Ancient Prophecy Sparks Panic After Pope’s Death: Is ‘Peter the Roman’ Next—and the End Near?

The Vatican is in mourning—but for some, the sorrow is quickly turning to fear.

Pope Francis has died at the age of 88, following complications from a stroke that led to a coma and eventual heart failure, Vatican officials confirmed Monday. A nine-day period of mourning has begun, and soon the College of Cardinals will gather to elect the next pope.

But as the world braces for a new spiritual leader, an ominous thousand-year-old prophecy is stirring unease across the globe.

According to a chilling document known as the Prophecy of the Popes, written in the 12th century and attributed to Saint Malachy, the next pope—believed to be the last—will reign over a world in turmoil… and possibly preside over its end.

Enter: “Peter the Roman”

The ancient manuscript lists 112 symbolic mottos supposedly identifying future popes. The final name? “Peter the Roman.”

The prophecy reads: “In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations. After these things, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.”

That “city of seven hills” is widely interpreted to mean Rome. And according to some interpretations, this fiery reckoning could arrive by 2027.

“I don’t buy into every ancient prediction,” said Father Marco Bianchi, a traditionalist priest based in Naples, “but even I can admit—it’s a strange coincidence that we’re now at the very end of Malachy’s list. It makes you think.”

A Prophecy Dismissed… or Conveniently Ignored?

Modern scholars have long dismissed the document as a likely 16th-century forgery, possibly penned by a Benedictine monk named Arnold Wyon. Some argue it was created to boost the papal chances of Cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli—an effort that ultimately failed.

“This prophecy didn’t surface until hundreds of years after Malachy’s death,” said papal historian Anura Guruge. “There’s no historical record of it before then. That alone raises serious doubts.”

Still, the prophecy’s cryptic mottos have eerily lined up with past pontiffs. For example, “From the guardian goose” was linked to Pope Alexander III, whose family crest featured a goose. “Pasturing ox” pointed to Callixtus III, whose emblem bore an ox grazing in a field.

Skeptics call it coincidence. Believers call it divine forewarning.

Is Francis the Last Pope?

Some theorists argue that Pope Francis himself may have been “Peter the Roman,” noting his birth name—Jorge Mario Bergoglio—can be tied to Roman roots, and his emphasis on humility and poverty echoes Saint Peter, the first pope.

But others aren’t buying it.

“He never took the name Peter,” said Josh Canning, director of the Newman Centre Chaplaincy in Toronto. “If he was meant to fulfill the prophecy, it would’ve been more obvious. I think we’re still waiting.”

A Crossroads for the Catholic Church—and the World

As cardinals prepare to enter the Sistine Chapel, speculation is running wild.

Will the next pope bring unity—or chaos?

And if he matches the ancient description, will it mean the beginning of the end?

One Vatican insider, speaking under condition of anonymity, put it bluntly: “Every time a pope dies, the prophecy resurfaces. But this time? We’re at the last line. If the next guy is ‘Peter,’ buckle up.”

Whether divine prediction or medieval forgery, one thing’s for sure—Rome is on edge, and the world is watching.