2124i24, 611 PM “The Smoke of Satan Retums | Willam Doino Jt. | First Things
ed a
BE PRINTEDITION PROGRAMS MEDIA AUTHORS STORE ABOUT E-NEWSLETTERS GIVE
THE SMOKE OF SATAN RETURNS
by William Doino Jr.
10.28.13
11972, on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Paul VI delivered a sermon that startled the world, Describing
the chaos then consuming the post-coneiliar Church, he lamented : “From some fissure the smoke of Satan
has entered the temple of God.”
Paul's words were a warning to all who, taken with the “spirit of Vatican II”—rather than the Council’s actual
teachings—had fallen under the sway of dark spirits. But Catholic dissidents didn’t want to be criticized, much less
told they might be assisting the devil. So they struck back"with sarcasm, ridicule and contempt. One of Paul's
biographers describes their reaction:
Cartoonists refurbished their stock of clichés, producing cloven hoofs, long sinuous tails, ugly
contorted faces and terrifying implements of torture. For the cartoonists Paul VI was definitely
nota modern man,
Neither, as we've come to learn, is Pope Francis—if by “modern” we mean an abandonment of the supernatural,
anda flight from Christianity’s most challenging teachings. Like his venerable predecessor , Francis has made it a
point to draw the world’s attention to the wiles of the devil. But whereas Paul waited nearly ten years to speak so
dramatically about Satan, Francis took only a day.
Within twenty-four hours of being elected, the new pope declared : “When one does not profess Jesus Christ—1
recall the phrase of Leon Bloy— Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil.” The following day, Francis
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns wr24a 611 PM “The Smoke of Satan Retums | William Ooino J | Fst Things
continued : “Let us never give in to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil tempts us with every day.” In his
homily for Palm Sunday , he spoke of problems which appear insurmountabl
devil, comes, often disguised as an angel, and slyly speaks his word to us. Do not listen to him!”
“In this moment the enemy, the
In July, Francis consecrated Vatican City State to St. Michael , che Archangel, who “defends the People of God
from their enemies, and above all from the arch-enemy par excellence, the devil.” And in early October, Francis
powerfully rebuked those who deny the existence of Satan, warning against relativism, deceit, and “the seduction
of evil.”
Striking as his words are, they are not surprising. During his formation as Jesuit, Jorge Bergoglio adopted the
intense spirituality of Se. Ignatius ,
his 2010 book with his friend, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, the then Cardinal Bergoglio spoke of the devil in the
vho always recognized the reality of spiritual warfare. In On Heaven and Earth ,
starkest terms: “He is the tempter, the one that looks to destroy the work of God, he that brings us to self
sufficiency, to pride. Jesus defines him as the father of lies.”
Contending with the devil, he continued, “is precisely man’s battle on earth.” That same year, Cardinal Bergolio
rose to publicly challenge Argentina's move to redefine marriage:
Atsstake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts. Let us not be naive: this is not
simply a political struggle, but itis an attempt to destroy God's plan. Ieis not just a bill (a mere
instrument) but a “move” of the father of lies who secks to confuse and deceive the children of
God
President Cristina Kirchner, who pushed hard for the radical legislation, responded : “Bergoglio’s position is
medieval.” But truth is objective and not time-conditioned, so Bergoglio’s defense of marriage stands.
tering the pontificates of John Paul Il and Benedict XVI, the devil was by no means downplayed: John
D Paul's Catechism highlights his presence , and Benedict was inveighing against Satan long before he
became pope, notably in the Ratzinger Report . But Francis has taken the subject to a new level. He has
three very clear ideas about humanity's struggle against Satan.
The first is that no one should ever use the devil to excuse scandal, immorality, and criminal behavior—as has
sometimes happened in the Church. The faithful Christian always accepts personal responsibility, and
understands that the devil can never force us to do anything against our will. He tempts, he misleads, he brings us
to the point of danger, but in the final analysis, itis our choice whether to succumb to evil or not.
