Pope Francis successor revealed in ancient prophecy plucked from secret Vatican archives

Is it the end of the world as we know it? The “Prophecy of the Popes,” a 900-year-old prescient manuscript, is believed by some to predict the next pontiff — and the end of the world.Pope Francis died following a stroke on Monday morning, which led to a coma and ultimately “irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse,’’ the Vatican announced.A selection of Catholic Church leaders will now vote to choose the next in command — but some claim to already know who will be picked.The “Prophecy of the Popes” is a series of cryptic Latin phrases in the document that have been interpreted as describing the lineup of church leaders starting with Celestine II in 1143 and ending with “Peter the Roman” in 2027.Michel de Nostredame — a French astrologist and soothsayer from the 16th century known as Nostradamus — is also said to have predicted that “Peter the Roman” will take over.That sent believers into a fervor, noting that of the nine frontrunners set to succeed Pope Francis, three are named Peter, according to Reuters.However, some had previously tried to connect Pope Francis to the prophecy of Peter the Roman due to his Italian heritage and his birth name — Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone.

The next pope will be chosen by a conclave consisting of 120 cardinals out of the 138 “princes of the church” who are under age 80 and will gather at the Vatican to pick his replacement.Four daily ballots will be held until a successor is picked.After 30 ballots, the top two candidates will be the only ones allowed; whoever gets a two-thirds majority will become the next pontiff.Voting must begin within 20 days of the pope’s death and can take as long as needed, but typically takes about a week.

But beyond the pope pick, the eeriest prediction pulled from the prophecy document claims that judgment day — the second coming of Christ, when all people, living and dead, will learn their eternal fate — is quite near.While several religions believe thei...