declaring that in the
reign of the pope identified as Petrus Romanus the end of the world
would come, culminating in Jesus Christ descending to earth for Judgment
Day.

O’Brien said Malachy’s vision occurred while he was in Rome for a
month, visiting and praying at the Eternal City’s many historical and
holy sites.

“The sight of the ruins of Pagan Rome, the tombs of the
Apostles, the thought of so many thousands of martyrs, the presence of
[Pope] Innocent II, who had been obligated to wander so many years in
France and elsewhere on account of the anti-pope Anaclete – all this, I
say, filled the mind of St. Malachy with deep and sad reflections and he
was forced to cry out in the words of the old prophets: ‘Usquequo,
Domine non misereberis Sion?’ – ‘How long, O Lord! wiltThou not have
mercy on Sion?’”

O’Brien continued:

And God Answered: “Until the end of the world the Church
will be both militant and triumphant. Until the end of time the
sufferings of my passion and the mysteries of my cross must be continued
on earth, and I shall be with you until the end of the world.” And then
was unfolded before the gaze of the holy bishop of Armagh the long line
of illustrious pilots who were to guide the storm-tossed bark of Peter
until the end.

Malachy gave his manuscript to Innocent II, born Gregorio Papareschi,
who was pope from 1130 to 1143. Innocent placed the manuscript in the
Vatican archives, where the document remained unknown until its
discovery in 1590.

Through the past 900 years, various critics have questioned the
authenticity and the accuracy of St. Malachy’s prophecy, often