As Catholics around the world mourn the death of Pope Francis, who passed away peacefully on Easter Monday at the age of 88, a centuries-old prophecy by Nostradamus has come back into the spotlight. The Argentine-born pontiff had battled health issues for months, including pneumonia, before the Vatican confirmed his passing.
Nostradamus, the famed 16th-century French astrologer, wrote in Les Prophéties about the death of a “very old Pontiff” followed by a significant shift in leadership within the Catholic Church. The passage reads: “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.”
When Pope Francis was first hospitalized in early 2025, some stargazers began connecting his illness to this cryptic prediction. His age and declining health seemed to match the vague but ominous tone of Nostradamus’s writing. Now, with his passing, interest in the prophecy has surged once more.
Adding to the intrigue, Nostradamus also hinted at the pope’s successor: “A young man of dark skin with the help of the great king will deliver the purse to another of red colour.” While interpretations vary widely, some believe this could suggest a pope from the Global South or an era of unexpected alliances and transitions in the Catholic hierarchy.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit to assume the papacy. He was also the first non-European pontiff in more than 1,300 years. Known for his humility and more progressive stances on several social issues, he was both a beloved and controversial figure within the Church.
The Vatican has announced that his body will lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica, with his burial to take place at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The Conclave to elect his successor is expected to begin after the official mourning period.
🇻🇦 A final wave & blessing from Pope Francis before departing the balcony in St. Peter’s Square this Easter Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Vv0qSQuTiq
— Imperial Material ♚ (@royalistinusa) April 20, 2025
With global attention now focused on the Vatican once again, some are watching not just the succession process, but the eerie possibility that Nostradamus may have foreseen the end of Pope Francis’s historic papacy.