"End of the World" is becoming a subject of discussion again, just two months after the no-show of the Dec. 21 doomsday scenario. The Mayan calendar and asteroid Nibiru are no longer at the center of doomsday talks. This time, the Vatican, Nostradamus, St Malachy, and the Comet ISON are front and center of talks about the end of times.

Nostradamus and St Malachy are being cited as the source of predictions that the next pope will be the last pope, and his church reign shall herald the world's end. The Comet ISON is allegedly a manifestation of these predictions.

RELATED: End of the World 2013: Higgs Boson Apocalypse Linked to St Malachy, Nostradamus Prophecies

"End of the World" Interpretations with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI

The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI effective Feb. 28 turned on the alarm for some people who have heard or read about "the last pope" as believed to have been predicted by St Malachy and Nostradamus. The predictions are somehow interpreted this way: The next pope will be the last one because "Judgment Day" will take place while the soon-to-be-named papal successor is seated.

Statue of St Malachy at Sterling Heights, MI. Nostradamus’ ‘End of the World,’ St. Malachy, Comet ISON, and the ‘Last Pope’ Connection (Image: Wikimedia Commons/Patricia Drury)

Saint Malachy was a 12th century Irish Archbishop. He was known for some reported miraculous powers, such as healing and declaring prophecies. While in Rome in 1139 AD, he is said to have had a vision of all the future popes -- from Pope Celestine II (1143 AD) up to the reigning pope, Benedict XVI. According to some interpretations, the pope who succeeds Pope Benedict XVI will be the last one to sit in the Vatican before doomsday.

Nostradamus or Michel de Nostredame, was a 16th century French astrologer whose writings led many to believe that he has seen the end of the world as a seer. Accoring to various interpretations, Nostradamus predicted the pope to replace Benedict XVI will "flee Rome" in the month of December, at a time when the sky has two suns.

Incidentally, scientists are expecting Comet ISON to show up the sky in December 2013. "ISON's path is very similar to that of Kirch's Comet, a.k.a. Newton's Comet, a.k.a. the Great Comet of 1680, which was bright enough to be seen in daylight and had a magnificently long tail," reports TIME.com.

End of the World Talks Again -- What to Do?

With doomsday talks going on again, expect twisted interpretations and mixed up insights. If you're a parent, be prepared to explain these things to your children. If you're keen to read some fiction about it, try "The Last Pope," a 2006 novel by novel by Portuguese author Luís Miguel Rocha. It builds on the death of Pope John Paul I and the rumored secrets of Vatican City.

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