IS He saying All other religions are devil worshippers? 
Pope's laying on of hands stirs devil of a debate
Vatican City
Published: May 23, 2013 - 6:00AM
Advertisement
Is Pope Francis an exorcist?
The question has bubbled up ever since the Pope laid his hands on the head of a young man in a wheelchair after celebrating Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square. The young man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, shook, then slumped in his wheelchair as the pontiff prayed over him.
The television station of the Italian bishops' conference reported on Monday it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed there was ''no doubt'' that Pope Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil.
The Vatican was more cautious. On Tuesday it said the Pope ''didn't intend to perform any exorcism. But as he often does for the sick or suffering, he simply intended to pray for someone who was suffering who was presented to him.''
Fuelling the speculation is Pope Francis' obsession with Satan, a frequent subject of his homilies, and an apparent surge in demand for exorcisms among the faithful despite the irreverent treatment the rite often receives from Hollywood.
In his first homily as Pope on March 14, he warned cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel the day after he was elected: ''He who doesn't pray to the Lord prays to the devil.''
He has since mentioned the devil on a handful of occasions, most recently in a May 4 homily when in his morning Mass in the Vatican hotel chapel he spoke of the need for dialogue - except with Satan. ''With the prince of this world you can't have dialogue: Let this be clear,'' he warned.
Experts said Francis' frequent invocation of the devil is a reflection of his Jesuit spirituality and his Latin American roots, as well as a reflection of a Catholic Church weakened by secularisation.
In recent years, Rome's pontifical universities have hosted courses for would-be exorcists on the rite, updated in 1998 and contained in a red leather-bound booklet.
AP
Pope's laying on of hands stirs devil of a debate
Vatican City
Published: May 23, 2013 - 6:00AM
Advertisement
Is Pope Francis an exorcist?
The question has bubbled up ever since the Pope laid his hands on the head of a young man in a wheelchair after celebrating Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square. The young man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, shook, then slumped in his wheelchair as the pontiff prayed over him.
The television station of the Italian bishops' conference reported on Monday it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed there was ''no doubt'' that Pope Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil.
The Vatican was more cautious. On Tuesday it said the Pope ''didn't intend to perform any exorcism. But as he often does for the sick or suffering, he simply intended to pray for someone who was suffering who was presented to him.''
Fuelling the speculation is Pope Francis' obsession with Satan, a frequent subject of his homilies, and an apparent surge in demand for exorcisms among the faithful despite the irreverent treatment the rite often receives from Hollywood.
In his first homily as Pope on March 14, he warned cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel the day after he was elected: ''He who doesn't pray to the Lord prays to the devil.''
He has since mentioned the devil on a handful of occasions, most recently in a May 4 homily when in his morning Mass in the Vatican hotel chapel he spoke of the need for dialogue - except with Satan. ''With the prince of this world you can't have dialogue: Let this be clear,'' he warned.
Experts said Francis' frequent invocation of the devil is a reflection of his Jesuit spirituality and his Latin American roots, as well as a reflection of a Catholic Church weakened by secularisation.
In recent years, Rome's pontifical universities have hosted courses for would-be exorcists on the rite, updated in 1998 and contained in a red leather-bound booklet.
AP
Last edited:
