Pontifex Petrus?

The Prophecy of the Popes is an alleged private revelation given to St. Malachy, archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, in the 1130s. It consists of 112 mottoes that are supposed to represent the popes from his time. The prophecy has never been approved by the Church, nor has it been officially condemned.

People connect the mottoes to each of the popes using their birthplace, pre-papal offices, etc., although some connections are weak. Here are the recent popes and their alleged connections to the mottoes:

103 Ignis ardens (Burning fire) - Pius X, who is known for his great zeal for souls

104 Religio depopulata (Religion destroyed) - Benedict XV, who reigned during World War I and the Russian Revolution

105 Fides intrpida (Intrepid faith) - Pius XI, who stood up against Benito Mussolini

106 Pastor angelicus (Angelic shepherd) - Pius XII, who was heroic in his efforts against the Holocaust

107 Pastor et nauta (Shepherd and sailor) - John XXIII, who was Patriarch of Venice, the city of water

108 Flos florum (Flower of flowers) - Paul VI, who used fleurs-de-lis in his coat-of-arms

109 De medietate lunae (Of the half moon) - John Paul I, who was elected pope on a day with a half moon
110 De labore solis (From the labour of the sun) - John Paul II, who was born on a day with solar eclipse

111 Gloria olivae (Glory of the olive) - Benedict XVI, who has been successful in peace and reconciliation with other religions, such as Catholic Traditionalists, Anglicans, Orthodox, Jews and Muslims

The most worrying aspect of the prophecy is that after "Glory of the olive", the prophecy hints at the last pope of the world:

112 Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman), who will nourish the sheep in many tribulations; when they are finished, the city of seven hills will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people . The end.

The city of seven hills is of course referring to Rome, and the events seem to be referring to the Apocalypse.

Any cardinal can be considered as a Roman as they each have a titular church in Rome. If the next pope chooses the papal name "Peter II", that would be a very unwise choice and seen as fulfilling the prophecy. But if  the new Pontiff hs "Peter" in his original name, panic will be caused, adding weight to the authenticity of the prophecy. Here is a list of the cardinal-electors who has Peter in their first or middle name:

• Odilo Pedro Scherer, Archbishop of São Paulo (Brazil)
• Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom–Budapest (Hungary)
• Peter Turkson, President of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (Ghana)
• Jean-Pierre Ricard, Archbishop of Bordeaux (France)
• Béchara Pierre Raï, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch (Lebanon)

The first two are considered papabile by many sources, and so the next pope is quite possible to have the name Peter. One name can be crossed out from this list: Cardinal-Patriarch Raï. He will not be elected pope, because the pope is not only the head of the universal Church but also head of the Latin-rite Church. It is inconceivable to have an Eastern-rite patriarch to become the Bishop of Rome.

Whether or not the prophecy was a forgery from the 15th century, we don't have to fear. If it is authentic, there are interpretations of the prophecy that show that there can be unlisted popes between the "Glory of the Olives" and "Peter the Roman" because of the sentence structure. So no reason to panic in any case.

In the conclave in the next few days, I wonder if any of the cardinals above is discouraged from being elected to papacy just because of his name and the alleged prophecy.