The second principle is never to allow our fight against Satan to end dialogue with our opponents. Back in May,
Francis proclaimed, “You cannot dialogue with the prince of the world,” and his statement immediately provoked
questions: How can we improve anything in a conflicted world, if we demonize our opponents and summarily end
dialogue with them? But that’s not what Francis said, in context. In the very next sentence, he stressed the
importance of dialogue, which is “necessary for peace.” What he meant by warning us never to dialogue with the
devil is never to sacrifice ultimate truth when meeting with our opponents—not that we shouldn't search for
common ground, or try to win hearts for Christ.
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns an24a 611 PM “The Smoke of Satan Retums | William Ooino J | Fst Things
The third principle is to be on constant guard against the devil, never assume we cannot sin like those we are trying
to correct, and ask ourselves some pointed questions:
Do I guard myself, my heart, my feelings, my thoughts? Do I guard the treasure of grace? Do I
guard the presence of the Holy Spirit in me? Or do [let go, feeling secure, believing that all is
going well? But if you do not guard yourself, he who is stronger than you will come,
On all these points, says Francis, “there are no nuances. There is a battle and a battle where salvation is at play,
eternal salvation.”
Those who support Francis’ exhortations should follow his lead, knowing they will meet resistance. Sin, evil,
temptation, the devil, eternal judgment—these are not topics the modern world wants to discuss, or even that
many Christians do, When Archbishop Chaput addressed the reality of Satan a few years ago, he called out the
“many religious leaders” who were “embarrassed to talk about the devil” and spiritual warfare. Doing so invites
charges of harboring irrational, superstitious, even dangerous beliefs. But the real peril is the denial of evil that
began with Satan, and is still being fomented by his legions. “I believe that the devil exists,” Francis told Rabbi
Skorka, “Maybe his greatest achievement in these times has been to make us believe that he does not exist.”
‘We need to keep driving that message home. For as Pope Francis keeps reminding us, until the Lord returns in his
full triumph and glory, the smoke of Satan is here to stay.
William Doino Jr. isa contributor to Inside the Vatican magazine, among many other publications, and writes often about
‘religion, history and polities. He contributed an extensive bibliography of works on Pius XII 1 The Pius War: Responses to
the Critics of Pius XII. His previous “On the Square” articles can be found here
Become a fan of First THINGS on Facebook , subscribe to Fi
» Xfo So 8s
ST THINGS via RSS , and follow First THincs on Twitter .
MORE ON: POPE FRANCIS, DEVIL
PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
ARTICLES by WILLIAM DOINO JR.
FRANCIS CANAVAN: A JESUIT FOR THE CONFUSED AND DISTRESSED
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10
MOTHER SETON AND THE AMERICAN CRISIS
MONDAY, AUGUST 28
SAVING CHRISTIANS FROM GENOCIDE
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns2124i24, 611 PM “The Smoke of Satan Retums | Willam Doino Jt. | First Things
Comments are visible to subscribers only. Log in or subscribe to join the conversation.
AMERICA’S MOST
INFLUENTIAL
JOURNAL OF
RELIGION AND
PUBLIC LIFE
SUBSCRIBE
LATEST ISSUE
SUPPORT FIRST THINGS
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns2124i24, 611 PM ‘The Smoke of Satan Retums | Willam Doino Jt. | First Things
TAGS
FILTER TASS
2016 ELECTION
2020 ELECTION
om
19605
2026 ELECTION
ABORTION
AMERICA
AMORIS LAETITIA
ADVENT
[AMERICAN CATHOLICISM
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns212424, 6:11 PM “The Smoke of Satan Retums | Willam Doino Jt. | First Things
ARCHITECTURE
FILTER WEB EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES
MONTH Any T
YEAR Ray rs
ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
would ke to receive -
SUBSCRIBE
ABOUT L SUBSCRIPTIONS ocs CONTACT US
MASTHEAD DIGITAL &
INT PACKAGES FIRST THOUGHTS CUSTOMER SERVICE
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns 672124i24, 611 PM “The Smoke of Satan Retums | Willam Doino Jt. | First Things
2004 Finst Trans, All rights reserved. View our privacy policy here.
2126271985 FT@FIRSTTHINGS.COM
tps:www firstinings.comweb-exclsives/2013)10the-smoke-oFsatar-returns
xfe
wW