilarum (Half of a body of balls) | |
| 229 | Sixtus V (1585-1590) | 73 Axis in medietate signi (An axis in the midst of signs) | |
| 230 | Urban VII (1590) | 74 De rore caeli (Of the Dew of the Sky) | |
| 231 | Gregory XIV (1590-1591) | 75 De antiquitate Urbis (Of the old city) | |
| 232 | Innocent IX (1591) | 76 Pia civitas in bello (Pious City in War) | |
| 233 | Clement VIII (1592-1605) | 77 Crux Romulea (Roman Cross) | |
| 234 | Leo XI (1605) | 78 Undosus Vir (Wavy Male) | |
| 235 | Paul V (1605-1621) | 79 Gens perversa (The Evil People) | |
| 236 | Gregory XV (1621-1623) | 80 In tribulatione pacis (In trouble with the Peace) | |
| 237 | Urban VIII (1623-1644) | 81 Lilium et rosa (Lily and Rose) | |
| 238 | Innocent X (1644-1655) | 82 Jucunditas crucis (Delight of the Cross) | |
| 239 | Alexander VII (1655-1667) | 83 Montium custos (Guardian of the Hills) | Had his family crest three hills with a star above them. |
| 240 | Clement IX (1667-1669) | 84 Sydus Olorum (Constellation of swans) | Upon his election, he was apparently the occupant of the Chamber of Swans in the Vatican. |
| 241 | Clement X (1670-1676) | 85 De flumine magno (Of a Great River) | |
| 242 | Innocent XI (1676-1689) | 86 Bellua insatiabilis (Insatiable beast) | |
| 243 | Alexander VIII (1689-1691) | 87 Poenitentia gloriosa (Glorious penitence) | |
| 244 | Innocent XII (1691-1700) | 88 Rastrum in porta (The rake at the door) | |
| 245 | Clement XI (1700-1721) | 89 Flores circumdati (Surrounded by Flowers) | |
| 246 | Innocent XIII (1721-1724) | 90 De bona Religione (Of the Good Religion) | |
| 247 | Benedict XIII (1724-1730) | 91 Miles in bello (Soldier in War) | |
| 248 | Clement XII (1730-1740) | 92 Columna excelsa (Lofty Column) | |
| 249 | Benedict XIV (1740-1758) | 93 Animal rurale (Rural Animal) | |
| 250 | Clement XIII (1758-1769) | 94 Rosa Umbriae (The Rose of Umbria) | Served in Umbria before becoming pope - Umbria's emblem is the rose |
| 251 | Clement XIV (1769-1774) | 95 Ursus velox (Swift Bear) | Had the image of a running bear on his family crest |
| 252 | Pius VI (1775-1799) | 96 Peregrinus Apostolicus (Apostolic wanderer) | Spent the last years of his life as a fugitive from the policial aftermath of the French Revolution |
| 253 | Pius VII (1800-1823) | 97 Aquila rapax (Rapacious eagle) | |
| 254 | Leo XII (1823-1829) | 98 Canis et coluber (Dog and adder) | |
| 255 | Pius VIII (1829-1830) | 99 Vir religiosus (Religious Male) | |
| 256 | Gregory XVI (1831-1846) | 100 De balneis hetruriae (From the baths of Etruria) | Prior to his election he was member of an order founded by Saint Romuald, at Balneo, in Etruria, present day Tuscany. |
| 257 | Pius IX (1846-1878) | 101 Crux de cruce (Cross of the Cross) | |
| 258 | Leo XIII (1878-1903) | 102 Lumen in caelo (Light in the Sky) | |
| 259 | St. Pius X (1903-1914) | 103 Ignis ardent (Ardent fire) | See below |
| 260 | Benedict XV (1914- 1922) | 104 Religio depopulata (Religion laid waste) | See below |
| 261 | Pius XI (1922-1939) | 105 Fides intrepida (Intrepid faith) | See below |
| 262 | Pius XII (1939-1958) | 106 Pastor angelicus (An angelic shepherd) | See below |
| 263 | John XXIII (1958-1963) | 107 Pastor et Nauta (Pastor and Marine) | See below |
| 264 | Paul VI (1963-1978) | 108 Flos florum (Flower of flowers) | See below |
| 265 | John Paul I (1978) | 109 De medietate Lunae (Of the half of the moon) | See below |
| 266 | John Paul II (1978-2005) | 110 De labore Solis (Of the eclipse of the sun, or from the labour of the sun) | See below |
| 267 | Benedict XVI (2005-) | 111 Gloria olivae (The glory of the olive) | See below |
| ??? | In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis ciuitas septicollis diruetur, & Iudex tremêdus iudicabit populum suum. Finis. (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.) | See below |
Contemporary Popes and the Prophecy
Pope Pius X (Ignis ardent)
The motto means "ardent fire". The pope was known for his great personal piety and strong devotion to the church, advocating reforms such as the codification of Canon law, daily communion and the Gregorian chant in the Catholic liturgy.
Pope Benedict XV (Religio depopulata)
The motto means "religion laid waste". During Pope Benedict XV's reign, two significant events occurred: World War I, which killed 15 million people in Europe, and the October Revolution in Russia, which established the atheist Soviet Union.
Pope Pius XI (Fides intrepida)
The motto means "intrepid faith". This pope released the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge which condemned Nazi racism and also signed agreements with fascist Italy which, among other things, gave the Vatican sovereignty, established the pope as head of state, and added 700 million Lire to the church coffers.
Pope Pius XII (Pastor angelicus)
The motto means "an angelic shepherd". This pope was known to be very mystical, and it was believed that he received visions. Whenever he telephoned someone the recipient would always kneel. His writings added greatly to understanding of Catholic beliefs and church doctrine.
