"The Prophecy of the Popes is a list of 112 cryptic Latin phrases attributed to Saint Malachy, a 12th-century Archbishop of Armagh, who supposedly had a vision of all future popes during a visit to Rome in 1139.
The prophecy was first published in 1595 by Benedictine monk Arnold Wion in his book Lignum Vitae, more than 400 years after Malachy’s death. There is no historical record of the prophecy existing during the intervening centuries, which casts serious doubt on its authenticity.
***Pre-1590 Accuracy vs. Post-1590 Vagueness: The mottos for popes before 1590 align closely with historical facts, but those for popes after 1590 are often vague, ambiguous, or forced to fit events retrospectively.
***Lack of Original Manuscripts: Scholars have never located an original manuscript from Malachy’s time, and the prophecy only appears in print centuries later.
***The Catholic Church has never officially endorsed the prophecy, and it is not considered an approved private revelation."
CS
