Prophecy of the Popes | Saint Malachy's Countdown

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terms subject to change you on april 21st 2025 pope francis died according to one of the most famous prophecies in church history francis was the final pope after him rome burns and judgment day begins 17 days later white smoke rose from the sistine chapel robert privo stepped onto the balcony as leo the 14th the first american pope rome was fine the prophecy failed but did it because buried inside the original lab room the pope was the first pope to die and the pope was the first pope to die inside the original latin there's a countdown the list doesn't end with a pope it ends during a year that year is 2027 every few decades there's a moment where the smart money and the everyday saver end up wanting the exact same thing this might be one of those moments 39 trillion in national debt another trillion printed every few weeks and the pope is the only pope who's ever been the pope he's the only one that's ever been the pope he's the only pope he's the only pope he's the only pope he's 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answers you get straight answers you get straight answers from real people who care go to goldencrestmetals.com slash the y from real people who care go to goldencrestmetals.com slash the y files or call 888-949-9172 that's files or call 888-949-9172 that's files or call 888-949-9172 that's goldencrestmetals.com slash the y files or goldencrestmetals.com slash the y files or goldencrestmetals.com slash the y files or call 888-949-9172 for your 100 free info call 888-949-9172 for your 100 free info call 888-949-9172 for your 100 free info kit one late night in rome in 1139 an one late night in rome in 1139 an one late night in rome in 1139 an archbishop knelt in prayer near the tomb archbishop knelt in prayer near the tomb archbishop knelt in prayer near the tomb of saint peter of saint peter of saint peter he was a long way from home and his heart he was a long way from home and his heart he was a long way from home and his heart was heavy was heavy was heavy maliki traveled from ireland to rome to maliki traveled from ireland to rome to maliki traveled from ireland to rome to support the new pope after years of support the new pope after years of support the new pope after years of chaos chaos chaos innocent the second spent eight years innocent the second spent eight years innocent the second spent eight years fighting a rival for control of the fighting a rival for control of the fighting a rival for control of the church it began as an internal political church it began as an internal political church it began as an internal political feud but escalated into a military feud but escalated into a military feud but escalated into a military campaign that drew in most of europe campaign that drew in most of europe campaign that drew in most of europe innocent won the war but it left a scar innocent won the war but it left a scar innocent won the war but it left a scar he saw firsthand that the papacy could he saw firsthand that the papacy could he saw firsthand that the papacy could be destroyed and the entire church with be destroyed and the entire church with be destroyed and the entire church with it it it that night maliki prayed not just for that night maliki prayed not just for that night maliki prayed not just for the pope for all popes for the church the pope for all popes for the church the pope for all popes for the church itself itself itself then god answered maliki felt a then god answered maliki felt a then god answered maliki felt a vibration growing in his body like vibration growing in his body like vibration growing in his body like electricity but the energy was coming electricity but the energy was coming electricity but the energy was coming from him from him from him then he had a vision it's such a good then he had a vision it's such a good then he had a vision it's such a good vibration vibration vibration it's such a sweet sensation how'd we get it's such a sweet sensation how'd we get it's such a sweet sensation how'd we get there there there maliki mac and a funky punch okay can maliki mac and a funky punch okay can you not make heretical jokes during my you not make heretical jokes during my you not make heretical jokes during my setup yeah my jokes are hysterical setup yeah my jokes are hysterical setup yeah my jokes are hysterical heretical what i say heretical what i say heretical what i say maliki saw pope after pope man after maliki saw pope after pope man after maliki saw pope after pope man after man century after century but not names man century after century but not names man century after century but not names or faces images a castle above a river or faces images a castle above a river or faces images a castle above a river an eagle with open claws a sliver of a an eagle with open claws a sliver of a an eagle with open claws a sliver of a moon an image for every pope who would moon an image for every pope who would moon an image for every pope who would ever live maliki made a list of the ever live maliki made a list of the ever live maliki made a list of the visions each a short phrase in latin 112 visions each a short phrase in latin 112 visions each a short phrase in latin 112 popes one after another popes one after another popes one after another then one final vision then