Malachy's final words:
In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock among many tribulations; after which the
seven-hilled city (Rome, the seat of the Vatican) will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. It is striking that at least one
pope had a similar mystical vision:
In 1909, while granting an audience, pope Pius X leaned back and closed his eyes. Suddenly he "awoke" and cried out: "What I see is terrifying. Will
it be myself? Will it be my successor? What is certain is that the pope will quit Rome, and in leaving the Vatican, he will have to walk over the dead
bodies of his priests."
Pius's prophecy was fulfilled neither in his own time nor in that of the next pontiff. According to Malachy's vision of the Church's "tribulation,"
it applies to the successor of Gloria Olivae-the next pope but one.
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