The following comes from a February 16 New Liturgical Movement article by David Clayton:
I just attended a talk by the exorcist for diocese of San Jose, Father Gary Thomas.
I wanted to pass on one little comment that he made almost in passing. I do not know where he stands liturgically in regard to the Mass – there was nothing in what he said that led me to believe that he celebrates the Latin Mass, for example. However, he did explain that the Rite of Exorcism is only said in Latin. One reason is practical – there is no approved translation in English as yet. He gave another reason why he was so strongly in favor of the use of Latin in the Rite of Exorcism: “The Devil hates Latin, it is the universal language of the Church.”
I asked him about this afterwards, and he repeated it, saying that his personal experiences as an exorcist who has performed many, many exorcisms have convinced him of this. He told me he had heard from exorcists who did exorcisms in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese (the only approved vernaculars for this Rite) that Latin was the most effective language.
There was a ostensibly “holy” priest in the parish I grew up in who loved to celebrate the Latin Mass and continued praying parts of the Mass in Latin even after the Novo Ordus form was introduced. This same “holy” priest molested my brother who was an altar server. The priest continued in his ministry for many years. My brother has suffered as a result of trying to get beyond the horrible abuse he endured. I think the devil may love Latin because the priests who use it are viewed as “super holy” when in fact the use of Latin can serve as a cover for evil.
I am so terribly sorry for what happened to your poor brother! I hope he was able to bring this case to trial, and hope he won! Of course, Latin and Catholic religious rites, have nothing to do with this situation. The Devil is an evil trickster, who dares to impersonate the holy, in disguises of shining splendor, to impress people, and deceive them! Even Our Lord was betrayed by one of His own chosen Twelve Disciples, Judas, who betrayed the Son of God with a kiss! Christ knows what your poor brother went through! I am sure that someday, God will bring His Justice to this extremely sinful situation! In Christ, your brother will truly someday triumph, and True Justice will be done!
Suzie, I can understand if your poor brother is so deeply hurt, he could never again walk inside a church! That was a really horrible thing that happened to him! No words can ever hope to relieve him of his terrible suffering! But I hope, somehow, he will find comfort, despite his suffering, and not lose his faith in God! Bless you both!
“I think the devil may love Latin because the priests who use it are viewed as “super holy” when in fact the use of Latin can serve as a cover for evil.” –Suzie
Nice job to smear a whole group of priests, of course only trad priests, as evil incarnate.
Yet the facts are that the most horrible documented abusers–Paul Shanley of Boston Arch, Robert Trupia of Tucson, Joseph Wajda of Minn-St Paul, too many to name were well-known “liberal” progressive types. Paul Shanley was an adored “street-priest” radical and darling of the Boston Globe, which delayed for at least a year the breaking of the story about him (The famous “Spotlight” investigation was actually broken by a reporter with the alternative newspaper, the…
..the “Boston Phoenix” newspaper (the Globe later garnered the credit for the Pulitzer: interesting). But those more complete facts don’t appear to comport with the intention to smear trad priests as consummately, and secretly, evil.
Suzie, I empathize with you about “holy” priests. Our case was not of sexual abuse perse but similar. Our son made his first communion in 1992. His second communion was from a priest who told him to hold his hands up higher (away from his crotch) when receiving. [His first communion nun teacher never taught the kids properly how to hold the hands] (please dont get lost in the hands vs tongue argument and parents as teachers-I was not yet fully back in the church and wasn’t familiar how much it had changed from 22 yrs. previously). Our dear son came back to the pew with tears streaming down his face he was sooo hurt and humiliated. I spoke with the priest after the Mass who defended what he did as right and never apologized even after an…
I spoke with the priest after the Mass who defended what he did as right and never apologized even after an explanation. I had hoped the priest would have been more sensitive. Our son never got over this incidence and he has left the church and I am sure this was a major contributor to his opinion of priests and the Church because nothing I said after that about Catholicism seemed to matter.
JC, why would you get upset because the priest told him to put his hands up higher? Did he yell at him or just told him firmly? It sounds as if the teaching sister was at fault, or perhaps your son just forgot what she told him.