one final vision then one final vision a city on seven hills burning a city on seven hills burning a city on seven hills burning the end of the world the end of the world the end of the world judgment day he gave the manuscript to pope innocent he gave the manuscript to pope innocent he gave the manuscript to pope innocent the second as a comfort the pope who the second as a comfort the pope who the second as a comfort the pope who almost lost the papacy now had proof almost lost the papacy now had proof that the line of peter runs unbroken that the line of peter runs unbroken that the line of peter runs unbroken until the end of the world but a list until the end of the world but a list until the end of the world but a list that ends with the apocalypse isn't a that ends with the apocalypse isn't a that ends with the apocalypse isn't a comfort it's a countdown comfort it's a countdown comfort it's a countdown pope innocent knew how dangerous this pope innocent knew how dangerous this pope innocent knew how dangerous this was he locked the manuscript in the was he locked the manuscript in the was he locked the manuscript in the vatican archives and never spoke of it vatican archives and never spoke of it vatican archives and never spoke of it again again again nobody knew it existed nobody knew it existed nobody knew it existed then in 1590 somebody found it hidden then in 1590 somebody found it hidden then in 1590 somebody found it hidden for 450 years 74 popes came and went for 450 years 74 popes came and went for 450 years 74 popes came and went during that time saint malachi was right during that time saint malachi was right during that time saint malachi was right about all of them in september 1590 pope urban vii died in september 1590 pope urban vii died in september 1590 pope urban vii died just 12 days after his election so the just 12 days after his election so the just 12 days after his election so the cardinals returned to rome to choose a cardinals returned to rome to choose a cardinals returned to rome to choose a new pope but then the document was new pope but then the document was new pope but then the document was found that said the elections never found that said the elections never found that said the elections never mattered four and a half centuries mattered four and a half centuries mattered four and a half centuries earlier a saint made a list every pope earlier a saint made a list every pope earlier a saint made a list every pope was already predicted a list was was already predicted a list was was already predicted a list was terrifying enough but what really upset terrifying enough but what really upset terrifying enough but what really upset the church was how the list ended the church was how the list ended the church was how the list ended the cardinals needed to know if the list the cardinals needed to know if the list the cardinals needed to know if the list was real so they turned to alfonso was real so they turned to alfonso was real so they turned to alfonso chacon he was the most respected papal chacon he was the most respected papal chacon he was the most respected papal story in the live he literally wrote a story in the live he literally wrote a story in the live he literally wrote a book called the lives of the popes if book called the lives of the popes if book called the lives of the popes if anyone could verify this list it was anyone could verify this list it was anyone could verify this list it was him the lives of two popes gravity eat him the lives of two popes gravity eat him the lives of two popes gravity eat to mama tamian i i had no idea how to mama tamian i i had no idea how to mama tamian i i had no idea how prolific he was chacon not cuaron this prolific he was chacon not cuaron this prolific he was chacon not cuaron this is papa your nigga papa let's call the is papa your nigga papa let's call the is papa your nigga papa let's call the whole thing whole thing whole thing so chacon started checking the phrases so chacon started checking the phrases so chacon started checking the phrases that maliki used to identify each pope that maliki used to identify each pope that maliki used to identify each pope each phrase is called a motto a few each phrase is called a motto a few each phrase is called a motto a few words that capture the man the first words that capture the man the first words that capture the man the first motto is ex castro tiberus from a castle motto is ex castro tiberus from a castle motto is ex castro tiberus from a castle on the tiber the first pope on the list on the tiber the first pope on the list on the tiber the first pope on the list was celestine ii elected in 1143. he was was celestine ii elected in 1143. he was born in chita di castello castletown on born in chita di castello castletown on born in chita di castello castletown on the banks of the tiber river maliki was the banks of the tiber river maliki was the banks of the tiber river maliki was right right right the second entry says inimicus expulsus the second entry says inimicus expulsus the second entry says inimicus expulsus the enemy driven out that was lucius ii the enemy driven out that was lucius ii the enemy driven out that was lucius ii a pope at war with rome's own senate they a pope at war with rome's own senate they stripped him of the title when lucius stripped him of the title when lucius stripped him