Pope Francis says the idea of rejecting evil or Satan in the 21st century is something that needs to be rejected by Christians and that they need to learn the Gospel so they can learn to fight temptations.
“Some of you might say ‘But Father, how old fashioned you are to speak of the devil in the 21st century!’,” the Pope said. “But look out because the devil is present! The devil is here…even in the 21st century!”
The Pope warned those listening during a mass at the Vatican that Satan seeks to distance believers from Jesus.
“We mustn’t be naïve,” he said. “We must learn from the Gospel how to fight against Satan!”
The Pope called the Christian life a struggle and said we cannot forget that we fight against the “Prince of this world, Satan, [who] doesn’t want our holiness, he doesn’t want us to follow Christ.”
The Pope’s bold, clear message about fighting Satan and evil came hours before a second talk where he spoke of the damage done to children by priests who committed sexual abuse. He said the church will work on stronger sanctions against anyone who harms a child.
“We have to be even stronger,” Pope Francis said. “You cannot interfere with children.”
