Quo Vadis

Apr 13, 2023

Pope Francis talks about how the Devil attacks the Church and how he dealt with exorcisms, in a new book by an Italian journalist on the subject.

The devil "doesn't stand a chance if there is prayer," says Pope Francis in a short interview published in the book "Esorcisti contro Satana" ("Exorcists against Satan") by Italian journalist Fabio Marchese Ragon, published on April 11, 2023.

In one chapter, the Pope talks about how the devil attacks the Church and believers and how he dealt with these cases as Pope and Archbishop.

"What is certain is that the Devil tries to attack everyone without distinction, and above all he tries to attack those who have more responsibility in the Church or society," he explained.

Even Jesus suffered temptations from the devil, we can also remember those of Simon Peter to whom he said: 'Get behind me, Satan'.

Even the Pope, therefore, is attacked by the Evil One.

The Pope, in fact, believed that he could "get on the devil's nerves, because he is trying to follow the Lord and do what the Gospel says."

"It annoys him", he added, explaining that he is sure that the devil is "certainly happy" when he makes mistakes.

"He seeks the failure of man, but there is no chance if there is prayer," the Pope pointed out.

And indeed, since he was elected, Pope Francis always asked the faithful and all his interlocutors to pray for him.

The book, which is currently only available in Italian, talks about exorcisms in general, and quotes the testimonies of exorcist priests and possessed victims. A short chapter is devoted to an interview with Pope Francis.

Answering a question from a journalist who quoted Saint Paul VI that Satan can also enter the Temple of God, the Pope agreed and said that the devil tries to "sow discord and turn one against another" and that "divisions and attacks are always" his work.

"The only salvation is to follow the path shown by Christ," explained the Holy Father.

He also warned against those "polite demons" who possess souls.

"The soul, not taking care to examine the conscience, does not pay attention, or lets them in out of spiritual lukewarmness.

Those demons are scary.

Because they kill you. It's the worst estate," stressed Pope Francis.

“All these things are covered by spiritual worldliness.

There is no escape: the devil either destroys directly with wars and injustices, or he does it politely, very diplomatically, as Jesus recounts."

Pope Francis claims that he has never practiced exorcism, either as pope or earlier as an archbishop and priest.

However, he said that on several occasions he sent people who said they were possessed to two "specialist priests", who "were not healers", but actually "exorcists", he clarified.

One was the exorcist of the Diocese of La Plata, Father Carlos Alberto Mancuso, and the other was Jesuit priest Nicolas Mihaljevic.

"Both told me later that only two or three of these people were really victims of demonic possession," Pope Francis explained.

He also stressed the importance of distinguishing these cases of possession, in which the devil is "in the flesh", from the more common cases of "demonic possession".

He said that if an exorcism was ever needed, now that he was pope, he would repeat this practice of seeking "the support of a good exorcist."

Are there Exorcisms in the Vatican?

In the chapter dedicated to Pope Francis' interview, he refused to comment on a case brought to him by a journalist in 2018 regarding a possessed nun who said the devil had apparently expressed his hatred for the Pope.

In 2014, the Holy See denied rumors that Pope Francis performed an exorcism on a Mexican man who had convulsions in Saint Peter's Square, saying the Pope simply prayed for him by laying hands on him.

The Vatican does not have exorcists, unlike the Diocese of Rome.

The Italian journalist's book quotes Father Vincenzo Taraborelli, who works in the parish of Santa Maria in Traspontina, just down the road from Saint Peter's Basilica.

The book also mentions an anonymous cardinal, who has been performing exorcisms inside the Vatican walls for the past 40 years.

Albanian Cardinal Ernest Simoni and Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias (who died in 2017) also practiced exorcisms, according to the author of this book.

Mirrored from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USn26CsZLU8