of the title when lucius led an assault to take it back he was led an assault to take it back he was led an assault to take it back he was stoned to death maliki was right again stoned to death maliki was right again stoned to death maliki was right again another is soos and cribrow a pig in a another is soos and cribrow a pig in a another is soos and cribrow a pig in a sip that sounds like a hard motto to pin sip that sounds like a hard motto to pin sip that sounds like a hard motto to pin on a priest but pope urban iii's family on a priest but pope urban iii's family on a priest but pope urban iii's family name was gravelli and the italian word name was gravelli and the italian word name was gravelli and the italian word prophecy doesn't really work like a prophecy doesn't really work like a prophecy doesn't really work like a spreadsheet that's why it took him 400 spreadsheet that's why it took him 400 spreadsheet that's why it took him 400 years to solve it one tab two columns years to solve it one tab two columns years to solve it one tab two columns pope yeah but no hey you gotta be gotta pope yeah but no hey you gotta be gotta pope yeah but no hey you gotta be gotta give me pain asleep sieve whatever give me pain asleep sieve whatever give me pain asleep sieve whatever he checked 74 entries maliki was right he checked 74 entries maliki was right he checked 74 entries maliki was right 74 times 74 times 74 times this was a big deal in 1590 the this was a big deal in 1590 the this was a big deal in 1590 the reformation was tearing christianity in reformation was tearing christianity in reformation was tearing christianity in half protestant preachers called the half protestant preachers called the half protestant preachers called the pope the antichrist and said the papacy pope the antichrist and said the papacy pope the antichrist and said the papacy was living its final days and here was a was living its final days and here was a was living its final days and here was a 450 year old prophecy promising 38 more 450 year old prophecy promising 38 more 450 year old prophecy promising 38 more popes to come maliki's document was a popes to come maliki's document was a popes to come maliki's document was a guarantee of survival the same list that guarantee of survival the same list that guarantee of survival the same list that comforted a pope in 1139 now comforted comforted a pope in 1139 now comforted comforted a pope in 1139 now comforted the whole church the whole church the whole church in 1595 benedictine monk arnold vion in 1595 benedictine monk arnold vion in 1595 benedictine monk arnold vion published the full list so the world published the full list so the world published the full list so the world could read it three columns the motto could read it three columns the motto could read it three columns the motto the pope had matched and chacon's notes the pope had matched and chacon's notes the pope had matched and chacon's notes but chacon's notes stop at entry number but chacon's notes stop at entry number but chacon's notes stop at entry number 74 or in the seventh it was 1590 so So, Giacome could only solve the popes of the past. The rest of the list predicts the future. Oh, dear God, this guy had the Catholic sports almanac. He could have made a fortune, but he public-domained it? You rooted for Biff, didn't you? Back-rounded, business with terrorists, was best friends with a teen boy, and created God knows how many dangerous timelines. And Biff is the villain. When you put it that way. Just teach your poor Biff. Put that in your prophecy and smoke it. And at the very bottom of the list, the future ends. The last entry isn't a motto, it's a full paragraph. And names the final pope. Peter the Roman. The man on the throne when Rome burns. But even though Malachi predicted 74 popes in order, there were still skeptics. So they looked into St. Malachi to see if he made any other predictions that came true. They didn't like what they found. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Here's something interesting. We live in a moment. We're talking about mental health is normal. It's on TV. It's on social media. 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to son most of them weren't even priests in office you inherit don't need qualifications for and can't be fired from sorry armed clans defended the arrangement and challenging it was a good way to die maliki challenged it he took the office pushed the family out and survived then he did something nobody ever does after winning a war he walked away back to the work he cared about rebuilding monasteries reforming the clergy tying the irish church closer to rome tiny irish closer to the church that's like trying to find a title link between fiery lamb vindaloo and diarrhea that's like trying to find a title link between theft in florida that's like trying to find a link between cocaine and a business idea yeah bang the three for you take your pick you already know why maliki went to rome and you know what he did there here's what happened on the road all the way south he stopped at clairvaux abbey its abbot bernard had so much influence even popes asked him for advice kings read his letters crusaders listened when he spoke bernard was a monk at a small monastery in france how does that man get this kind of power because saint bernard was an early patron and leader of the knights