The smoke was white, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica were clanging like crazy, and suddenly the world had a new pontiff: Pope Leo XIV. He’s the first American-born pope in history. Huge deal, right? But for a specific corner of the internet, his election didn't just bring celebration. It brought a weird, creeping sense of dread. People started whispering about an old manuscript from the 1100s, wondering if we’re finally at the finish line.
Honestly, you’ve probably seen the headlines. Is Pope Leo the last pope? It’s a question that pops up every time a new guy puts on the fisherman’s ring, but this time feels different because of a 900-year-old "prediction" that supposedly ends with the guy sitting in the chair right now.
The St. Malachy Prophecy: Where This All Started
Let’s back up. The whole "last pope" thing isn't something the Church actually teaches. It comes from the Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to a 12th-century Irish bishop named Saint Malachy. The story goes that while Malachy was in Rome in 1139, he had this heavy, apocalyptic vision. He saw a list of 112 future popes, each described by a short, cryptic Latin phrase.
Basically, he was writing a "who’s who" of the papacy before these guys were even born.
The catch? The 112th pope on that list is the final one. After him, the prophecy says the city of seven hills (Rome) gets destroyed and a "dreadful judge" shows up for the end of the world. Now, do the math. If you count from the start of the list, Pope Francis was widely considered the 112th name. When he passed away in April 2025, people expected the sky to fall. It didn't. Instead, we got Robert Prevost, now known as Leo XIV.
Why the Math Is Getting Messy
So, if Francis was 112, and Leo is 113, the prophecy is debunked, right?
Kinda. But it’s not that simple for the true believers. They’ve got a few ways to keep the mystery alive. Some folks argue that the prophecy isn't a strict 1-to-1 list. There’s a line in the original Latin text—In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit—that some scholars think refers to a "gap" or a transitional period. They think there could be a bunch of unlisted popes between the 111th guy and the final "Peter the Roman."
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Then you have the name issue. The final pope is supposed to be Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman).
"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations..."
Leo XIV is American. His name is Robert. He doesn't exactly scream "Peter from Rome." But trackers of this stuff are creative. They’ll point out that his middle name might be Peter, or that because he’s the "vicar" of St. Peter, every pope is technically a Peter. It’s a bit of a stretch, honestly.
The Forgery Theory (The Reality Check)
If you talk to a real historian like Fr. James Weiss from Boston College, they’ll tell you the whole Malachy list is likely a 16th-century fake.
The document didn't even surface until 1590. That’s 450 years after Malachy died. Interestingly, the descriptions of the popes before 1590 are eerily accurate. They nail birthplaces and family crests with pinpoint precision. But the ones after 1590? They get super vague. Like "Light in the sky" or "Flower of flowers."
Most experts think a guy named Arnold de Wyon published it to help a specific cardinal win an election in 1590. It was a political hit piece disguised as a holy vision.
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What Really Happened with the Recent Succession
When Pope Francis died in early 2025, there was a lot of talk that the papacy might just... end. Or that the next guy would literally call himself Peter II.
Instead, the Cardinals chose a 69-year-old Augustinian who had spent years as a missionary in Peru. Leo XIV represents a shift toward the Americas, not the end of the world. He’s been focusing on Church management and cleaning up the internal bureaucracy. He doesn't act like a guy who’s expecting the roof to cave in tomorrow.
Is Pope Leo the Last Pope?
The short answer? Probably not.
If we’re following the strict numbering of the St. Malachy list, the "last pope" should have been the one before him. The fact that we have a 113th pope (Leo) suggests that either the prophecy was a forgery, or we’ve misinterpreted how the timeline works. Even the Catholic Encyclopedia and various theologians have pointed out that private revelations like this aren't "Articles of Faith." You don't have to believe them to be a good Catholic.
What You Should Actually Look For
If you’re interested in the future of the papacy, the "signs" aren't usually in cryptic Latin poems. They’re in the actual moves the Church is making.
- Geographic Shifts: The election of an American-Peruvian like Leo XIV shows the Vatican is moving away from its Euro-centric past. This suggests a long-term strategy for the next century, not a countdown to 2027.
- The "Peter" Name: No pope has ever taken the name Peter II out of respect for the first apostle. If a future pope does choose that name, then the Malachy fans will really start losing their minds.
- Internal Reform: Leo XIV is working on "synodality," which is basically a way to make the Church less of a top-down monarchy and more of a global conversation.
Honestly, the world has been "ending" according to someone since the year 1000. Every time there’s a crisis, people dig up old prophecies to make sense of the chaos. Pope Leo XIV is just the latest figure to get caught in that web.
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Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you want to dive deeper into this without falling into a conspiracy rabbit hole, here is how you can actually verify things.
Check the Annuario Pontificio. This is the official Vatican yearbook. It lists every pope. If you want to see where Leo XIV fits in the historical line, that's your source. Don't rely on TikTok "prophecy experts" who usually misquote the Latin anyway.
Keep an eye on official Vatican communications (Vatican News). If there was any real concern about the "end of the papacy," you’d see it reflected in the theological discussions happening in Rome. Right now, the focus is on climate change, poverty, and Church unity—very much "living for the future" topics.
Understand the difference between Public Revelation (the Bible) and Private Revelation (Malachy). The Church says public revelation ended with the last Apostle. Everything else, including Malachy’s list, is optional "take it or leave it" stuff.
So, is Pope Leo the last pope? The evidence says he's just the start of a new chapter. Whether that chapter is long or short depends more on global history than a 16th-century manuscript found in a dusty archive.