Topics: Nostradamus, Politics, World News, News, Pope Leo
The world watched on as the successor to the late Pope Francis, who passed away Easter Monday (21 April), was announced.
Pope Leo, born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected as the 267th pontiff on Thursday (8 May) and has since broken major tradition with his multilingual speech during his first mass earlier this morning (9 May).
However, centuries before such an announcement was made, a psychic named Nostradamus made quite the chilling prophecy about the new pope after appearing to make a prediction about the former Bishop of Rome's death.
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French astrologer Michel de Nostredame (known as Nostradamus) made such a prophecy back in in 1555.
The French astrologer, who was born in 1503 and died in 1566, was responsible for the text Les Propheties, which depicted his predictions in the form of poems.
Writing in his book 'Les Prophéties', Nostradamus stated: "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."
He then added: "A young man of dark skin with the help of the great king will deliver the purse to another of red colour."
Whilst the meanings of Nostradamus' hundreds of prophesies are famously tricky to interpret, it's largely believed that this particular entry describes a shift when it comes to religious leadership.
However, it would appear that, in this particular instance, Nostradamus' prediction about the new pope wasn't totally right given that the description doesn't completely fit with Pope Leo.
The 16th century astrologer isn't the only supposed mystic to have issued predictions related to the papacy.
Also in the 1500s, a warning first issued by the Irish Saint Malachy - a 12th century Archbishop of Armagh - was documented in Prophecy of the Popes, a book written by the Benedictine monk Arnold Wion.
The text documents a trip the saint took to Rome 300 years earlier, during which he reportedly received a vision of the future, as well as the names of each Pope until the end of the world.
Wion recorded that Malachy had predicted Francis' death to 'spark the day of judgement'.
"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," Malachy reportedly warned. "The End."
Whilst neither prophesy bodes well for the new Pope, theologians believe we should take both Nostradamus and Malachy's warnings with a pretty hefty pinch of salt.