templar a good friend to have maliki arrived with no army no wealth and no political office but bernard treated him like an equal anyway the men became close friends years later back in ireland the monks asked maliki where he would die maliki said clairvaux they asked him when he would die maliki said all souls day the day of the dead in 1148 maliki headed back to rome but he never made it by the time he reached clairvaux he was burning with fever he died at clairvaux on november 2nd all souls day just as he predicted he was 54 years old again back to the spreadsheets he knew when he was gonna die the guy got a fever if i find out he substituted one of the kindergarten a week before you're missing the point guy predicts his shoe was gonna smell in 1140 so he steps on a horse he grumped that march and says see bernard wrote a biography of saint maliki he said call it a wish or call it a prophecy either way he was going to die a week before it was too late for him to go home maliki was right that's the man behind the list and that's why rowan believed it when maliki predicted something it happened he became the first irish saint ever canonized by a pope but everything chacon verified was already history from 1595 forward the mottos had to predict the future again people were skeptical especially about the motto that described a bronze eagle dragging a pope away but 200 years later that's exactly what happened in 1795 the first pope to be named pope was pious the sixth that bronze eagle belonged to napoleon bonaparte and before the eagle was finished the list would name two popes in a row the first was pius vi his motto reads peregrinos apostolicos the apostolic traveler during the french revolution troops stormed rome and pulled pius vi off his throne he died in 1799 a prisoner in the south of france the apostolic traveler buried far from home the very next motto reads aquila rapax the rapacious eagle rapacious means greedy aggressive and never satisfied but maliki wasn't describing the new pope pious vii he described the man coming for him napoleon wanted the pope to crown him emperor as proof of god's will pious agreed on one condition napoleon and his wife josephine never had a church wedding and the pope refused to crown a couple living in sin so the day before his coronation napoleon got married in secret then at the ceremony he took the crown out of the pope's hands and placed it on his own head that wasn't enough for napoleon nothing ever was he decided the pope should answer to him pious objected and napoleon was excommunicated napoleon sent soldiers into the papal palace in the middle of the night they arrested the pope dragged him out of rome and held him prisoner for years and those soldiers marched under napoleon's standard a bronze eagle the rapacious eagle took the pope just as maliki predicted 670 years earlier the list continued crux de cruce cross from a cross for pious ix when the royal house of savoy took rome it stripped the pope of his lands it ended a thousand years of papal rule over central italy the emblem on every savoy banner was a white cross pious ix lost his kingdom to a cross the next motto was lumen chile a light in the sky for leo xii on his name his family crest was a comet streaking across a blue sky then the list turned dark religio de populata religion laid waste that was for benedict xv he took the throne in september 1914 just after the start of the first world war benedict begged europe for peace and europe ignored him catholic nations fought other catholic nations churches became hospitals priests climbed into the trenches and died in them by the end of the war millions of christians were dead and the russian revolution happened at the same time the new government seized the churches shot the priests and declared war on god himself religion laid waste on a scale nobody in 1595 could have imagined but somehow maliki did when the list was made public instead of dismissing or denouncing it the church started to follow it in the 17th and 18th centuries popes had their own mottos stamped onto their coronation medals the prophecy described the popes and the popes were happy to wear the prophecy and in 1958 one cardinal tried to step into the prophecy himself that year the next motto was pastor et nauta the shepherd and the sailor cardinal francis spelman of new york read those words and made a plan he rented a boat filled it with sheep and sailed up and down the tiber river a shepherd and a sailor spelman used the motto as a campaign slogan that is the greatest campaign stunt i've ever heard boat sheep river zero notes it didn't work the cardinals passed on it because he peaked too early you don't do the sheep before the conclave you do the sheep boat after amateur hour i could have won that election okay human go fetch me a pointy hat and start calling me your eminence a hard pass hard pass your eminence instead they elected angelo roncalli as pope john the 23rd roncalli was the patriarch of venice a city built on water and filled with sailors as pope he called himself a shepherd and urged the church to act like one the man who chased the prophecy lost the man who ignored it lost the man who ignored it lost the man who ignored it lost it became the shepherd and the sailor for paul vi floss florum the flower of flowers his family's crest carried three fleur-de-lys three flowers from the half moon for pope john