{"id":122456,"date":"2014-05-12T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2014-05-12T14:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/?p=122456"},"modified":"2014-08-29T13:32:20","modified_gmt":"2014-08-29T17:32:20","slug":"devil-in-the-details-wapo-on-papal-teachings-about-satan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/getreligion\/2014\/05\/devil-in-the-details-wapo-on-papal-teachings-about-satan\/","title":{"rendered":"Devil in the details: WPost on Francis teaching about Satan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The current head of the Catholic Church has often shocked liberals by showing he actually believes Catholic dogma. In the newest chapter of this saga, Pope Francis spooks \u2019em by preaching traditional doctrines about Satan.<\/p>\n

An account of this situation by the Washington Post<\/em><\/a> isn\u2019t half bad. Written by Anthony Faiola, the Post<\/em>\u2018s London bureau chief, it skims the pope\u2019s pronouncements on the devil and quotes a couple of worriers. But Faiola also quotes a couple of believers, including attendees at a conference on exorcism that\u2019s the clear time peg for this article.<\/p>\n

The article doesn\u2019t start out promising: \u201cA darling of liberal Catholics and an advocate of inclusion and forgiveness, Pope Francis is hardly known for fire and brimstone.\u201d But it gains depth and shows savvy.<\/p>\n

Faiola alertly notes how Francis shows an awareness of how un-trendy is the belief about Satan. He has the pope paraphrasing critics: \u201cBut Father, how old-fashioned you are to speak about the Devil in the 21st century.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he provides good background of Church teachings on Satan:<\/p>\n

Since its foundation, the church has taught the existence of the Devil. But in recent decades, progressive priests and bishops, particularly in the United States and Western Europe, have tended to couch Satan in more allegorical terms. Evil became less the wicked plan of the master of hell than the nasty byproduct of humanity\u2019s free will. Even Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a lofty German theologian, often painted evil with a broad brush.<\/p>\n

Enter the plain-talking first pope from Latin America, where mystical views of Satan still hold sway in broad areas of the region. During his time as cardinal of Buenos Aires before rising to the papacy, Francis was known for stark warnings against \u201cthe tempter\u201d and \u201cthe father of lies.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Faiola shows a way with clever phrases. He says Francis wants to \u201crekindle\u201d the old image of Satan. He says some people view exorcists as \u201ccrazy uncles\u201d of the Church. And he mentions \u201chellish forces plotting to deliver mankind unto damnation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reporter shows an old hand\u2019s touch in a quick two paragraphs on the drift of opinions about evil, from personification in a devil toward a \u201cnasty byproduct of humanity\u2019s free will.\u201d He also shows that Francis hasn\u2019t changed his tune over time \u2014 it\u2019s just that more journalists are paying attention:<\/p>\n

Since its foundation, the church has taught the existence of the Devil. But in recent decades, progressive priests and bishops, particularly in the United States and Western Europe, have tended to couch Satan in more allegorical terms. Evil became less the wicked plan of the master of hell than the nasty byproduct of humanity\u2019s free will. Even Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a lofty German theologian, often painted evil with a broad brush.<\/p>\n

Enter the plain-talking first pope from Latin America, where mystical views of Satan still hold sway in broad areas of the region. During his time as cardinal of Buenos Aires before rising to the papacy, Francis was known for stark warnings against \u201cthe tempter\u201d and \u201cthe father of lies.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some of Faiola\u2019s remarks take risks, but he proves most of them. He says Francis is fighting the devil in words and deeds. He then quotes the pope warning the faithful, even laying hands on a man and praying for him after the man claims to be possessed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Faiola talks of two undercurrents. One is what he sees as criticism around Vatican City about Francis\u2019 emphasis on Satan. The other is talk about a broad renewal of Catholic interest in \u201cmystical rites,\u201d including exorcism. Both undercurrents, he admits, are hard to quantify. But he uses the latter to suggest that in warning about the devil, Francis \u201cmay simply be correctly reading the winds of the Catholic Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the negative column, the Post<\/em> article tosses off clich\u00e9s like \u201cfire and brimstone.\u201d It says Francis\u2019 doubters include \u201cprogressive\u201d priests and theologians, without defining the term. And it says the pope has spent a year \u201catop the Throne of St. Peter.\u201d The throne is a big chair set high on the wall of the apse at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. To sit there, Francis would need a ladder and a seatbelt.<\/p>\n

Although it runs well over 1,200 words, the Post<\/em> piece leaves some questions unanswered. It relates three encounters with demons \u2014 one supposedly involving lesbians on a plane \u2014 yet it gives little on the actual process, the Rite, of exorcism.<\/p>\n

The article also has a cryptic passage about satanic superstitions, including \u201cthe alleged gateway to hell guarded by the small cluster of officially anointed exorcists of the Roman Catholic Church.\u201d A real place? A mere metaphor for all things diabolical? No explanation.<\/p>\n

Finally, Faiola has exorcists complaining that bishops often reject their offers to help, but he doesn\u2019t say why. In an article that tells of the boss promoting belief in Satan, this, too, should have been explained.<\/p>\n

Weighed against the strengths, though, the drawbacks are comparatively slight. The article is generally fair to all sides and delivers decent info. And in the mouth of a senior Vatican bishop, it makes a sharp observation:<\/p>\n

\u201cHad Pope Benedict done this, the media would have clobbered him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The current head of the Catholic Church has often shocked liberals by showing he actually believes Catholic dogma. In the newest chapter of this saga, Pope Francis spooks \u2019em by preaching traditional doctrines about Satan. An account of this situation by the Washington Post isn\u2019t half bad. Written by Anthony Faiola, the Post\u2018s London bureau […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1568,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,7,12,1,169],"tags":[2795,2464,1167,1690],"class_list":["post-122456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catholicism","category-journalism","category-religion","category-uncategorized","category-vatican","tag-devil","tag-exorcism","tag-pope-francis","tag-satan"],"yoast_head":"\nDevil in the details: WPost on Francis teaching about Satan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The current head of the Catholic Church has often shocked liberals by showing he actually believes Catholic dogma. 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