The death of Pope Francis It has brought to public sight an ancient prophecy that predicts the end of the Catholic Church and announces the arrival of the end of time, in which humanity will be judged by its actions. The prophecy was attributed to the Irish archbishop Malachi, from the twelfth century.
It is known that this prediction was part of an alleged vision that the religious had during his visit to Rome in 1139, where the order of the pontiffs who would direct the Vatican and the Church until the end of the world was revealed.
The letter, almost 900 years old, is known as The prophecy of the potatoes. It details that the last pontiff will govern in a time of tribulations, in which he must guide his sheep.
This prediction, according to some religious, refers to Pope Francis, who was an intermediary in international conflicts, faced a pandemic that isolated the world and lived humanitarian crises such as mass migration, poverty and violence.
The prophecy, supposedly written by the archbishop Malachi, points out that the Vatican will face its end near 2027. Therefore, some believe that Pope Francis’s successor could be the true last pontiff of the Catholic Church.
The call to the conclave, after the recent death of Pope Francis, has revived the debate on the fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi. While some faithfully believe in their words, others warn that there are facts that question their authenticity.
Historically it is detailed that the manuscript was written in 1139, but would have been lost in the Vatican archives for 456 years. It was not until 1595 when the Benedictine monk Arnold Wion located the document in the secret archives of the Vatican.
The finding revealed that Malachi would have predicted 109 pontiffs after his vision and established that in 2027 the end of time would approach, specifically 898 years after the writing of prophecy.
As detailed Euronewsthe translation of the writing The prophecy of the potatoes indicates:
“In the last period of the Holy Roman Church, Pedro el Romano will reign, who will lead to his flock through many tribulations. Then the city of the seven hills will be destroyed and the people will be judged: the end.”
This prophecy mentions Pedro the Roman, a figure that many interpret as the following pontiff that will lead the Catholic Church, while others consider that Pope Francis referred to, by coincidences with the characteristics described.
The other face of the currency
There are two versions about the history of this prophecy. Historians and theology scholars have doubted for years about the authenticity of the document, and even argue that it could have been manufactured for political purposes.
This argument is based on the fact that the descriptions of the potatoes prior to 1595 are detailed, while those corresponding to the subsequent pontiffs are more vague and linear.
It is believed that the document was actually written in the 16th century by a group of religious with political interests, and falsely attributed to Malachi with the aim of influencing the choice of Cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli, whom they described as the new Pope in 1590.
According to the portal US Catholicthis action sought to bring Simoncelli to power. However, it was Niccolò Sfondrati who was finally chosen as a religious leader.