Detail from "Satan Addressing his Potentates" (c.1816 - 1818) by William Blake [WikiArt.org]
In a futile attempt to broaden its appeal, the Church of England in 2015 removed any mention of Satan from its baptismal ritual. Claiming to have “test-marketed” a simplified service throughout the United Kingdom, clergy concluded that asking parents and godparents to reject the devil and all rebellion against God, “put people off who are offended to be addressed as sinners.” Driven by powerful clergy within the Church of England, and approved by the General Synod in Kent, the new baptismal rite was an attempt to demonstrate their church was sufficiently progressive to longer need to renounce Satan in order to “live in the freedom of the children of God.”
Today, there are increasing numbers of Catholics who seem to agree with that same sentiment. New research data published by the Center for Research on the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University reveals that Catholics are among the least likely to agree that Satan is a “living being.” A recent survey of 1,495 U.S. adults who believe in God reveals that Evangelical Christians are nearly three times more likely than Catholics to believe that Satan is a “living being.” Fifty-five percent of Evangelical Christians interviewed view Satan as an active and “cunning adversary” as described in the New Testament. Yet, counter to Catholic teachings within the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which describes Satan as a real being, specifically a fallen angel who rebelled against God (CCC, 391-395), only 17% of all Catholics polled indicated that they viewed Satan as a living presence in the world. Rather, Catholics are more likely to view Satan as a symbol of evil rather than a “real” living being.
The study notes that sixty years ago, a Gallup poll found that 62% of U.S. adults believed in the existence of “a devil”; that number rose to 70% in 2007. What has changed, overall, is what is meant by the devil or Satan, as more and more Americans, especially Catholics, view him as a symbol of some sort. In fact, Catholics are less likely than any other Christian or non-Christian affiliated group to believe that Satan is a living being. While 21% of “other Christian affiliated” individuals believe that Satan is a living being, and 38% of those with “non-Christian religious affiliation” believe the same, Catholics are closer to the 16% of those with “no religious affiliation” who believe that Satan is a real presence in the world.
This decline in belief that Satan is a cunning adversary (2 Cor 11:3; 1 Pet 5:8) continues despite persistent reminders from Pope Francis about the reality of what the pontiff has often called, “The Prince of this World, ” and the “Father of Lies.” In his first papal homily on March 14, 2013, Pope Francis warned: “When we do not profess Jesus Christ, we profess the worldliness of the devil, a demonic worldliness.” In his book, On Heaven and Earth, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio devoted an entire chapter to “The Devil,” warning that Satan’s fruits are “destruction, division, hatred and calumny.” And, since that first homily, Pope Francis has made dozens of references to the cunning of the creature of Satan. In tweets and homilies, the Pope has warned against the Accuser, the Evil One, the Ancient Serpent, the Tempter, the Seducer, the Great Dragon, the Enemy, and the Demon.
For Pope Francis, Satan is real—not a myth or a symbol, or a story to keep us in line. Satan is a real creature who lurks among us in the world even today. In 2014, Pope Francis reminded Catholics that the life of every Christian is a constant battle against Satan—“just as Jesus, during his life, had to struggle against the devil and his many temptations… We too are tempted, we too are the target of attacks by the devil.” Drawing upon Scripture, Pope Francis recalled how Jesus’s first temptation by Satan was ‘almost like a seduction.” And earlier this year the Holy Father stated that “the serpent, the devil is shrewd: one cannot dialogue with the devil…”
Why, then, do so many Catholics refuse to believe what Pope Francis and the Church teaches on the presence of Satan in the world? Some of the blame, it seems, can be placed on progressive Catholic theologians and clergy who prefer to present Satan as a literary construct and metaphor rather than an actual fallen angel. Earlier this year, the recently elected superior of the Jesuits, Fr. Arturo Marcelino Sosa, told an interviewer for the Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, that “We have formed symbolic figures such as the devil to express evil.” Fr. Sosa suggests that humans have constructed Satan as a form of social control.
In a CNN article titled “Why is Pope Francis so Obsessed with the Devil?” Fr. Thomas Rosica dismisses criticisms of Pope Francis’s warnings about Satan and points out that the Pope himself has stated that “The devil is intelligent, he knows more theology than all the theologians together.”