Pope John XXIII (Pastor et Nauta)
Prior to his election he was patriarch of Venice, which is a maritime city, famous for is waterways and gondolas.
According Peter Bander in The Prophecies of Malachy (TAN Books and Publisher, 1969) during the conclave which was to elect John XXIII, a certain Cardinal from the United States, (Cardinal Spellman of New York) evidently having taken Malachy's forecast that the next pope would be "pastor and mariner" literally, rented a boat, filled it with sheep and sailed up and down the Tiber.
Pope Paul VI (Flos florum)
Pope Paul VI, who reigned from 1963 - 1978, is described in the prophecies as Flos florum (flower of flowers). His personal arms bore three fleurs-de-lis, the well-used symbol in flags and heraldry used to represent the French monarchy. "Fleurs-de-lis" literally means "flower of lily". However, this disregards all the other papal arms that had flowers on them as well.
Pope John Paul I (De medietate Lunae)
De medietate Lunae translates to "of the half-moon". It could also be interpreted as de media aetate lunae, meaning of the average age of the moon. Albino Luciani, who later became Pope John Paul I, was born in Canale d'Ogardo, diocese of Belluno (beautiful moon). He was elected on August 26, 1978, the day after the moon reached its last quarter, and reigned for 33 days, approximately five days longer than a lunar cycle. He died the day before the new moon. However, a much simpler explanation might be that he was born on the day of the half moon: on October 17, 1912, the moon was in its first quarter. Other point to the translation of his name before becoming pope, Albino Luciani, or "white light".
Pope John Paul II (De labore Solis)
The prophetic motto corresponding to Pope John Paul II is De labore Solis, which literally means "Of the labor of the sun", but "labores solis" also means solar eclipse. Karol Wojtyla, who later became Pope John Paul II was born on May 18, 1920 during a a partial solar eclipse over the Indian Ocean, and buried on April 8, 2005, the day of a rare "hybrid" eclipse over the southwestern Pacific and South America. He might also be seen to be the fruit of the intercession of the Woman Clothed with the Sun labouring in Revelation 12 (because of his devotion to the Virgin Mary).
It has also been suggested that the associated Latin phrase could also be a cryptic term for de borealis sol, of the northern sun, being a luminary coming from Poland to the north; this would be very ungrammatical Latin, however. It has also so happened that an abnormally high number of sunspots have been recorded throughout all the many years of his pontificate. Another interpretation points simply to the sun rising in the east and his being the first Pope from Eastern Europe. Yet another is that he was the first Pope to go around the world, as the Sun does. A further theory is that the combination of labore and solis cryptically refers to "the sun of the workers", i.e., the star of communism, with John Paul being the only pope to have spent much of his life under a communist regime.
Pope Benedict XVI (Gloria Olivae)
Gloria Olivae, glory of the olive, is the next phrase following De labore Solis. Prior to the papal conclave, this motto led to speculation that the next pontiff would be from the Order of Saint Benedict, whose symbols include the olive branch. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, selected in April 2005, is not a Benedictine, but did pick Benedict XVI as his papal name, which might be regarded as a fulfillment of this prophecy.
It must be noted that, probably thanks to the Prophecy, the betting site PaddyPower accurately predicted that Benedict would have the highest odds of being the future papal name.
Yet there can also be a different meaning. Pope Benedict XVI had his birthday on April 16 and on that day is celebrated the feast of Saint Benedict Joseph Labrè (March 26 1748 - April 16 1783), also known as the Holy Pilgrim. His first name was already Joseph and together with Benedict, which he has now assumed, his Christian namesake is now complete. Moreover, the Order of St Benedict is also known as that of the Olivetans.
According to other interpreters, he will promote world peace (as in an olive branch). Fittingly, Pope Benedict XVI has chosen pax or "peace" as his papal motto.
There had already been, before the election of the pope, a concomitance in two unrelated events occurring on the opening date of the 2005 Conclave. First, a Turkish presidential candidate won overnight the northern Cyprus elections favouring re-unification peace talks of the two sectors; the Cyprus flag has two inter-locking olive branches in it. Secondly, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was forced to resign as a result of pressure from the leftist opposition called l'Ulivo.
Clemente Domínguez y Gómez, the late self-proclaimed Pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church also used to claim that he was the glory of the olive.
Petrus Romanus
The longest and final motto reads, "In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oues in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis ciuitas septicollis diruetur, & Iudex tremêdus iudicabit populum suum. Finis." (During the final persecution, the seat of the Holy Roman Church will be occupied by Peter the Roman, who will feed the sheep in many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed, and the terrible Judge will judge his people. The End.) According to some sources, this was not a part of the original prophecy but was added in the early 19th Century by a publisher.
Two men claiming to be Pope Peter II have emerged in recent years, probably inspired by this motto.
There are several interpretations regarding the last Popes listed by St. Malachy taken by those who believe the prophecies:
- Regarding whether additional Popes, not listed by St. Malachy occur between Gloria Olivae and Petrus Romanus the following differing views are held:
- Gloria Olivae is immediately followed by Petrus Romanus.
- Because no number is assigned to Petrus Romanus, he and Gloria Olivae might be one and the same pope.
- Because no number is assigned to Petrus Romanus, any number of popes could intervene between these two popes.
- Regarding whether the Papacy ends with Petrus Romanus, the following differing views are held:
- Petrus Romanus will be the final Pope. The end of his papacy will mark either the end of the papacy, the end of the Church, or the end of the world.
- There will be additional Popes following Petrus Romanus, about which Malachy did not write. There is also possibility that these additional popes might be considered antipopes, which could justify their omission in St. Malachy's eyes.