“A modern pope gets old school on the Devil.” Those words headlined a Washington Poststory
last spring probing Pope Francis’ belief that Satan is active in the
world. As much as he’s been hailed as a modernizing force in the church,
Francis, the paper reported, “has not only dwelled far more on Satan in
sermons and speeches than his recent predecessors have, but also sought
to rekindle the Devil’s image as a supernatural entity with the forces
of evil at his beck and call.” And while other religions speak of demonic possession—The Dybbuckis a classic drama based on the doctrine in Judaism—the Post reported that the Vatican detects a recent resurgence of Catholic exorcisms. In June, Francis officially recognized the International Association of Exorcists (IAE), a group of priests with members in 30 countries.
