Pope Benedict's resignation sparks rumors about apocalypse

The fact that a Pope resigns from the post is extremely rare, and only four - including Benedict XVI - of all the elected heads of the Catholic church have abdicated reign since the beginning of the papacy's history. However, a document from 1139, attributed to St. Malachi, an Irish archbishop who was canonized in 1190, has aroused rumors of a new end of time.

According to Discovery News, the prophecy came after Saint Malachi received a vision, in which God would have told him that the 112th Pope - the man who is supposed to take charge of the church after Benedict's resignation - counts from Pope Celestine II would be the last pontiff. In it, the saint states that after the last Holy Father led his flock through countless tribulations, the city of the seven hills would be completely destroyed and a terrible judge would come to judge the people.

This prophecy, known as the "Prophecy of the Popes, " was delivered to Innocent II, and remained stored in the Vatican archives for 440 years, until it was rediscovered and published by a Benedictine monk named Arnold de Wyon. The document consists of 112 phrases written in Latin and apparently several of the premonitions described have come true.

Petrus romanus

While most pundits believe that the Pope's Prophecy is a farce designed in the 16th century to influence participants in the 1590 conclave - which elected Pope Urban VIII - many passages described in it may relate to numerous pontiffs.

Thus, Pope John Paul II, for example, is described in Latin as " de labore solis ", which in free translation can mean "about the eclipse of the sun" or "about the work of the sun." Indeed, John Paul was born during a solar eclipse, and his funeral took place the same day an eclipse could be seen in the Americas. As for the name of the last pontiff, according to Saint Malachi, this would be Petrus Romanus or Peter of Rome.

According to tradition, no Pope can ever be called "Peter II". However, Ghanaian Cardinal Kodwo Appiah Turkson, one of the favorites to become Benedict's successor, is named after Peter .