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St. Malachy, whose Gaelic name was M谩el M谩ed贸c, was born in Ireland in AD 1094. He became a Catholic priest and later the archbishop of Armagh. Several miracles have been attributed to him, according to the Roman Catholic Church, including healing the son of King David I of Scotland. Malachy was the first Irishman to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
Malachy was an influential reformer within Irish Catholicism, bringing its liturgical practices into closer agreement with those of Rome. For his efforts, he was appointed legate for Ireland, but during a trip to Clairvaux, France, in 1148 to visit Bernard, he became ill and died on November 2 of that year.
Malachy is known today for a set of 112 prophecies, referred to as the Prophecy of the Popes. Malachy purportedly wrote the text in 1139, although the prophecies were not 鈥渄iscovered鈥 until 1590. Each prophecy is nothing more than a cryptic Latin phrase; taken together, they seem to represent a succession of future popes. Malachy鈥檚 list starts with his contemporary, Pope Celestine III, and continues through the next 112 popes. According to the prophecy, the last pope would be called Petrus Romanus (鈥淧eter the Roman鈥), and his reign would end with Judgment Day. Here is the text of Malachy鈥檚 prophecy of the final pope on his list:
In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations, and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End.
Malachy鈥檚 prophecy has been a source of conjecture and controversy ever since it was published. The prophecy has recently come into focus again because of the death of Pope Francis I. According to Malachy鈥檚 reckoning, Pope Francis I was the last pope before a time of 鈥渕any tribulations.鈥Here are the final five popes, according to Malachy鈥檚 Prophecy of the Popes:
Flos Florum (鈥淔lower of Flowers鈥) — Pope Paul VI
De Medietate Lunae (鈥淥f the Half Moon鈥) — Pope Juan Pablo I
De Labore Solis (鈥淔rom the Toil of the Sun鈥) — Pope John Paul II
Gloria Olivae (鈥淭he Glory of the Olive鈥) — Pope Benedict XVI
Petrus Romanus (鈥淧eter the Roman鈥) — Pope Francis I
Some people have found interesting links between Malachy鈥檚 prophecies and the popes. For example, Pope Paul VI, described by Malachy as 鈥淔lower of Flowers,鈥 had a coat of arms that contained fleur-de-lys. Other connections between the popes and their prophecies are more strained and hardly plausible.
According to Malachy鈥檚 prophecy, the final pope would take the title 鈥淧ope Peter the Roman鈥 or something similar. According to Catholic teaching, the apostle Peter was the first pope, and, according to Malachy, another Peter will be the final pope.
The prophecy mentions 鈥減ersecution鈥 and the destruction of Rome (鈥渢he city of seven hills鈥). This has led some to believe that the final pope will be the precursor to the Antichrist or the false prophet of Revelation 13. Others have taken Malachy鈥檚 writings and compared them to the works of Nostradamus, giving rise to the idea of a 鈥black pope鈥 or a leader of evil character who will appear in the end times.
Because Malachy was immersed in the teachings and dogmas of the Catholic Church, his prophetic utterances and dreams are questionable at best. His prophecy is extra-biblical; for that matter, the whole concept of a 鈥減ope鈥 is extra-biblical. Rather than predict the end times according to the dreams of a Catholic mystic, we should trust what God鈥檚 Word says. For information concerning the end times, read the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Revelation, along with Matthew 24.
The Bible warns against listening to false prophets who speak as though their oracles were given to them by God (Jeremiah 23:32; Matthew 24:11). We know that the tribulation and Judgment Day are coming because the Bible tells us so. But we don鈥檛 know when (see Matthew 24:36–44). The timing of prophetic events certainly has nothing to do with the succession of popes or Malachy鈥檚 messages.
