Holy Father Pope Francis while addressing the faithful gathered at Casa Santa Marta warned them to never approach the devil nor talk to him. His Holiness Pope Francis talked about how to deal with the devil who though defeated and dying is still dangerous. The Pontiff compared the devil to a dying crocodile, who hunters advise not to approach because it can still strike you dead with its tail. The Pope described the devil as the father of lies, saying he speaks well, he can sing in order to deceive and he is a loser who moves about like a winner.
As reported by Vatican Radio, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “Even though the devil is defeated and dying he has a great power and capacity to seduce. He promises many things, bringing us beautifully packed gifts, without revealing their contents. The devil knows how to seduce us in our vanity and curiosity and we buy everything, falling into temptation. Knowing that a thought, a desire or move is dangerous and we still go there, it is like approaching the devil who is like a chained angry dog that can still bite.” Further, His Holiness added, “Unlike Eve who thought herself a great theologian and fell, we must never dialogue with the devil because he wins, he is more intelligent than us. On the contrary, Jesus in the desert responds to the devil with the Word of God, hunts down demons, sometimes asking his name but doesn’t dialogue.”
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded his homily by asking the faithful to recall the advice of Jesus to watch, do penance and fast and exhorted them to find shelter under the mantle of the great Mother of God.
