The Associated Press accused the Pope today of being “obsessed” with the devil. And now there’s video purporting to show the Pope performing an exorcism in St. Peter’s Square.
Both allegations seem to be untrue but that doesn’t stop a good story. I just wish the media would obsess on reporting truth rather than pushing their worldview.
The AP actually reported in a news story about the supposed exorcism that the pope is obsessed with Satan. They point out that a recently taken video shows Pope Francis laying his hands on a man’s head and the man having a very emotional and physical reaction. But the AP, knowing they have no actual evidence that this was indeed an exorcism, they try to place speculation where facts should be:
Fueling the speculation is Francis’ obsession with Satan, a frequent subject of his homilies, and an apparent surge in demand for exorcisms among the faithful despite the irreverent treatment the rite often receives from Hollywood…
In his very first homily as pope on March 14, Francis warned cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel the day after he was elected that “he who doesn’t pray to the Lord prays to the devil.”
He has since mentioned the devil on a handful of occasions, most recently in a May 4 homily when in his morning Mass in the Vatican hotel chapel he spoke of the need for dialogue – except with Satan.
Ah. The pope has mentioned Satan so therefore he performed an exorcism. And oh yeah, he’s clearly obsessed with Satan.
The Sun is even calling the video a “scandal.”
Watch the video:
Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi is apparently telling the press that “The Holy Father did not intend to perform any exorcism…“As he often does with sick and suffering people who are presented to him, he simply intended to pray for the suffering person.”
