Francis died on 21 April at the age of 89. Now the whole world is wondering who will become the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. All the cardinals have already travelled to the Vatican for the conclave, and they will soon make their choice. But is it necessary? According to the ‘prophecy’ of the holy Archbishop Malachy about the supreme pontiffs, Francis is the last pope and the end of the world will begin immediately after his death.

The writings of Malachi, the Catholic archbishop of Armagh in Northern Ireland who died in the twelfth century, are indeed impressive. In them, he described in short Latin phrases the successive popes and antipopes from Celestine II, elected in 1143, right up to the second coming.

The manuscripts say that after the 112th pope the apocalypse, the coming of the Antichrist and the Day of Judgement would come. Francis was the 112th pontiff. So now what?

It is worth noting that the Catholic Church has no official position on this prophecy, and some Catholic theologians consider it a forgery.

At first it may seem that everything is one to one, but we should not jump to conclusions. Naturally, the media are only too happy to speculate on the subject in the style of the Mayan Calendar. But everyone knows the lines of the New Testament: ‘It is none of your business to know times or dates’. Besides, it is important to emphasize that Malachi is a saint only for Catholics. The Orthodox Church does not recognize him as such.

During the last persecutions of the Holy Roman Church, Peter the Roman shall sit down to shepherd the sheep in the midst of many torments; at the accomplishment of which the city of the seven hills shall be destroyed, and the terrible Judge shall judge his people. The end, - reads the last two paragraphs of the prediction.

So why exactly is Francis being identified with Peter the Roman? Conservative journalists reminded us that the name of the last Pope in the world sounds like Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The surname Bergoglio comes from a German word translated as ‘rock,’ or ‘mountain.’ The name Peter means ‘rock.’ Thus, it is possible to link Francis to the name of the Apostle Peter. But there is another theory.

Prophecy about the last pope: what is the meaning and how does the conclave relate to the end of the world?

After the death of Pope Francis, the press began to publish materials about the coming end of the world. They referred to a specific document - the ‘Prophecy of the Popes’ of St Malachy. The scroll, supposedly signed by a medieval Irish theologian, speaks about the heads of the Catholic Church of the XII century. And then - tells about the last three popes, after which the end of the world will come.

Fans of mysticism say: in the XX-XXI centuries, the prophecy about the last pope began to come true.

The third from the end pontiff is, in Malachi's words, ‘from a solar eclipse.’ Activists found a coincidence: John Paul II was born on the day of a partial solar eclipse, and buried on the day of a rare variation of the phenomenon - a ‘hybrid total’.

The theologian called the penultimate pope the ‘Glory of the Olive’. Since 1993, Benedict XVI held the title of Cardinal of Velletri. On his coat of arms... three olive trees. The branch of this plant adorns the Holy Inquisition, which was long headed by a Catholic.

About the last pontiff, after whom mankind awaits the end, St Malachy writes as follows: ‘Peter the Roman, who will shepherd the sheep in the midst of many torments; after the accomplishment of which the city of the seven hills will be destroyed, and the terrible Judge will judge his people’.

Conspiracy fans are sure: the last words are about Pope Francis. After all, his ‘secular’ surname Bergoglio is consonant with the word ‘berger’ - i.e. shepherd. And, therefore, after his death all sinners will be punished.

There are opponents of this theory, including among believers. The Catholic Church issued a statement that none of the symbols listed in the book (eclipse, olive tree and shepherd) have theological value.

To make sense of the document, scientists once again studied the text of the scroll. There are several conclusions. The first is that for four centuries after Malachi's death there is no documentary evidence that he created this scroll. Second - most likely, the list was created in the XVI-XVII centuries during the Reformation to influence the choice of the pope.

But people continue to discuss the prophecy about the last pope. Is it worth believing? It's up to you. After all, even the sacred smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Cathedral is subject to the laws of chemistry and physics.