Euronews points to Malachy prophecy and the end coming in 2027

There is a list of pontiffs that an Irish bishop named Malachy put together in the 12th century. Over a decade ago, I bought a copy of the book shown above related to the Malachy predictions of 112 future popes.

Though various Roman Catholics believe that the list was divinely inspired, and this also seems to have been the position of the Protestant prophetic writer Hal Lindsey, many (including this author) do not believe that the list was from God. Many make light of the list for a variety of reasons.

Even the expression “malarkey” seems to have originated as a derivative of the word Malachy, possibly because of how some viewed Malachy’s writings. Malarkey signifies worthlessness.

Yet, his list has been remarkably accurate–though one has to include a few “antipopes” for it to work.

I have long believed that the list was demonically-inspired–hence I do not rely on it.

Interestingly, Euronews published the following about it:

900-year-old Vatican doomsday prophecy resurfaces amid Pope Francis’ illness

According to a 900-year-old book in the Vatican, ‘Judgement Day’ may be upon us soon, and Pope Francis might be the last leader of the Church.

The health of Pope Francis has led to renewed interest in a 900-year-old book known as “The Prophecy of the Popes” (“Prophetia Sancti Malachiae Archiepiscopi, de Summis Pontificibus” – or “Prophecy of Saint-Archbishop Malachy, concerning the Supreme Pontiffs”), which claims to predict the year of Judgement Day.

For those of you who need brushing up on your scripture, Judgement Day – also known as “The Final Judgement” or “the second coming of Jesus Christ” – is the day that Jesus returns to Earth to judge humanity and destroy Earth and Heaven. …

According to the 12th-century book credited to Irish bishop Saint Malachy, it’s going to take place in 2027. …

The book contains a series of Latin phrases in 112 mysterious sections which purport to predict the Catholic popes, beginning with Celestine II up to the Church’s current leader.

One passage, attributed to Pope Sixtus V, reads: “Axle in the midst of a sign”.

Pope Sixtus’ tenure began 442 years after the first Pope’s rule, and the passage suggests he is in the ‘middle’ of the papal lineage – thus indicating the end of the world would come 442 years later, in 2027.

The last passage of the book reads: “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 “seven-hilled city” refers to Rome and some interpret the last passage as Peter taking over as the Pope from Francis due to the latter’s chronic lung disease, making Francis the last Pope. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2025/03/14/900-year-old-vatican-doomsday-prophecy-resurfaces-amid-pope-francis-illness

First, let me state that because of signs Jesus said to look for in the 24th chapter of the Book of Matthew, we can be sure that the end will NOT come in 2027 as that is much too soon. However, the last pope could be in place that year.

Second, the idea that the year Pope Sixtus V began as pontiff is not necessarily relevant in the Malachy list. Nor is the number of years to get to 2027 necessarily relevant.

That said, while Pope Francis could be considered as number 112 on the Malachy list as he followed number 111, who was Benedict XVI. Yet, because Benedict XVI was alive when Francis became the Roman Catholic pontiff, some have said that Francis does not count, hence there is another pontiff to come after Francis.

Of course, many Roman Catholics believe that Francis is the legitimate successor of Benedict.

On the Malachy list, the pope after the one believed to be Benedict XVI is listed as the last one.

Now there are several similarities between the prophecy of Bishop Malachy related to the last pope and statements in the chapter 17 of the Book of Revelation (also known as the Apocalypse).

Let us look at the entire prediction of the final pope by Bishop Malachy as reported in The Catholic Encyclopedia:

“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.”

Now let us notice that the Bible warns about something happening in the end time that is consistent with parts of the Malachy prophecy.

1 And there came one of the seven angels, who had the seven vials, and spoke with me, saying: Come, I will shew thee the condemnation of the great harlot, who sitteth upon many waters, 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication; and they who inhabit the earth, have been made drunk with the whine of her whoredom.

3 And he took me away in spirit into the desert. And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was clothed round about with purple and scarlet, and gilt with gold, and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of the abomination and filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: A mystery; Babylon the great, the mother of the fornications, and the abominations of the earth. 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And I wondered, when I had seen her, with great admiration.

7 And the angel said to me: Why dost thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast which carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction: and the inhabitants on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast that was, and is not.

9 And here is the understanding that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings: 10 Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come: and when he is come, he must remain a short time. 11 And the beast which was, and is not: the same also is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into destruction.

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but shall receive power as kings one hour after the beast. 13 These have one design: and their strength and power they shall deliver to the beast. 14 These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they that are with him are called, and elect, and faithful.

15 And he said to me: The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest in the beast: these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire. 17 For God hath given into their hearts to do that which pleaseth him: that they give their kingdom to the beast, till the words of God be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest, is the great city, which hath kingdom over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:1-18, DRB)

In both Malachy’s list and the Book of Revelation we see:

Reference to the city of seven hills/mountains.
The destruction of the city of seven hills/mountains.
The end of a power in Rome.
Persecution.
Troubles/tribulations on the earth.
A type of judgment.
Events for the end time.

The persecution that the Bible tells of is of the truly faithful (Revelation 17:6 and seemingly others per 17:16-17). And the judgment that the Bible shows will happen, will also come from God (Revelation 17:1,14; cf. 6:10; 18:10).

