An expert reveals how Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have confronted the devil throughout their pontificates, promoting the ministry of exorcism or even practicing it.
Gabriele Amorth already denounced that in the Church, in the 80s, there were many bishops who did not believe in exorcisms or the devil. “John Paul II, but also Benedict XVI and Francis, supported this ministry of liberation through their speeches against the action of the evil one,” explains journalist Fabio Marchese Ragona, author of the book Exorcists against Satan (Exorcists against Satan).
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In his homilies, Pope Francis has repeatedly mentioned that “the devil enters through the pockets,” in reference to the power of corruption. In this sense, Marchese Ragona, in dialogue with ACI Prensa, remembers his meeting with the Pontiff for the preparation of the book: “Never dialogue with the devil, because he will defeat you,” the Holy Father warned him. “He makes you believe that everything is good, that you are going to be successful, and then he catches you, you fall into the abyss and then it is difficult to get back up,” recalls the expert.
The Vaticanist from Mediaset (Italian television), with more than ten years of experience, has written a book full of stories of victims of possession and testimonies of exorcists who fight against the devil, including a unpublished interview with Pope Francis in which he describes how the devil always “tries to attack everyone and sows tares, also in the Church, trying to pit some against each other.”
Pope Francis, attacked by the devil
The Pontiff admits in that dialogue that he too has been attacked by the devil, says Marchese Ragona. “The devil attacks everyone, but especially those in the hierarchy of the Church. “He tempted Jesus and he also does it with the Popes and the bishops.”
Indeed, in the first chapter of the work, Marchese Ragona tells the story of a possessed nun who was freed and who, during the exorcisms, with a demonic voice, indicated that the devil hated Pope Francis: “Have you seen everything?” “What do I put that Argentine through?” the devil said to the priest. “But he doesn’t leave, he is strong, too much for me.”
“I asked the Pope,” Marchese Ragona recalls, “Did you know that the devil says that about you? And he answered me: ‘Maybe because I bother him with prayer and I follow the Gospel.’ At the same time, He surely takes pleasure when I commit some sin. He seeks the failure of man, but he has no hope when prayer is present.”
In some dioceses in northern Europe there are no exorcists despite the warnings of recent Popes, notes Marchese Ragona in dialogue with ACI Prensa. “Yes, unfortunately it is like that, and I have to agree with Father Gabriele Amorth (1925-2016), who was a great exorcist.”
Some Popes performed exorcisms remotely
Although some Popes performed exorcisms remotely, such as Pius XII and Saint John Paul II, there is no evidence that other contemporary Pontiffs did so. Even in moments when the devil manifested itself, such as when Benedict XVI blessed three demon-possessed young men from a distance after a General Audience in 2009, popes have not carried out exorcisms.
Saint John XXIII never performed exorcisms and neither did Saint Paul VI, who in 1972 denounced how “the smoke of Satan had entered through some crack” into the Temple of God. Nor has Pope Francis performed an exorcism, as confirmed in the interview with Marchese Ragona, since he prefers that specialized priests do it.
Its focus is on preventing and fighting evil temptations through faith and prayer. The Pontiff has not only preached openly against the devil, but he also recognized the International Association of Exorcists in June 2014, indicates Marchese Ragona.
It should be remembered that in 2019, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published the book Rebuking the Devil (Rebuking the devil), which compiles the most important teachings of Pope Francis about the prince of lies, “his empty promises and works, and how he can be actively combated.” “The Pope tells us how to use powerful spiritual weapons against the devil, including the Word of God and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,” wrote Bishop Michael F. Burbidge in the launch of that work.
Originally published August 24, 2023. It has been updated for republication.
Ary Waldir Ramos Díaz is ACI Prensa correspondent in Rome and the Vatican. He is a Vatican journalist with more than 10 years of experience.