There's a document that claims to name every pope who will ever live. It was supposedly written in the 1100s, contains 112 short Latin phrases — one for each pope — and ends with a prediction that the last pope will watch Rome burn. By most counts, Pope Francis was number 112. He died in April 2025. The Catholic Church elected another pope anyway. So either the prophecy was wrong, or we've miscounted — or something else entirely.
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Riddles of the Past·3/4·1′
The place
Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica
The Prophecy of the Popes
A medieval list naming every pope — and we've already passed the last entry
12th century prophecy (attributed); 1595 (published)Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica
Moral of the Story
“Prophecy derives its power not from accuracy but from our inability to stop wondering — the question 'what if?' is more powerful than any answer.”
Characters
S
Saint Malachy of ArmaghA
Arnold Wion (publisher)P
Pope Benedict XVIP
Pope FrancisP
Peter the Roman (prophesied)Source
Wion, Arnold, Lignum Vitae (1595); attributed to Saint Malachy of Armagh