paul i born in belluno the beautiful moon he was elected just as the moon reached its last quarter his reign lasted 33 days one half moon to the next pope after pope the list kept hitting by the end of the 20th century only two mottos were left before peter the roman the next model was de labore solis the labor of the sun maliki was right about that one too let's be honest it wasn't bad luck that cost you that client somebody didn't just pick up the phone it rang and rang and rang by the time anyone noticed they were already booking with whoever answered second that's not a fluke that's money you handed straight to your competitor because your phone system's held together with spit and bailout bailing wire that's why today's episode is brought to you by quo spelled q u o the business phone system built so you never miss a call with quo every call text and voicemail lands in one shared inbox so the whole team can see the conversation and jump in without playing detective and when everyone's offline quo is built in ai agent answers after hours calls handles basic questions and can even book appointments while you sleep quo also plugs into the tools you're already using like hubspot slack sappier whatever keeps your business running that's one reason it's the number one rated business phone system on g2 trusted by over 90 000 businesses you can be fully set up in minutes keep your existing number and skip the i.t headache money is on the line always say hello with quo try quo for free plus get 20 off your first six months when you go to quo.com y that's quo.com y on may 18 1920 a partial solar eclipse crossed the southern hemisphere that same day q.a. carol latia was born in poland he became pope john paul ii john paul led the church for more than 26 years he took a bullet in saint peter square and survived he outlasted communism in eastern europe he traveled farther than any pope in history he died on april 2nd 2005. his funeral was six days later and on that day another eclipse the labor of the sun the last model before peter the roman is gloria olivai the gloria of the olive in two thousand and twenty-two years ago 2005 joseph ratzinger was elected and chose the name benedict the benedictines have an order called the olivetons their symbol an olive branch Malachi was right again. The list was down to one final name: Peter the Roman. After him, nothing. But in 2013, Benedict shocked the world by resigning, the first pope to ever step down in 600 years. Suddenly a storm hit Rome and lightning struck St. Peter's dome. Twice. The list was taunting them, because Benedict officially left office on February 28th, the feast day of St. Romanus. The throne of Peter was empty on the day of the Romans. Twelve days later, the cardinals entered the conclave, and the whole world was watching for a Peter. Most people expected Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana to be elected. Instead, they chose a long shot: Jorge Mario Bergoglia of Argentina, the first Jesuit pope, first pope from the Americas. He chose the name Francis. So Malachi was finally wrong? Well, not so fast. Peter the Roman was right there inside the new pope's name. Francis took his name. The name came from St. Francis of Assisi, and the father of St. Francis was called Pietro, Peter. Bergoglio was the son of Italian immigrants. Roman blood on the throne of Rome. The new pope didn't need to find the name. The name found him. And when Francis stepped onto the balcony, he fulfilled the prophecy: Peter the Roman, the last pope. And after him, nothing. The prophecy gives Peter the Roman more than a motto. It tells us what happens during his reign. In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit Peter the Roman, who will pasture his sheep in many tribulations. When these things are finished, the city of Seven Hills will be destroyed. And the dreadful judge will judge his people. The end. The city of Seven Hills is Rome. Peter guides the church through one final persecution. Then the city falls. Then comes judgment. You'd expect the Catholic Church to have an opinion about a text that predicts its own annihilation. It doesn't. In 400 years, the Vatican has never condemned the prophecy of the popes. Never endorsed it. Never denounced it. Never ruled on it at all. And this is a church with a purpose. It is a church with a purpose. And it is a church with a purpose. When the Da Vinci Code came out, the Vatican told Catholics not to read it. A thriller about a fictional bloodline got condemned. A prophecy describing the destruction of Rome and the death of the church got four centuries of terrifying vision: a future pope fleeing Rome, climbing over the dead bodies of his own priests to escape the Vatican. Eight years later, the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in a field outside Fatima, Portugal. She showed them hell. She said another world war was coming. And she gave them one final vision, one the world wouldn't learn for decades. The third secret was written down in 1944 and locked inside the Vatican. It stayed sealed until the year 2000. The vision starts with an angel holding a flaming sword. The blade caught fire, ready to burn the world. But the flames died out when they touched the light shining from Mary's hand. Then the angel pointed at the earth and cried out one word three times: "Penance, penance, penance." Then the children saw the Holy Father. He