The world was rocked by the sudden and unexpected death of Pope Francis. But in the wake of mourning and shock, a whirlwind of speculation has erupted over a shadowy, last-minute meeting held at the Vatican mere hours before the pontiff’s passing — and it’s pulling in names from the highest echelons of power and prophecy.

JD Vance paid tribute to Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on Monday. The demise of the Argentine pontiff comes a day after he met the US Vice President on Easter Sunday at Vatican.
JD Vance, left, met with Pope Francis at Vatican(AP)

Taking to X, Vance said that he just learned of the passing of Pope Francis, adding that his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him.”

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul,” the US VP added.

Vatican announced the death of Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, through a video statement on Monday. His reign was characterized by conflict and division as he worked to reform the embattled institution. He had survived a severe case of double pneumonia.

JD Vance’s brief meeting with Pope Francis

Vance and Pope Francis’ brief meeting occurred on Sunday following a lengthy dispute over the US President Donald Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants.

Vance was welcomed in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel. In addition to a Vatican tie and rosaries, the 88-year-old pope presented Vance three giant chocolate Easter eggs for his three young kids, who were not present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, several netizens reacted to Vance’s tribute to Pope Francis, with some expressing massive outrage over his meeting with the late pontiff.

“Why the outrage over JD meeting the Pope? I’ve seen countless comments cursing him, not just for the meeting, but for all sorts of things,” one person asked while responding to hatred comments for the US VP.

A Divine Prophecy… Or a Warning?

Conspiracy theorists, biblical scholars, and Twitter sleuths have already begun scouring ancient prophecies and obscure Vatican texts. A resurfaced passage from the apocryphal “Chronicles of the Last Light” — a document long denied by the Church as myth — warns of “a final shepherd who shall dine with the veiled flame before the skies turn gray.” Many online believe this cryptic line eerily mirrors the scene reported in Vatican last night.

“This isn’t just political intrigue — this is cosmic,” says Dr. Lennox Armand, an Oxford theologian known for controversial interpretations of papal prophecy. “If this mystery man truly exists, and if he delivered some final truth to Francis… we may be on the cusp of revelations the Church has kept hidden for centuries.”

Vatican Remains Silent — But Is Something Brewing?

Despite growing calls for transparency, the Vatican has refused to comment on the alleged late-night meeting, nor have they released a statement on the Pope’s exact cause of death. Early reports cite “natural causes,” but medical experts say a detailed autopsy is necessary.

Some insiders suggest that Cardinal Ambrogio Valenti — a rising star within the Vatican inner circle and rumored to have clashed with Pope Francis on issues of reform — may soon step into a leadership role. Whether that transition will be smooth or contested remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Vatican guards have reportedly increased security around the Secret Archives, fueling speculation that something within their walls may be key to understanding the Pope’s final hours.

The Internet Has Theories — and They’re Wild

Online forums have exploded with theories, from alien emissaries and time travelers to coded messages embedded in Gregorian chants. Some Reddit users point to the ancient “Malachy Prophecy” — a medieval list of Popes that ends with Francis — as a possible indication that we are in “the end times.”

Others believe the Pope may have been preparing to disclose a long-held secret — something so big, so potentially world-altering, that powerful forces intervened to stop him.

One popular TikTok video, viewed over 5 million times, breaks down the timeline of the Pope’s final hours, drawing eerie parallels to a 1997 episode of The X-Files. Another post theorizes that the unknown man could have been an AI-generated projection by a rogue Vatican experiment gone awry. Wild? Definitely. But the world seems to be in no mood to rule anything out.

What Comes Next?

In the coming days, the Vatican is expected to announce funeral arrangements, and perhaps even a conclave to choose the next Pope. But for many, the lingering question will be: What happened in that room last night — and why did Pope Francis take the secret to his grave?

Whatever the truth may be, it’s clear that the intersection of faith, mystery, and celebrity has taken center stage in one of the most surreal global moments in recent memory. Whether the unknown man will ever be identified — or if he was, as some whisper, not entirely of this world — remains to be seen.

For now, all eyes are on Rome. And the world waits, breath held, for the next twist in a story that feels more like prophecy than reality.