While Malachy himself seemed to indicate that his list included all the future popes, it should be noted that decades ago, Peter Bander (author of the book shown at the beginning of this post) wrote that Malachy’s list could allow that there would be other popes, not on the list, prior to the last one. Roman Catholic writers have long written that there could be other popes between Gloria olivæ (number 111) and the last one:

Some medieval interpreters have gone out of their way to stress that Malachy in his prophecies does not specifically mention that no Popes reign between Gloria Olivae and the last Petrus Romanus; nor on the other hand does he mention that there will be others. (Bander P. The Prophecies of St. Malachy. Originally written in 1969. TAN Books reprint, Rockford (IL), 1973)

It has been noticed concerning Petrus Romanus, who according to St. Malachy’s list is to be the last pope, that the prophecy does not say that no popes will intervene between him and his predecessor designated Gloria olivæ. It merely says that he is to be the last, so that we may suppose as many popes as we please before “Peter the Roman”.(Devine, Arthur. “Prophecy.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911

So, the above does give the Malachy list supporters “wiggle room” for there to be a pope after Francis.

Notice also:

Priest Gaudentius Rossi (19th century): According to St. Malachy, then, only ten, or at most eleven, popes remain to be in future more or less legitimately elected. We say more or less legitimately elected, because out of those future popes it is to be feared that one or two will be unlawfully elected as anti-popes.(Rossi, Gaudentius. The Christian Trumpet: Or, Previsions and Predictions about Impending General Calamities, the Universal Triumph of the Church, the Coming of the Anti-Christ, the Last Judgment, and the End of the World; Divided Into Three Parts, 4th edition. Patrick Donahoe, 1875. Original from Oxford University. Digitized Sep 1, 2006, p. 203)

There have not been any recognized “antipopes” since Felix V’s time in 1439-1449. Thus, if Priest Rossi’s understanding on those points is correct, it would seem then that the last pope on Malachy’s list would be an anti-pope as there are no others left on the Malachy list. The Bible tells of the final Antichrist (1 John 2:18, 4:1-3), who would also be the false prophet that Revelation 16:13 warns against.

Jesus warned that “many false prophets would arise and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).

The Apostle Paul warns that “Satan” tries to “take advantage of us,” yet Christians “are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).

So, despite certain accuracy of the Malachy list, we need to be on guard that we are not deceived that the list is from God or that those on the list are God’s represents on the earth.

It seems that the False Prophet (like most other Roman Catholic bishops have) may claim (based more on tradition than fact) that there was an unbroken succession of bishops in Rome from Peter onwards, that there have been bishops of Rome from the 2nd through 21st centuries (which is essentially true, though some were in France), and that since Malachy’s list has somewhat accurately predicted every pope since the middle of the 12th century (which is not quite true as the list includes what Roman Catholics would consider to be false or “antipopes” without indicating that most of them would be false), that therefore the final changed Roman Catholic Church is the one true Christian faith (and although none should believe that, though many will).

(To see an alternative succession list, check out the free e-book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?)

Furthermore, Satan very well could have influenced the voting for Francis to add at least one extra pontiff between numbers 111 and 112 on the list.

Whether or not Pope Francis could be the last pope, the fact is that the one that is the last pope on the Malachy list seems to be warned against in the Holy Bible.

The ecumenical, inter-faith, and economic agenda of Pope Francis is consistent with him being an antipope. But he, still, does not have to be the last one, though if he is counted, he is #112 on Malachy’s list. Nor has Pope Francis the type of signs and wonders that would point to him being the False Prophet of Revelation 13:11-15 and 16:13.

Notice the following Roman Catholic prophecies:

Bl. Anna-Maria Taigi (19th Century) … St. Peter and St. Paul, having come down from Heaven, will preach in the whole world and designate a new Pope. A great light will flash from their bodies and will settle upon the cardinal who is to become Pope. Christianity, then, will spread throughout the world. He is the Holy Pontiff, chosen by God to withstand the storm. At the end, he will have the gift of miracles, and his name shall be praised over the whole earth (Birch DA. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before During and After Antichrist. Queenship Publishing Company, Goleta (CA), 1996, pp. 362-363).

Abbott Joachim (died 1202): A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair. Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him. (Connor Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, pp. 31-33)

Prodigies means miraculous signs an wonders. The pontiff sounds like the one warned against in the Book of Revelation. Unless we see such from Francis, he clearly is not fulfilling Roman Catholic prophecy as the last pope.

Furthermore, consider that some believe that Francis may not be the legitimate successor of Benedict. So, if Francis is not counted in the Malachy list, the one who comes after him may be.

If so, he looks prophesied by Roman Catholics to be an antipope, and the one we in the CCOG would suspect may be the final biblical antichrist.

We will see.

But the end WILL NOT be in 2027.

Some items of related interest may include:

The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2025, 2026, or 2027? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? A short video is available titled: Great Tribulation Trends 2025.
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video of related interest could be Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Can the Final Antichrist be Islamic? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out. A related sermon is titled: Is the Final Antichrist Islamic or European? Another video is Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome?
Christ or Antichrist? 1961 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
Will You Be Deceived by Antichrist? 1964 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
Do Certain Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Certain Catholic writings indicate this, while others take a different view, but what does the Bible show? A related sermon is Will Jesus Christ be called the Antichrist?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
The Last Pope Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Why might Pope Francis be the last pope? What happens if he is? Biblical and other prophecies help explain what to expect.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Amazon Book What does the Bible say about a pope near this time? Is the final pope to be an antipope and antichrist? Does Catholic prophecy point to Pope Francis as being the dreaded “Peter the Roman”? This 186 page book provides information and answers.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle This electronic version of the printed book which is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle.