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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Pope Francis & the Devil

Fr. David Friel · February 1, 2015

EOPLE DON’T TALK much about the devil. These days, talking about the devil is often seen as “antiquated” or “from a different era.” But the devil is real. We have always believed that, and we believe it still. If you listen to Pope Francis’ talks (and not just to the sound bites the news likes to quote), you’ll notice that he talks about the devil . . . a lot.

For example, in a June 2013 audience, Pope Francis said: “Look around us—it is enough to open a newspaper, as I said—we see the presence of evil. The devil is acting.”

In October 2013, the pontiff proclaimed in a morning meditation: “A battle exists, a battle in which the eternal salvation of us all is at stake.”

In a September 2013 letter to Argentinian bishops, the pope quoted Blessed José Gabriel Brochero (the “Gaucho priest”), who said: “There’ll be trouble if the devil robs me of a single soul.”

Satan was a topic even in the Holy Father’s first public appearance with the Pope Emeritus in June 2014, when Francis declared: “In consecrating the Vatican City State to St. Michael the Archangel, let us ask him to defend us from the Evil One and cast him out.”

Even before his days as pope, then-Cardinal Bergoglio wrote in the 2010 book, On Heaven and Earth: “I believe that the Devil exists” and “his greatest achievement in these times has been to make us believe that he doesn’t exist.”

This is only a small sampling. None of these comments should surprise us, inasmuch as Papa Bergoglio comes to us through the Jesuits, whose expertise is the discernment of spirits (both good & evil).

The Gospel read at Mass today in the Ordinary Form is about an interaction that Jesus has with the devil. There are more than a few such scenes in the Scriptures, but this one starts out: “In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit.” Jesus has a short conversation with the unclean spirit, and then He commands it: “Quiet! Come out of him!” Then, the story says, “The unclean spirit convulsed [the man] and, with a loud cry, came out of him.”

This story simply does not strike me as “archaic” or “from a different era.” What is your sense? Don’t you think there are “unclean spirits” at work in the world today?

I certainly do. I sense them in the folks I’ve known struggling with addiction, who seem robbed of their will power and freedom. I see the “Culture of Death” that promotes abortion & euthanasia as an “unclean spirit” in our land. The corruption we have seen in the Church and in other institutions is most certainly evidence of “unclean spirits.”

There are also the “unclean spirits” of vengeance & torture & bullying & prejudice & pornography (which has become so devastatingly rampant). “Unclean spirits” take the form of depression & anxiety & fear & loneliness. Yes, in the world around us, I see a world of unclean spirits.

We Catholics also believe that the world is full of pure spirits. We believe that each human person has a guardian angel. We believe that myriads of angels are present every time we celebrate Holy Mass (Hebrews 12:22). But, just as surely as we hold to the claim that there are angels in the world, we should not downplay the presence of demons in the world.

What should we do about them? Just as in the days of the Gospel, the best solution is to turn these spirits over to the Lord. We are so often powerless in the face of these things. But, in the hands of the Lord, it is the unclean spirits that become powerless. In addition, it is wise to enlist the support and favors of the angelic spirits against the wiles of the demonic spirits. Praying the prayer to St. Michael each day would be worthwhile in this regard.

C. S. Lewis makes an important point in his famous book, The Screwtape Letters. He makes the point that the devil is never so powerful as when we deny his existence.

So, let’s acknowledge his existence. Jesus did. And, like Jesus, let’s beg the Father in heaven to drive out the unclean spirits that oppress us.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pope Francis Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

“The Pope is not an absolute monarch whose thoughts and desires are law. On the contrary: the Pope’s ministry is a guarantee of obedience to Christ and to his Word. He must not proclaim his own ideas, but rather constantly bind himself and the Church to obedience to God’s Word, in the face of every attempt to adapt it or water it down, and every form of opportunism.”

— ‘His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI (11 May 2005)’

Recent Posts

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  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
  • Pope Saint Paul VI to Consilium (14 October 1968)

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