The Last Pope: Francis and the Fall of the Vatican

The worldwide media frenzy surrounding the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of Francis sets the stage for this intriguing new book, which claims that the new pope may be the last of the line. A millennium ago, the Archbishop of Armagh, canonized as St. Malachy, made a series of prophecies hinting at the identities of the 111 popes from medieval times to the present, including the one who would oversee the end of the Papacy and the fall of the Roman Catholic Church. For 400 years, these predictions remained hidden in the Vatican—but now historian Rob Howells brings them to light, denying claims that they are forgeries and examining their rediscovery in the sixteenth century and how they were used to put certain clergy in power. The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope in March 2013 has been heralded as a fresh start for the beleaguered institution—but Howells offers a stunningly different interpretation: that Francis will be the final pope of the Catholic Church.