The last pope was Pope Francis, who died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. He was the 266th pope and the first from Argentina, serving since his election in 2013 until his death in 2025
. Following his death, a new pope was elected on May 8, 2025: Cardinal Robert Prevost, who became the first US-born pope and took the name Pope Leo XIV
. There is also a popular but debated prophecy by St. Malachy that suggests Pope Francis might have been the last pope, identified as the 112th pope on Malachy's list. However, historians and experts generally regard this prophecy with skepticism and do not consider it a reliable prediction of the end of the papacy
