Vision of Pope Leo Xlll

Vincenzo Pecci was born in an Era of political intrigues and upheavals, as Italy began the task of uniting their troubled country, which endured many wars.

As it was Italy struggled under the leaderships of the Hapsburgs, Napoleon and the Savoy's until 1860 when Victor Emmanuel ll became King of Italy. It was not until 1929 that the Italian government of the day recognised and gave independence to the Holy See, which then became Vatican City, a country within a country.

But it is Vincenzo Pecci who in the year 1878 became Pope Leo Xlll, who would impact many Catholics around the world, with his leadership through difficult times but also through a vision which was given to him from above.

This vision terrified the Holy Father and he trembled at the prospect of what he saw and for the future of the Church. It was as he finished Mass that the Pope fell as if he had fainted, many rushed to his aid, as the Holy Father lay there ashen faced.

When the attending Priests were able to rouse Pope Leo Xlll from his collapse there was great relief as many thought the Holy Father was having a heart attack. But it was not a heart attack but something entirely different which would haunt this Pope until his death.

After the Priests revived the Pontiff, he was heard to say, "oh, what a horrible picture I was permitted to see!" The attending Priests were shocked and dismayed at what the Pope was to reveal to them all.

The Holy Father over many days revealed to all what he had seen and heard, for upon his completion of Mass, he heard two voices one of which was God and the other Satan. As Satan demanded that he be given one hundred years on earth to create havoc and to try and destroy the Church, Jesus then gave Satan permission. For Jesus knew that no force on earth nor hell would ever defeat the Catholic Church!

But what Pope Leo Xlll saw terrified him and filled him with deep anguish as he saw the depths to which many men and women would sink into depravity and debauchery and how much the Church would suffer. He saw in this vision the destruction of nearly all that was decent as immodesty and uncouthness thrived in a century of unparalleled war and evil.

So the Holy Father wrote out a prayer to protect the Catholic Church and its faithful from this evil onslaught, he composed the Prayer to St Michael, this is the shorter version;

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil spirits who prowl about the world for the ruin of souls. Amen."

The Pope spent many years exhorting the faithful to remain strong and to pray much in order to overcome this evil as he also tackled the influence of 'Modernism/liberalism' within the Church.

Like Pope Leo Xlll let us continue to pray this awesome prayer to St. Michael for the protection of our Church and the faithful. Let this also be a warning for those who dissent from the Church's Teachings.

Peace of Christ to you ALL

Copyright © 2005 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.