Dear Joseph:

You are talking about the alleged prophecies of St. Malachy. Many scholars believe these alleged prophecies are forgeries. This is no evidence that they came from St. Malachy, whom by the way, did have a gift of prophecy.

Even if these private revelations are true, it tells us little about the end of the world. According to the prophecy the last Pope will be Petrus Romanus (Peter the Roman):

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End."

The Pope mentioned previous to Petrus Romanus is Gloria olivæ, which is believed to be our current Pope, Benedict XVI.

Because of this many people suggest that there is one more pope to go and that will be the end. This is nonsense.

The prophecies list each pope in succession to Gloria olivæ (allegedly Benedict XVI). The last pope, Petrus Romanus, is not listed as part of this historical sequence. Rather, the prophecy does not mention how many popes there might be between Gloria olivæ and Petrus Romanus. Thus, there many be 100 or even a 1000 popes after Benedict XVI until Peter the Roman sits on the Chair of Peter.

No private revelation is required for belief. We must also remember that Jesus said that no one but the Father knows when the end will come.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary