The Irish archbishop St. Malachi (also known as Maelm Haedoc Va Morgair) was born in 1095 at Armaugh, Ireland. He died in 1148. St. Malachi was gifted with miracles and prophecy. In 1132 he succeeded to archbishopric of Armagh, but resigned in 1138 to take a journey to Rome to visit Pope Innocent III. En route, he visited St. Bernard (who later wrote St. Malachi's biography) at Clairvaux, France. There he wrote his famous prophecy predicting 112 individual Popes by name from Celestine II (1143-1144) to the very end of the Papacy. The Benedictine monk Arnold de Wion found the original manuscript in the library of the Vatican and included it in his book Lignum Vitae (1595). The series includes many accurate descriptions of the popes in two or three word phrases. Those of the 20th century are translated from Latin as follows. (2, 11, 12)

Lumen in Coelo (Light in Heaven): the 101st in St. Malachi's series was Pope Leo XIII, whose Pecci family coat-of-arms bears a comet.

Ignis Ardens (Ardent Fire): Pope Pius X (1903-1914).

Religio Depopulata (Religion Depopulated): Benedict XV (1914-1922); during World War I, depopulation was the order of the day.

Fides Intrepida (Intrepid Faith): Pope Pius XI (1922-1939).

Pastor Angelicus (Angelic Shepherd): Pope Pius XII (1939-1958).

Pastor et Nauta (Shepherd and Pilot): Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) was the patriarch ("Shepherd") of the port city of Venice (hence "Pilot") before he was elected Pope.

Flos Florum (Flower of Flowers): Pope Paul VI (1963-1978); his family coat-of-arms has a floral crest of the fleur-de-lys.

De Medietate Lunae (Middle of the Moon), number 108: The 33-day reign of Pope Paul Ispanned two full moons; he died during the half-moon phase ("Middle of the Moon") in 1979.

De Labore Solis (Labor of the Sun): Pope John Paul II was born during a total eclipse of the sun.

De Gloria Olivae (Glory of the Olive), number 110, will be the penultimate Pope, according to St. Malachi.

Peter Romanus (Peter of Rome); St. Malachi gave more details about the last Pope:

During the final persecution of the Holy Roman Catholic Church there will sit upon the throne Peter the Roman, who will pasture his flock in the midst of many tribulations. With these passed, the city of the hills will be destroyed, and the awful judge will judge the peoples.