crossed the city in ruins, praying for the souls of the corpses he passed. Bishops, priests, and ordinary believers followed him up a mountain toward a large wooden cross. At the top, soldiers opened fire. The pope fell. The clergy fell. The soldiers killed the believers behind them. The vision ends with two angels gathering the blood of the martyrs and sprinkling it over the souls making their way to God. Three different centuries, three different visions. All of them saw the same thing: a pope walking through the corpses of his own church while the city falls around him. During the reign of Francis, the prophecies seemed to be coming true. In March 2020, the pandemic closed churches around the world. One rainy day, Francis stood alone in St. Peter's Square, prayed to an empty city, prayed to the church, and prayed to the church. The church was a city. No crowd, no choir. One old man in white, alone in the rain, in a square built to hold hundreds of thousands. It looked like the end of the world. It wasn't exactly climbing over corpses, but there were a lot of people dying from COVID. Hold on, did you say dying from or dying with? Let's not do this again. Fine, fine. We can discuss again in two weeks, after we flatten the curve. War came back to Europe. Churches burned in Africa and Asia, and Christians died for attending them. Inside the Vatican, scandal after scandal. And people kept leaving the church. Whatever "many tribulations" was supposed to mean, Francis was living it. And across town, in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, the countdown hangs in plain sight. Every pope has a portrait there, a ring of faces circling the church from St. Peter to today, with the current pope's portrait lit by a spotlight. They say that when the wall runs out of room for portraits, the world ends. Under Francis, the spotlight was near the end of the row. Francis led the church through 12 years of tribulation. On the 21st, 2025, he died. That should have triggered the apocalypse. But Rome didn't burn. Judgment Day didn't come. Instead, a conclave gathered to choose another pope. Scholars were relieved. Until they took a closer look at the original prophecy. Four hundred years ago, the text was published with a misprint. One small error that changed everything. The end of the world prophecy isn't counting down popes at all. It's counting down years. And the clock is still ticking. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. Here's something worth thinking about. 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Life works. Millions of parents and kids already use Greenlight to raise financially smart kids. Every day they're handling money without guidance is a missed opportunity. Start your risk-free Greenlight trial today at greenlight.com slash why. Don't wait to teach your kids real-world money skills. That's greenlight.com slash why to get started. greenlight.com slash why. On May 8th, 2020, Greenlight was the first to launch Greenlight.com. five white smoke rose over the Vatican. And instead of a doomed pope stepping over bodies, a man from Chicago walked onto the balcony and waved. Cardinal Robert Prevost took the name Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States. But he wasn't called Peter, and Rome was still standing. Prophecy researchers were relieved but also confused. Why were the predictions so accurate except for the last, most important one? The answer was a misprint in the last two lines. But in the original Latin, that sentence is actually two. In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, there will sit. Then comes a period. Peter the Roman begins on the next line. For centuries, everyone read those two lines as one sentence. That traces to 1624, when editor Thomas Messingham reprinted the prophecy and merged the two paragraphs into one. His version became the standard, and that original break was forgotten. But splitting those two sentences means any number of popes can sit during the final persecution before Peter the Roman appears. Leo didn't break the prophecy, he filled the gap. The count can also change. The original list wasn't numbered. And it includes several antipopes. An antipope is a rival who challenged the legitimate pope. Remove those, and every later motto moves up one place. In 2021, a German historian ran the count again and removed three antipopes. Under his system, Leo XIV isn't the last pope. Two more come after him. And there's another way to change the count. When Benedict resigned in 2013, Francis was elected. But Benedict stayed in the Vatican as Pope Emeritus. For years. Some argue that Benedict's resignation was never valid under church law. If that's true, Benedict stayed the true pope until his death in 2022, and Francis doesn't count at all. And Malachi's list still has room. Then there's 2027. Buried in the middle of the list is a motto that reads: Axis immeditate signi, the axle in the middle of the sign. An axle is the center of a wheel, the point that everything turns around. The motto belonged to Pope Sixtus V, who took office in 1585. Celestine II, the first pope on the list, took the throne in 1143. Then 442 years later, we get to the middle, the axle, in 1585. Count forward another 442 years, the count ends in 2027. And Sixtus carried a picture of the countdown everywhere he went. His coat of arms shows a lion with an axle laid across its middle. For 400 