As the world mourns the sad passing of Pope Francis, a question has arisen: Did Nostradamus predict his passing, and perhaps even more interesting, who will succeed him?
French astrologer and apothecary Michel de Nostredame, more commonly known as Nostradamus, is the famous writer of Les Prophéties, which he ‘penned’ as far back as 1555. It is extraordinary to think that he could have possibly conceived the future of humanity, and yet his prophecies still appear to apply to the world that we live in today. Now, many are saying that one prophecy in particular foretold the passing of Pope Francis.
What does Nostradamus’ prophecy say about the Pope?
In his book, Nostradamus wrote:
‘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.’
Nostradamus also hinted at details of the successor of Pope Francis, writing, ‘A young man of dark skin with the help of the great king will deliver the purse to another of red colour.’
Reflecting on this poignant description, astrologists are now claiming that Nostradamus was referring to Pope Francis‘s death. Others have taken this one step further and said that it also predicts the weakening of the Catholic Church and Catholicism as we know it.
Of course, the Catholic Church does now face a critical moment in its history as it must choose a new spiritual leader. Here, too, there may be some truth in Nostradamus’s prophecy all those years ago. Considering the candidates that have been put forward, it is entirely possible that the next Pope could indeed be of African descent. Three African cardinals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Guinea are among the contenders for the papacy.
Did Nostradamus predict the war between Russia and Ukraine?
While it is fair to say that the words of Nostradamus are vague enough to be applied to significant world occurrences post-event, there do seem to be a number of ‘coincidences’. For example, some believe that he predicted Russia’s war with Ukraine when he stated:
Through long war all the army exhausted, so that they do not find money for the soldiers; instead of gold or silver, they will come to coin leather, Gallic brass, and the crescent sign of the Moon.”
The allusions to ‘the crescent sign of the Moon’ and ‘Gallic brass’ have prompted some to hypothesise that France and Turkey could be involved in settling the dispute in some way.
What predictions did Nostradamus make for 2025?
However, scholars of Nostradamus are more concerned about another prophecy pertaining to this year, which seems to suggest the Earth will be devastated: “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.”
Personally, I hold on to the fact that this says ‘a second chance’ at the end, but whatever you believe about Nostradamus, it will certainly be interesting to see if his ‘Pope prophecy’ plays out.
Over to you: Are you a believer in Nostradamus’s book of prophecies, or do you think it is too easy to make it appear as though they are coming true?
