Pope Francis himself broke with centuries of tradition when he became the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, hailing from Argentina.
Image: Tiziana FABI / AFP
AS THE WORLD mourns the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday at the age of 88, speculation is stirring around a centuries-old prophecy.
Could Nostradamus - the famed 16th-century astrologer - have foreseen this moment, and what comes next?
In his book Nostradamus, Les Prophéties, written in 1555, he said, “Through the death of a very old Pontiff, a Roman of good age will be elected. Of him it will be said that he weakens his seat, but long will he sit and in mordant activity.”
About the Pope’s successor, Nostradamus wrote, "A young man of dark skin with the help of the great king will deliver the purse to another of red colour."
Some believe this could point to the election of a person of colour as the next Pope, which would be a historic first for the Vatican.
With Pope Francis himself having broken tradition as the first non-European pontiff in over 1,300 years, the Church may be on the brink of another major shift.
The Conclave, the secretive process where cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope, will not begin for at least 15 days.
In the meantime, attention has turned to the possibility of a Pope who reflects the modern global church — younger, more diverse, and from beyond Europe.
The death of the Pope is just one of many dark visions Nostradamus had for the year ahead. His prophecies suggest a tumultuous 2025, including:
He warned about internal and external conflict in England and Europe, sparking fears of both political unrest and foreign threats.
“When those from the lands of Europe see England set up her throne behind. Her flanks, there will be cruel wars. The kingdom will be marked by wars so cruel, foes from within and without will arise.”
“A great pestilence from the past returns, no enemy more deadly under the skies.” Many believe this alludes to a resurgence of plague-like disease - perhaps a new pandemic or a mutation of an old one.
Another haunting prophecy suggests an apocalyptic “fireball from space”- which could possibly be an asteroid or solar event that forces the world to reckon with its future.
“From the cosmos, a fireball will rise, a harbinger of fate, the world pleads. Science and fate in a cosmic dance, the fate of the Earth, a second chance.”
The passage, “Garden of the world near the new city… forced to drink waters poisoned by sulphur,” is thought to reference climate disasters in Brazil, home to the vital Amazon rainforest. Could deforestation and pollution be nearing a tipping point?
Nostradamus also predicted that an extended war in Europe would finally come to an end in 2025 - “when the armies are spent.”
While critics argue Nostradamus’s verses are vague enough to fit nearly any modern event, his accuracy in predicting everything from the rise of Hitler to the Covid pandemic keeps his legend alive.
As the world enters a new chapter following Pope Francis’s passing, many are once again turning to the past, hoping it may shed light on the uncertain future ahead.
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