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Mexican cardinal says existence of devil must be taken seriously [Catholic Caucus]
cna ^ | July 16, 2009

Posted on 07/16/2009 3:23:52 PM PDT by NYer

Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, Archbishop of Mexico City and Primate of Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 16, 2009 / 02:26 pm (CNA).- The Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, said yesterday that the existence of the devil must be taken as fact, without exaggerating or minimizing his actions out of skepticism or credulity taken to the extreme.
 
During a conference for exorcists in Mexico, the cardinal said skepticism leads many to deny the existence of the devil and dismiss his actions as psychological, socio-cultural or paranormal phenomena.  Others, out of extreme gullibility, see the devil everywhere and grant him supernatural powers as if he were God, the cardinal stated.
 
According to the Archdiocese of Mexico City’s news service, Cardinal Rivera said that many people embrace esoteric and occult practices because of their estrangement from God.
 
He encouraged exorcists to appeal to the Virgin Mary for help, as she plays a special role in the fight against the demonic.  “She brings us to Jesus, she protects us and cares for us in this difficult ministry ... Mary also participates in exorcisms. She herself is an exorcist and expels the devil through her sanctity,” the cardinal stressed.
 
“The Lord Jesus, together with the Virgin Mary, helps us to lend a hand to those who are weakest and most in need, especially in sensitive and prudent cases of liberation or exorcism,” Cardinal Rivera stated. 
 
Throughout human history, he recalled, “there has been a hard battle against the powers of darkness, which began at the origins of the world and will endure until the last day, according to what the Lord has said.”


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: devil; evil; mexico; satan

1 posted on 07/16/2009 3:23:53 PM PDT by NYer
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To: Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; nickcarraway; Romulus; ...

Ping!


2 posted on 07/16/2009 3:24:41 PM PDT by NYer ("One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone"- Benedict XVI)
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To: NYer

Who could doubt it, with Obama in the presidency?


3 posted on 07/16/2009 3:24:49 PM PDT by livius
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To: NYer

One thing about the enemy, he does not care if you believe in him or not so long as you do not worship Jesus Christ. Not believeing in his existence is as/more satisfying to him than outright worship, let there be no doubt.
The problem with most Christians today is they don’t realize the importance of “We wrestle not against flesh and blood...”. We have authority through the name of The Lord Jesus Christ to bind and rebuke the forces that are very much against humanity.


4 posted on 07/16/2009 3:32:14 PM PDT by mkcc30 (Their lying tongues will become their nooses.)
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To: NYer
From what I have been told, every Diocese is SUPPOSED to have an Exorcist, appointed by the Bishop. Here in the United States, most do not. I suspect the same is true for the rest of the industrialized world. Not a good situation.

My Diocese (Oakland, CA - which contains the City and University of Berkley) has no Exorcist. The Diocese of San Francisco, across the Bay, also does not have an Exorcist. I can imagine that if both of these Diocese DID have Exorcists, they would be some of the busiest men in the United States!!

: )

5 posted on 07/16/2009 3:41:41 PM PDT by Zetman
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To: NYer
July 15th....NOAA...105F in Dallas Texas...Summer of Hell...




6 posted on 07/16/2009 3:47:53 PM PDT by Dallas59 ("You know the one with the big ears? He might be yours, but he ain't my president.")
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To: Dallas59

Eye of God Galaxy

7 posted on 07/16/2009 3:53:35 PM PDT by NYer ("One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone"- Benedict XVI)
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To: Dallas59
July 15th....NOAA...105F in Dallas Texas...Summer of Hell...

My source states that is only 104 in Fort Worth. You guys must have been BAD! ... or maybe there are more evil carbon-producing barbecue grills over there.

8 posted on 07/16/2009 3:59:23 PM PDT by TexGuy (If it has the slimmest of chances of being considered sarcasm ... IT IS!)
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To: TexGuy

Why are the previous posters here not taking the existence of El Diablo seriously?


9 posted on 07/16/2009 4:06:13 PM PDT by Misterioso
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To: Misterioso

El Diablo wants nothing better than for people to think that he does not exist.

His reasoning: ‘if people think that there is no El Diablo, they will think that evil does not exist.’


10 posted on 07/16/2009 4:14:01 PM PDT by 353FMG (Death is Life without Freedom.)
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To: NYer; Dallas59

Cross at the center of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51)


11 posted on 07/16/2009 5:03:06 PM PDT by delacoert
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To: Misterioso
ARTIST: Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels TITLE: Devil with the Blue Dress

Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress Devil with the blue dress on Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress Devil with the blue dress on

Fee, fee, fi, fi, fo-fo, fum Look at Molly now, here she comes Wearin' her wig hat and shades to match She's got high-heel shoes and an alligator hat Wearin' her pearls and her diamond rings She's got bracelets on her fingers, now, and everything

Wearin' her perfume, Chanel No. 5 Got to be the finest girl alive She walks real cool, catches everybody's eye They got to be nervous, they can't say Hi Not too skinny, she's not too fat She's a real humdinger and I like 'em like that

Good golly, Miss Molly You sure like to ball Good golly, Miss Molly You sure like to ball It's late in the evenin' Don't you hear your mama call

From the early, early mornin' 'til the early, early nights See Miss Molly rockin' at the House of Blue Lights Good golly, Miss Molly You sure like to ball While you're rocking and you're rolling Can't you hear your mama call

12 posted on 07/16/2009 5:37:49 PM PDT by guitarplayer1953
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To: 353FMG

Do you speak to El Diablo regularly?


13 posted on 07/16/2009 7:36:24 PM PDT by Misterioso
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To: Misterioso

We share some cheap tequilla every once in awhile.


14 posted on 07/16/2009 7:53:13 PM PDT by 353FMG (Death is Life without Freedom.)
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To: 353FMG

Must be cheap if it’s spelled with two Ls.


15 posted on 07/17/2009 12:08:07 AM PDT by Misterioso
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To: mkcc30; Zetman
One thing about the enemy, he does not care if you believe in him or not so long as you do not worship Jesus Christ. Not believeing in his existence is as/more satisfying to him than outright worship, let there be no doubt.

Actually, it's not simply not believing in Christ or not worshiping Him, it's also turning one's back on the way Christ asked us to live our lives. Once a person embraces sin as a way of life, Satan leaves them alone. Normally.

Another poster here said that Satan likes to make himself disappear. That's correct. Even at Mass, with all the scripture we get, in the last 30-35 years the specific verses dealing with sin and the devil, a lot of them have been excised. They need to be restored. Moral relativism is a way to sneak social acceptance for sin and evil into the wider cultural consciousness. This has been happening for a few hundred years, with the acceleration being in the 20th century that's done the worst of the damage. Yes, Satan is laughing.

There was a mention of exorcists - they are making a comeback. Yes, each diocese, by Canon Law, is supposed to have one on staff. Most of them have been trained by the same core group that was trained by Fr. Gabriel Amorth in Rome. For a few hundred years, this role was allowed to languish as even the clergy in many places thought the existence of the devil to be "old fashioned." Well, anyone who fell for that needs to read the accounts of the great Pope Leo XIII and how he came to write the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Scary stuff.

16 posted on 07/17/2009 5:30:09 AM PDT by Desdemona (True Christianity requires open hearts and open minds - not blind hatred.)
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To: Misterioso

More affordable than cheap bourbbon.


17 posted on 07/17/2009 10:07:00 AM PDT by 353FMG (Death is Life without Freedom.)
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