<\/span> But according to a purported prophecy that Benedictine Arnold de Wyon found and published, Francis will be the final Pope and there won\u2019t be a 113th.<\/p>\n This phenomenon is called The Prophecy of the Popes, a Latin mythology that, starting with Celestine II, who was elected pope in 1143, contains 112 brief, enigmatic sentences that are said to foretell popes.<\/p>\n Irish Saint Malachy, a former Archbishop of Armagh who lived in the 12th century, was credited with writing The Prophecy of the Popes, which was published in 1595.<\/p>\n <\/span> The lengthy list, which starts in the 1100s and finishes after 112 popes, is believed to authentically depict the chosen leaders of the church until about 1590.<\/p>\n Some conspiracy theorists have read the list in light of Pope Francis\u2019 passing, assuming that no pope will be chosen at the next conclave.<\/p>\n <\/span> Others think that a pope will be chosen, the first in a millennium, which was not predicted by St. Malachy.<\/p>\n Fr. James Weiss, an Episcopal priest and Boston College professor of church history, told USA Today<\/a> that he thinks the apocalypse prophesy is a \u201cforgery.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The majority of the examples portraying alleged popes after 1590 are \u201chit and miss,\u201d <\/strong>he told the publication, with some examples being more extreme than others.<\/p>\n![\"Ezoic\"](\"https:\/\/go.ezodn.com\/utilcave_com\/ezoicbwa.png\" "\\"ezoic\\"")
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![Wikimedia Commons<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nTaking his papal name from Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis is the 266th pope in Vatican history and the 101st pope the Church has recognised since Malachy\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\nHowever, Weiss asserts that because the Catholic Church formerly had several leaders claiming to be hope at the same time, some people think Francis is the 112th and last pope.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\u201cBelievers in Malachy\u2019s prophecy include in the count a few of those antipopes \u2013 figures not formally recognized by the Vatican,\u201d<\/strong> USA Today writes.<\/p>\nWhether you think there will be another pope or not, qualifying cardinals will vote in a formal conclave that will start this week in Rome\u2019s Sistine Chapel.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThey will continue to meet until the next pope is chosen, and Pietro Parolin, Peter Erdo, Jean-Marc Aveline, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa are among the leading contenders in an uncertain process.<\/p>\nA tiny chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel will emit smoke when the Catholic Church formally chooses a new pope.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Arnoldo_Wion_1595_Lignum_Vitae_p311.png\"){kind=link}