When the First is the Last

The Prophecy of St Malachy (1095-1148):

"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.”

The father of the current pope was Peter, or Pietro, and was from Italy even though the family would eventually move to Argentina.

In 1139, Archbishop Malachy went to Rome from Ireland to give an account of his affairs. While there he received a strange vision about the future that included the name of every pope, 112 in all from his time, who would rule until the end of time. We are now at the Last Prophecy.

His predictions are taken very seriously. As one report states: "In 1958, before the Conclave that would elect Pope John XXIII, Cardinal Spellman of New York hired a boat, filled it with sheep and sailed up and down the Tiber River, to show that he was 'pastor et nautor,' the motto attributed to the next Pope in the prophecies."

As for the prophecy concerning the 111th pope, Pope Benedict, the prophecy says of him, "Gloria Olivae," which means "the glory of the Olive."

The Order of Saint Benedict is also known as the Olivetans, which many claim makes Malachy's prophecies correct. The next and final pope then should be "Peter Romanus."

St Malachy gave an account of his visions to Pope Innocent II, but the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590.

Many of the prophecies are incredibly accurate. For example, the one pertaining to Urban VIII is Lilium et Rosa (the lily and the rose). He was a native of Florence and on the arms of Florence figure a fleur-de-lis. Pope John Paul II is De labore Solis meaning "of the eclipse of the sun." Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920 during a solar eclipse.

Peregrinus apostolicus (pilgrim pope), which designates Pius VI, appears to be verified by his many journeys to new lands.

Pope Francis the First (born in 1936, three years prior to what some believe to be last legitimate pope, Pius XII, being elected) is clearly prophesied to be the Last pope. He was ordained on 13 December 1969, became pope on 13 March 2013 and was announced to the world at the thirteenth chime, aged seventy-six (7+6=13), and is the 266th pope; though many traditionalists hold that all popes after Pius XII are antipopes due to heresies introduced by Vatican II. White doves were released from the Vatican by the new pope. A large black crow instantly attacked the doves. The black crow is a symbol of cunning, death and war. It is also believed to be an indication and sign that great change is coming.