What the Prophecy of the Popes Actually Says About “Peter the Roman”
The Prophecy of the Popes was first printed in 1595 by Benedictine monk Arnold Wion in Lignum Vitae. The text presents a sequence of short Latin mottos associated with popes and antipopes and ends with a longer passage referring to a figure called Petrus Romanus, or Peter the Roman.
On page 311 of the 1595 printing, the final section follows the motto Gloria olivae, “Glory of the olive.” The concluding text includes the line In persecutione extrema S.R.E. sedebit, followed by Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulationibus.
The passage describes Peter the Roman as one who will shepherd his sheep through many tribulations. It then says that, after these things, the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge his people.
The wording and layout of the final passage have produced different interpretations about how the last lines should be counted and whether the persecution line belongs directly to the Peter the Roman passage or should be treated separately. The printed text itself is available in scans of Wion’s original work.
Pope Leo XIV drew renewed attention to the phrase “Roman” on May 25, 2025, while formally taking up his role as Bishop of Rome. In remarks to Rome’s mayor and civic authorities, Leo said, “in a special way, today I can say that for you and with you I am Roman.”
The Vatican’s transcript places the statement in the context of Leo’s inauguration as Bishop of Rome and his responsibility to the people of the city. The statement does not identify Leo as “Peter the Roman” or refer to the Prophecy of the Popes.
The connection between Leo’s wording and the final lines of the prophecy is therefore an interpretation made by readers of the prophecy, while the documented facts are that the 1595 text ends with Peter the Roman and that Leo publicly described himself as Roman during his assumption of the Roman episcopal office.
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Sources
Arnold Wion, Lignum Vitae, 1595, p. 311
Holy See Press Office, May 25, 2025
This Renegade Research article summarizes source material connected with the Peter the Roman research series. Links are provided so readers can review the original material.