years, nobody thought much about it. A lion on a shield. Then in 2025, the church elected a pope who took the name Leo. There's the lion. The prophecy pointed to Leo. And it may have pointed at him twice. Remember why Francis fit the final motto? The son of Italian immigrants, Roman blood on the throne of Rome? Now look closer at the man from Chicago. His grandfather was born in Sicily, and his name was Rigatano. When he came to America, he changed his name to Prebost. The new pope carries Italian blood and a name that isn't his. Maybe Peter the Roman isn't coming. Maybe he's already on the throne. And Francis behaved like a man who knew. On his first morning as pope, he didn't go to St. Peter's. He crossed the city to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and knelt inside. That church holds the tomb of Pope Sixtus V, the Axel. Twelve years later, when Francis died, he skipped the Vatican crypt where popes are buried and chose Santa Maria Maggiore for his own grave. Peter the Roman rests under the same roof as the pope whose motto starts the countdown. Even the sky has plans for 2027. On August 2nd of that year, the moon crosses the sun over the Mediterranean and holds there for six minutes. That's a long eclipse. Astronomers already call it the eclipse of the century. And its shadow runs straight across the old Roman world. Spain, North Africa, Egypt. Malachi's list once marked a pope with the labor of the sun. Now the list ends when the sun goes dark. The pieces fit. The prophecy was never about the man. It was about the year. As I write this, we have about six months left until the year of the apocalypse. I always felt like we were in the fall. So now that they're here, go out and enjoy them. But after that, you shall prepare to be judged. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners. Sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9% of the time. Leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier. So you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com. A medieval saint sees the future. The Vatican hides his warning. Four centuries later, the world finds it. And the greatest historian in Rome proved it never misses. The prophecy of the popes is one of the all-time greats. But is it true? Yep. Well, let's look at the public record. Malachy's vision. The earliest version of that story appeared in 1871, not 1139. The origin story of the prophecy is younger than the telegraph. I don't like this scene. Can we go back to the lightning scene? The lightning scene was fun. This feels like school. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote a detailed biography of Malachy. He did write that he predicted his own death. But he doesn't mention predictions about popes. In fact, nobody does. There's no mention. There's no mention of the prophecy for another 400 years. When Vaillant published the list in 1595, he didn't claim it was found in the Vatican archive. He never said where it came from. Just that people wanted to see it. It is true that Vaillant included Chacon's comments to prove the predictions. Small problem. The only accurate predictions already happened. The early models fit because Chacon made them fit. After 1590, precise names and titles became vague phrases like "country animal" and "delight of the cross." These models are vague because Chacon ran out of history. That is, if Chacon actually had anything to do with the list at all. Chacon was a famous scholar who specialized in manuscripts and the papacy. He was alive when the list was released. His name was on it. But he never mentioned it. Not ever. Some say his silence proves he had nothing to do with it. So why didn't he refute it? Well, this is the 16th century. It's not like he could file a copyright claim. He was a serious historian and a priest. He would have distanced himself from the list, not called attention to it. But we're not at a dead end. The real author did leave the list. He left clues. In 1557, the church historian, Onofrio van Pino, published a history of every pope. His book contained a handful of mistakes. And the prophecy repeats those same mistakes. Take the motto for John XXII: "The Bony Shoemaker." The printed answer says his father made shoes. His father was a banker. The shoemaker mistake comes from Panvino's book, and the prophecy used it. The 2027 number is easily debunked. Sixtus is supposed to be the middle of the list. He's the axle. He's number 73. That's nowhere near the middle. So even if you believe that Sixtus is the axle, we have 20 or more popes to go. That could mean over a hundred years. As for the lion, there's been 13 popes named Leo before this one. Put a lion on a list of a hundred mottos, and sooner or later, you'll get a lion. Popes usually choose their second name in honor of their favorite saint, or to honor someone in the Bible they admire. That's a limited selection of names. But one name they never choose is Peter. It would be an insult to take the name of the first pope who was chosen by Peter. Remember the famous line from Matthew 16: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." No pope would elevate himself to Peter. It's just not done. So don't hold your breath for a Peter the Roman. There are some eerie coincidences, though. John XXIII really was the patriarch of Venice. Paul VI really did have Fleur de Lis on his crest. My favorite are the eclipses. They really did