Who Is St. Malachy?

St. Malachy was an Irish priest who lived in the 12th century and was said to have been endowed with the gift of prophecy. In 1139 he travelled to Rome and, while there, is said to have had a vision, enabling him to peer into the future of the Roman see. He wrote a document, prophesying about all men who would hold the office of Pope in future, down to the end of the world. The comments about each pope were brief, consisting of a single phrase in Latin. There were 112 prophecies in all, applying to 112 occupants of the papal throne.

The current Pope, Benedict XVI is the 111th in St. Malachy's succession, and so the second last. According to the prophecy, the last pope should be called Peter, and he should preside over the destruction of Rome and the end of the world.

The prophecies of St. Malachy were unknown until the 16th century. It is said that they had lain undiscovered in a papal vault until then. Some, however, dispute the authenticity of the prophecies and claim that the whole thing is a forgery concocted in the 16th century.