Problems with St. Malachy legend arise quickly. The text in question is a list of 112 phrases said to be associated with popes, beginning with Celestine II, who was named pope in 1143, Weiss said.

You wouldn’t have to go back further than the 20th century, however, to find the oldest pope to ever serve. Pope Leo XIII, who ascended to the papacy in 1878, was 93 upon his death in 1903.