(Taken from: http://www.churchpop.com/2014/10/07/13-pope-francis-quotes-oldest-foe-devil/ . Accessed 27 September 2015)
So the greatest trick of the Devil is convincing people he
doesn’t exist?
Pope Francis is not impressed.
Starting with his very first homily as the bishop of Rome,
Pope Francis has regularly reminded believers that the Devil is real, that we
must be on guard, and that our only hope against him is in Jesus Christ.
Here are are 13 of Pope Francis’ most direct quotes on the
matter.
1) “When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes
the worldliness of the devil.”
First homily, 3/14/2013 – http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-1st-homily-full-text
2) “The Prince of this world, Satan, doesn’t want our
holiness, he doesn’t want us to follow Christ. Maybe some of you might say:
‘But Father, how old fashioned you are to speak about the devil in the 21st
century!’ But look out because the devil is present! The devil is here… even in
the 21st century! And we mustn’t be naïve, right? We must learn from the Gospel
how to fight against Satan.”
Homily on 4/10/2014 – http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-satan-exists-in-the-21st-century-and
3) “[The Devil] attacks the family so much. That demon does
not love it and seeks to destroy it. […] May the Lord bless the family. May He
make it strong in this crisis, in which the devil wishes to destroy it.”
Homily, 6/1/2014 – https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-the-devil-wants-to-destroy-the-family
4) “It is enough to open a newspaper and we see that around
us there is the presence of evil, the Devil is at work. But I would like to say
in a loud voice ‘God is stronger.’ Do you believe this, that God is stronger?”
General audience, 6/12/2013 – http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/god-is-stronger-pope-insists-as-he-urges-outreach/
5) “Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things
seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the devil!
Please, let us not do business with the devil! He seeks to return home, to take
possession of us… Do not relativize; be vigilant! And always with Jesus!”
Homily, 11/8/2013 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2013/10/11/pope__guard_against_deceit_of_the_devil/en1-736378
6) “The presence of the devil is on the first page of the
Bible, and the Bible ends as well with the presence of the devil, with the
victory of God over the devil.”
Homily, 11/8/2013 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2013/10/11/pope__guard_against_deceit_of_the_devil/en1-736378
7) “Either you are with me, says the Lord, or you are
against me… [Jesus came] to give us the freedom… [from] the enslavement the
devil has over us… On this point, there are no nuances. There is a battle and a
battle where salvation is at play, eternal salvation. We must always be on
guard, on guard against deceit, against the seduction of evil.”
Homily, 10/11/2013 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2013/10/11/pope__guard_against_deceit_of_the_devil/en1-736378
8) “The devil plants evil where there is good, trying to
divide people, families and nations. But God… looks into the ‘field’ of each
person with patience and mercy: he sees the dirt and the evil much better than
we do, but he also sees the seeds of good and patiently awaits their
germination.”
Homily, 7/20/2014 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/07/20/pope_francis_prays_for_peace_in_the_middle_east/1103115
9) “The devil cannot stand seeing the sanctity of a church
or the sanctity of a person, without trying to do something.”
Homily, 5/7/2014 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/07/pope_at_mass_church_is_not_just_a_school_of_religion/1100285
10) “Note well how Jesus responds [to temptation]: He
doesn’t dialogue with Satan, as Eve did in the terrestrial Paradise. Jesus
knows well that one can’t dialogue with Satan, because he is so cunning. For
this reason, instead of dialoguing, as Eve did, Jesus chooses to take refuge in
the Word of God and to respond with the power of this Word. Let us remind
ourselves of this in the moment of temptation…: not arguing with Satan, but
defending ourselves with the Word of God. And this will save us.”
Angelus address, 3/9/2014 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2014/03/09/pope_francis_at_angelus__one_cant_dialogue_with_satan/en1-779938
11) “We too need to guard the faith, guard it from darkness.
Many times, however, it is a darkness under the guise of light. This is because
the devil, as saint Paul, says, disguises himself at times as an angel of
light.”
Homily, 1/6/2014 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2014/01/06/pope_epiphany_mass__follow_the_light_that_leads_to_christ/en1-761607
12) “Behind every rumor there is jealousy and envy. And
gossip divides the community, destroys the community. Rumors are the weapons of
the devil.”
Homily, 1/23/2014 – http://en.radiovaticana.va/storico/2014/01/23/pope_at_mass__jealousy_divides_and_destroys_christian_communities/in2-766554
13) “Let us always remember… that the Adversary wants to
keep us separated from God and therefore instills disappointment in our hearts
when we do not see our apostolic commitment immediately rewarded. Every day the
devil sows the seeds of pessimism and bitterness in our hearts. … Let us open
ourselves to the breath of the Holy Spirit, who never ceases to sow seeds of
hope and confidence.”
