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As of February 14th, 2025, Pope Francis, head of the worldwide Catholic Church, has been admitted to the hospital after experiencing breathing issues and difficulties for several days. A beloved figure in public eyes, his declining health has been a major topic of discussion on social media.
Fast forward two weeks from now, media outlets are reporting that the Pope is in critical condition, having experienced a mild kidney failure and, more recently, a bronchial spasm amidst his battle with pneumonia.
The Pope’s health as well as the implications of the future for the Catholic Church weigh heavy on the world. In light of these times, an infamous prophecy has been resurging on the internet.
Michel de Nostredame, famously known as Nostradamus, is an astrologer from the 16th century who made many predictions about future disasters–– from political disruption, to wars, to natural disasters. Some believe that he correctly predicted the French Revolution in 1789, WWII in 1939, and more recently, COVID-19 in 2020. On the other hand, the same criticism has been used over and over to rebuke his credibility. Many of Nostradamus’s predictions are cryptic and vague, giving leeway to fit into almost any event and appear “successful.”
In times of turmoil, historians are now revisiting the prophet of doom’s works and have discovered that, perhaps, he did foreshadow a fate for the Pope.
His predictions for the year 2025 included the following: "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 see, but long will he sit and in biting activity."
The “Roman of good age” points to the potential identity of a new successor; however, the French astrologist’s description of him and his reign is less than favourable. This passage in particular indicates that a period of turmoil will pass over the Vatican, a prediction that has yet to come true. Yet, with the mention of the “very old pontiff”, Nostradamus’s predictions have garnered a haunting amount of credibility.
The question remains: How much of these prophecies can be taken as true?
All things considered, it’s important to remember that Nostradamus’s predictions ended up having to be compiled into a whopping 931 page book. In all of those sets, whether it be coincidence or some genuine supernatural capability, the sheer number of prophecies he came up with meant that at least a few of them would stick the landing.
During these times, we wish for the Pope’s safe recovery.