Perhaps it is time to remind Catholics that Satan is real—and that hell is real also. Barnard College scholar Alan F. Segal wrote in 2009 that “The decline of hell may be related to a certain American Pollyannaism.” Segal believes that we may have a general tendency to emphasize the “sunnier side of the divine.” In many churches, for example, portraits of Jesus as the good shepherd are now favored over depictions of him dying on the cross—an emphasis on salvation, rather than suffering, although both are part of the Christian story. But, it is difficult to maintain that kind of optimism in a world that is challenged constantly by evidence of evil. Having experienced the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and the many recent horrific attacks throughout Europe, it is difficult not to acknowledge evil in the world.
The refusal by most Catholics to acknowledge the reality of Satan—and hell itself—has certainly affected the Church. In a 2012 research report on the declines in sacramental participation by Catholics, CARA researchers revealed that the erosion in belief in hell among Catholics is strongly related to declines in their participation in the sacraments. They conclude: “It feels a bit uncomfortable saying that more “fire and brimstone” may make Catholics more active in sacramental life, but the data are no deception.” Perhaps it is time for parish priests, and theologians, and Catholic writers to begin to emulate Pope Francis by reminding us all that the devil exists even today. They may need to remind us that it is time to learn from the Gospel how to battle against him. As St. James wrote in his epistle: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jms 4:7).
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Pope Francis meets with Vatican journalists on Nov. 13, 2021. / Vatican Media/CNA
Vatican City, Nov 13, 2021 / 11:30 am (CNA).
Pope Francis told Vatican journalists on Saturday to remember that the Catholic Church is not a political organizatio… […]
Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Oct. 5, 2016. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).
March 13 marks the anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 266th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:
2013
March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”
March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.
July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.
Pope Francis gives the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 2, 2013. Elise Harris/CNA.
July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.
July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.
Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.
2014
Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.
March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.
Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience on Nov. 29, 2014. Bohumil Petrik/CNA.
Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.
Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”
2015
Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.
March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.
May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato Si’, which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.
Pope Francis at a Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 17, 2015. Bohumil Petrik.
Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”
Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.
Pope Francis speaks to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24, 2015. . L’Osservatore Romano.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.
Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.
Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.
2016
March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.
April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.
Pope Francis at the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Feb. 24, 2016. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.
Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.
2017
May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.
July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.
Pope Francis greets a participant in the World Day of the Poor in Rome, Nov. 16, 2017. L’Osservatore Romano.
Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.
Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.
2018
Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.
Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”
Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.
Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”
Pope Francis at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.
2019
Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.
Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.
Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, signed a joint declaration on human fraternity during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Feb. 4, 2019. Vatican Media.
Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.
Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.
Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.
2020
March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.
March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis venerates the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello al Corso in St. Peter’s Square during his Urbi et Orbi blessing, March 27, 2020. Vatican Media.
2021
March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.
July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.
July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.
July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes. The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.
Pope Francis greets His Beatitude Ieronymos II in Athens, Greece on Dec. 5, 2021. Vatican Media
2022
Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.
March 19 — The pope promulgates Praedicate Evangelium, which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.
May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.
Pope Francis greeted the crowd in a wheelchair at the end of his general audience on Aug. 3, 2022. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.
2023
Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.
Pope Francis greets a young boy a Mass in Juba, South Sudan on Feb. 5, 2023. Vatican Media
March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.
April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.
April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.
Pope Francis stands on an altar erected outside the Parliament Building in Budapest’s Kossuth Lajos’ Square during a public outdoor Mass on April 30, 2023. Vatican Media
June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.
June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.
Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.
Pope Francis waves at the crowd of 1.5 million people who attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 6, 2023. Vatican Media.
Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.
Pope Francis meets with local priests and religious of Mongolia, which includes only 25 priests (19 religious and six diocesan), 33 women religious, and one bishop — Cardinal Giorgio Marengo — in Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.
Pope Francis asks for a moment of silence at a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea on the first of a two-day visit to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. A Camargue cross, which comes from the Camargue area of France, represents the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The three tridents represent faith, the anchor represents hope, and the heart represents charity. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.
Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29, 2023. Vatican Media
Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.
Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.
2024
Jan. 4 — Amid widespread backlash to Fiducia Supplicans, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, publishes a five-page press release that refers to Fiducia Supplicans as “perennial doctrine” and underlines that pastoral blessings of couples in irregular situations should not be “an endorsement of the life led by those who request them.”
Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”
Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.
Pope Francis meets with Argentina President Javier Milei in a private audience on Feb. 12, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
Feb. 28 — After canceling audiences the previous Saturday and having an aide read his prepared remarks at his Wednesday audience due to a “mild flu,” Pope Francis visits the hospital for diagnostic tests but returns to the Vatican afterward.
March 2 — Despite having an aide read his speech “because of bronchitis,” the pope presides over the inauguration of the 95th Judicial Year of the Vatican City State and maintains a full schedule.
March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Vatican City, Feb 28, 2021 / 07:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis prayed Sunday for children suffering from rare diseases that they may feel “the caress of God’s love and tenderness.”
“Today is World Rare Disease Day,” Pope Francis said from the window of the Apostolic Palace Feb. 28 as he waved to people holding banners and cheering in St. Peter’s Square.
“I greet the members of some associations involved in this field, who have come to the piazza,” he said. “In the case of rare diseases, the solidarity network between family members, fostered by these associations, is more important than ever. It helps to not feel alone and to exchange experience and advice.”
There are more than 6,000 diseases that are classified as rare of which 70% begin in childhood, according to research recently published in the European Journal of Human Genetics.
The pope said that he encourages initiatives that support research of rare diseases and care to those who suffer from them.
“I express my closeness to the sick, to families, but especially to children. Be near to sick children, children suffering, pray for them and make them feel the caress of God’s love and tenderness,” he said.
“We pray for all the people who have these rare diseases, especially for the children who suffer,” Francis said.
February 28 marks Rare Disease Day, a date first established in 2008 by the European Organization for Rare Diseases to raise awareness for those who suffer from uncommon illnesses.
Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect for the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, also published a message for Rare Disease Day.
“People living with a rare disease are among the most vulnerable groups in society,” Cardinal Turkson wrote.
“Most of these diseases have no cure and are usually chronic, progressive, degenerative and disabling; they are heterogeneous, predominantly occur in children and require costly treatments.”
The cardinal highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated many of the challenges patients with rare diseases face with “limitations, delays and sometimes even interruption and denial of treatment, medication, diagnostic tests, rehabilitation therapies.”
“Often, as Pope Francis points out: To the most ‘vulnerable people are not always granted access to care, or in an equitable manner. This is the result of political decisions, resource management and greater or lesser commitment on the part of those holding positions of responsibility. Investing resources in the care and assistance of the sick is a priority linked to the fundamental principle that health is a primary common good,’” he said.
Turkson urged policymakers and institutions to guarantee the “right to health for the entire population, by promoting international cooperation, knowledge-sharing and more sustainable and resilient health systems that do not forget the needs of the most vulnerable and leave no one behind.”
“It is essential to promote a culture of care that is grounded in the promotion of the dignity of every human person, solidarity with the poor and the defenseless, the common good and the protection of creation,” he said.
“Only by ensuring equitable and inclusive access to care and health care for the most vulnerable can we build a more humane society, where no one feels alone, abandoned or excluded.”
The cardinal wrote that he was prayerfully entrusting all those affected by rare diseases and their families to Mary, Mother of Mercy and Health of the Sick.
“Dear brothers and sisters, during this time of Lent, let us in our charity speak words of reassurance and help others to realize that God loves them as sons and daughters. This is a time to cultivate hope and to love those who are suffering, abandoned and distressed,” he said.
His frequent and accurate reminders to us about the existence and active presence of Satan is the only thing I believe this pope has done well.
For that, I must say, I am grateful.
The present generation of Catholics believe that God is merciful and as long as they believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are saved.They continue to live in sin…This is as Protestant as one can get! This is a huge cop out and I call it the sin of presumption….Many are guilty of this sin…and do not realize it.
God is merciful, if we ASK HIM FOR MERCY WITH A CONTRITE HEART, but if we don’t ask Him, WE WILL RECEIVE HIS JUSTICE……This is understanding the nature of God. His ways are not our ways.
Thank you Anne,
We in Papua New Guinea are spiritual people. We believe in existence of devil. We also believe God is power and source of life. We do not have clearly appointed exorcists.
In America there were appointed exorcists. How come, with their presence and exorcisms they do, many American Catholics do not believe in the existence of devil?
