I don't know whether or not it will be the next pope. However, I do believe that the False Prophet, who IS A MAN, will come from the papacy. The Catholic church is the only widely accepted religion in our society today. It also is the only major one who preaches tolerance and multiple paths to heaven, as well as many majorly false doctrines. They worship the pope as infallible and give deity status to Mary. I have even heard some of them say that the priests are Christs who can forgive sin. This is clearly false and contrary to the Bible. However, I hesitate to point the finger at any one person as the False Prophet. But, this speculation is all for not, because born-again Christians will not be here to see the the False Prophet or the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist). The Bible tells us the Antichrist will not be revealed until the 'He who restrains' the spirit of the Antichrist is taken out of the way. Ladies and Gentlemen, the 'He' in this verse is the Holy Spirit, which all Christians have who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have been born of the Spirit. At the Rapture, this Spirit will be taken away and Satan and the Antichrist will have free reign to commit their atrocities, never knowing that it is all part of God's plan; a plan laid down before the foundation of the world was lain. Realize these truths, imparted to the Church from the mouths of the Apostles, OT prophets, and Jesus Himself.