happen on the dates of John Paul II's birth and funeral. But there's an eclipse somewhere on the Earth every 18 months. The thing is, an eclipse is not visible from everywhere on Earth, and the eclipses that are connected to Pope John Paul were invisible from where he was. Speaking of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican interpreted the Third Secret of Fatima as the violence of the 20th century, and the wounded pope as John Paul II, who survived being shot in 1981. The vision is real. The children reported it, and the Vatican published the text. But it's not connected to the prophecy at all. Which theory? Well, that's been rejected and debunked. Benedict was alive, he rejected it, and the theory outlived him anyway. So if the prophecy wasn't a prophecy, then what was it? Probably election propaganda. Remember in 1958, Francis Spelman portrayed himself as a shepherd and a sailor to fit the prophecy? He wasn't the first to try to manipulate an election. The prophecy was probably a forgery created by Cardinal Giamlamo Simicelli during the election of 1590. The next motto on the list reads, "From the Old City." Simicelli's hometown was Orieto, in Latin, the Old City. So he forges a prophecy and gets an endorsement from the world's leading papal scholar, Alfonso Giacome. Maybe Giacome was in on it, maybe not. That's still debated. But it doesn't matter. Simicelli lost. He rigged the system and still lost? It sounds like Hillary- Oh, you know the rules. Right, right, right. We don't joke about the Clinton- sorry. I couldn't help myself. Go ahead. The prophecy of the popes has been failing for years, and every time it does, the prophecy gets an update to make it fit. The more interesting question is: why? Why are we so fascinated with the end of the world? I am. I love a disaster movie. Anything post-apocalypse, I'm in. Why? What's my problem? Well, different cultures will have different reasons for the end of the world. Religious cultures will have something like a final judgment, a cleansing catastrophe, a savior returning at the climax of history. More secular cultures use the same pattern, they just change the vocabulary. Nuclear Armageddon, super plague, AI takeover, climate apocalypse- Those are all possible. Except the climate thing. Look, the climate is changing, we just- Meh. Meh. You go live in a pod and eat the bugs. If you need me, I'll be in a sizzler in Florida, eating a bone-in ribeye and ignoring Bill Gates. But the one thing all humans have in common is that we're unique, and that we know for 100% certainty that we're going to die one day. We just don't know when or how. So even the most brave, stoic, peaceful person has this deep existential dread. We all have it. It's natural to worry. But we'd rather go out as part of society. Some cosmic drama, not an accident or illness or some random event. We can't control how many days we have left, but we can control what we do with those days. So treat tomorrow like it exists. Learn something. Love someone. Do something that matters. Build something that lasts. Don't focus on your death. Just focus on doing everything you can, so that when it gets here, you don't have a single regret. That's all. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. My name is AJ. That's Heckelfish. My motto is "tameo cancri caris." Fear the crab can. This has been the Y-Files. If you had fun or learned anything, we'd appreciate it if you could like, subscribe, comment, share. I know I'm a broken record, but that stuff really helps the channel. And like most topics we cover on the channel, today's was recommended by you, a lot of you. And thank you for this one. This was a fun one. If there's a story you'd like to hear or learn more about, go to the Y-Files.com/tips. Reach us on YouTube. Send an email. You can find us. Send in your questions. We're always looking for those. And if you enjoy these stories, check out my other show on the channel. It's called The Basement. It's a conversation show where I chat with the interesting people behind the episodes. Some of them you know. Some you don't. But they're all people I find fascinating. And I think you will, too. Experts on fun topics like the moon landing hoax, the JFK conspiracy, the DMT laser code, all kinds of random stuff. And if there's someone you'd like to see on the show, let us know. We're on the hunt for good guests. Remember, the Y-Files is also on YouTube. Check out the Y-Files.com/tips. And I'll see you next time. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. 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I love my UFOs and paranormal fun as well as music, so I'm singing like I should. But then another conspiracy theory becomes the truth, my friends, and it never ends, no, it never ends. I played Bolivius in Area 51, a secret code inside the bible said I would. I fear the crabcat and got stuck inside Mel's hole with MKUltra being only two away. Did Stanley Kubrick fake the moon landing alone on a film set? Were the shadow people there? The Roswell aliens just fought the smiling man, I'm told, and his name was Code. And I can't believe I'm dancing with the fishes. Heck, the fish are Thursday nights with AJ2 and the werewolves have been beat all through the night. All I ever wanted was to just hear the truth, so the werewolves have been beat all through the night. 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