Nonethess, thank you for sharing the article. It is indeed very fitting for our time.
I write regularly on good governance for our local weekly paper (secular), and many times I use biblical references to underscore moral and ethical issues of leadership and governance. My view is, if our leaders do not lead people by examples in their lives based on godly values, people will follow them. The alternative is they will not know what to do without role models.
I am one of those Catholics that doesn’t believe in a living devil. I feel there is enough opportunity to sin without a devil’s help.We are given free will to love God and our neighbor…or not.We are making these choices.There is no need for a devil.Jesus had his own reasons for referring to a devil…maybe because in those days people couldn’t comprehend evil as an idea.Things had to be more concrete then that.Jesus’s parables also simplified his teachings or ideas into something people could relate to during those times.Why is it inferred that not believing in a devil means you are less religious or Catholic? Is it possible that the Holy Spirit helps us understand things a little better as we are ready for it?
You are discounting more scriptures than you imagine. Christ not only referred to devils. He repeatedly drove then out of possessed people …in one case sending them into pigs who then ran into the nearby water at which point the townspeople asked Christ to leave their area…since they a man who could control demons. Don’t imagine devils as always grotesque….Aquinas said they are pure spirits similar to the air in front of you right now. “ Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light”…says one epistle. That means they are really not light but can appear beautiful but are morally vicious darkness….as one sees in the horrible recent numerous recent rapes in India of women and small girls….or seen in any crime photos in a vivid way.
Very good column! Thank you for your faithful witness, Anne!
His frequent and accurate reminders to us about the existence and active presence of Satan is the only thing I believe this pope has done well.
For that, I must say, I am grateful.
Satan’s greatest goal is to convince people he does not exist. Seems he is well on the way to success.
Way back in the 1950’s Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen warned parents not to send their children to Catholic schools as they would lose the faith.
He would be shocked to learn that Modernist Rome under its leadership for the past 50+ years is responsible for Catholics losing their faith.
Very, very well put and covering many possibilities. Please keep us informed and on the right track.
The present generation of Catholics believe that God is merciful and as long as they believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are saved.They continue to live in sin…This is as Protestant as one can get! This is a huge cop out and I call it the sin of presumption….Many are guilty of this sin…and do not realize it.
God is merciful, if we ASK HIM FOR MERCY WITH A CONTRITE HEART, but if we don’t ask Him, WE WILL RECEIVE HIS JUSTICE……This is understanding the nature of God. His ways are not our ways.
Thank you Anne,
We in Papua New Guinea are spiritual people. We believe in existence of devil. We also believe God is power and source of life. We do not have clearly appointed exorcists.
In America there were appointed exorcists. How come, with their presence and exorcisms they do, many American Catholics do not believe in the existence of devil?
Nonethess, thank you for sharing the article. It is indeed very fitting for our time.
I write regularly on good governance for our local weekly paper (secular), and many times I use biblical references to underscore moral and ethical issues of leadership and governance. My view is, if our leaders do not lead people by examples in their lives based on godly values, people will follow them. The alternative is they will not know what to do without role models.
James Wanjik
Papua New Guinea
I am one of those Catholics that doesn’t believe in a living devil. I feel there is enough opportunity to sin without a devil’s help.We are given free will to love God and our neighbor…or not.We are making these choices.There is no need for a devil.Jesus had his own reasons for referring to a devil…maybe because in those days people couldn’t comprehend evil as an idea.Things had to be more concrete then that.Jesus’s parables also simplified his teachings or ideas into something people could relate to during those times.Why is it inferred that not believing in a devil means you are less religious or Catholic? Is it possible that the Holy Spirit helps us understand things a little better as we are ready for it?
You are discounting more scriptures than you imagine. Christ not only referred to devils. He repeatedly drove then out of possessed people …in one case sending them into pigs who then ran into the nearby water at which point the townspeople asked Christ to leave their area…since they a man who could control demons. Don’t imagine devils as always grotesque….Aquinas said they are pure spirits similar to the air in front of you right now. “ Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light”…says one epistle. That means they are really not light but can appear beautiful but are morally vicious darkness….as one sees in the horrible recent numerous recent rapes in India of women and small girls….or seen in any crime photos in a vivid way.
False religions thinking they serve God but only serve themselves?