As I entered the straight street from which the Vatican dome can be seen, I saw another Angel seated calmly upon it. On his left arm he carried a spool with a very long chain. A link from one end of the chain was slipped onto a finger of his right hand, and the other end was in Heaven, on the finger of God, and the Angel carried two golden keys…
Surprised to see him so calm [I asked him]:
“Sentinel, what are you doing here?”
“I am the Angel who defends the throne of the Supreme Pontificate from the demons. Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation speaks of me.”
“What are these chains? And those keys?”
“Their purpose is to chain the Dragon and his princes of darkness, so that they do no more against the Church than suits the designs of God.”
“And how is it that you keep your chains rolled up? Why do you not bind the demons with them? Do you not see that the prince of darkness prowls about Rome freely? Can you not hear him asking for this city to be delivered to him? Do you not hear him say that he already dominates all the capitals of the world and it only remains to him to be enthroned in Rome? Do you not hear him? …”
“Yes, I see what you are seeing and hear what you hear…”
“Would you then abandon us to the power of the demons and to the political governments that they have seduced? Arise, unroll your chains, bind and lock up the Dragon. What are you waiting for? […]”
I thus disputed at length with the Angel who, rising to his feet, full of majesty and glory, said to me:
“Missionary! What do you ask?”
“Either erase from my forehead the name of God whom I invoke and, with God’s name, blot out the priestly character from my soul, or else do not permit that God’s authority in His Prelates be outraged by the demons.
Blessed Francisco Palau y Quer.
Communiqué to Pius IX, 18/12/1866
Above, St. Peter’s Basilica viewed from Viale della Trinità dei Monti; inset, Blessed Francisco Palau