You weren’t there. You didn’t see the entirety of what happenned. So don’t pretend to take a higher course – a holier than thou attitude – as if you weren’t there. It was obviously a humiliating experience for this child, badly handled by the priest and the nun. The extent that either or both of them are at fault might be in question, and people can take meanings from things that are not intended, so while I wouldn’t want to convict the priest or the nun of wrongdoing, I wouldn’t jump to defend them either. The child was clearly traumatized, and we need to understand better how we can be aids in the field hospital that will bring healing to the situation, rather than deny that there is trauma.
Also, did you check with the nun to find out just exactly what she did teach the children, or did you just take your son’s word for it? It sounds very strange that a sister (nun) would not show children how to hold their hands because that is usually one of the most important things they do show them for First Communion.
The two Anonymous posts on Feb. 21 at 7:27pm and 7:42 pm were mine. – Anne T.
I don’t see what the priest did wrong. As long as he didn’t yell and cause a scene, just telling him to hold his hands higher, was the right thing, as along as long as he did it gently.
I agree, Asbury Fox, as sometimes children cry any time they receive a reprimand of any kind. What happened here is not clear.
Obviously neither of you Asbury nor Anne T were there. Just because you can’t see that this child was obviously hurt and scarred doesn’t mean that he is not scarred. Have a heart. have a little compassion. Open your eyes to the possibility that a situation that you were not present at might have scarred a child for life – and possibly for afterlife.
Or the child might be too pampered by the parent, YFC. I do not know if that was the case or not because all sides were not heard. Shielding children from every pain in life does not help them deal with it very well. That is what I was trying to get at, and you should know it.
It could be that if he/she had talked to the nun, he/she might have found out that the sister did teach the children how to hold their hands, but his/ her son was not listening. I do not know if that is the case with J.C. as he/she chose not to answer my questions, but I do know of cases where parents got into arguments with teachers, even public school teachers, over something their child has said, and later found out it was not quite the truth.
Susie, it is a horrible crime when a child or teen is molested. That is why parents must get involved in their children schools, churches, synagogues and so forth if they want them to remain safe. Parents need to know just exactly what their children are being taught and by whom, and that a “No Adult Alone with a Child” policy is followed. There should always be other students, aides or teachers in the classroom, unless the door to the classroom is open and the teacher and student can be seen from the hallway. To be continued.
Continued: the latter should only be done for a very short period of time. Such policies protect children against molestation and adults against false accusations.
In the Traditional Latin Masses where there are only male altar servers (sometimes boys and male teens), the fathers should be involved. This protects everyone. Such is the case now from what I have seen. Parents need to be involved in the Newer Mass, too, with their children.
I heard of an old Jesuit of the Byzantine Rite who claimed that Russian was very effective, too.
Latin is the original official ecclesiastical language of our Church, and contains the original theology as well. It was used for many centuries, correctly, with correct meanings. The vernacular language of the street, was considered very worldly, vulgar, and corrupt, by comparison! Our modern vernacular languages also did not develop, until many centuries after the Church was established! I am sure the reason the Devil is said to hate Latin, is that this is the original, correct, holy, ecclesiastical language of our Church, while the vulgar vernacular tongues were of the world, and not holy!
This has always been TRUE the devil fears Latin the Official language of The Holy Roman Catholic Church, I know the Latin haters will show up here on this post they always do, and scream how can the devil be afraid of Latin?
This will start the flammers. I liked the Russian comment. Really, do you think that in all the span of time before and going forward, that evil is really concerned about one language? What about our thoughts? How many people think in Latin? I love the Latin Mass, but please, put your thinking caps on.
Indeed, put your thinking caps on.
If the front line forces “Exorcists” agree that Latin prayers are most demonstrably effective, I’d tend to believe them. That is the fruits bear testimony to the truth.
Combine that with the reality that the knives are certainly out whenever the use of Latin in the Mass is discussed. I wonder why?
Often the simple truth is visible to those who simply look – not the “approved” scholars who have done so much to take us away from that which produced bountiful harvests.
“I liked the Russian comment” = Of course you do arness because it detracts from the truth.
No need for arness barts to put on his thinking cap. Instead, arness needs many prayers. arness has an obvious hostage harness. Stop preferring flames over God!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mass#The_language_of_the_Black_Mass
A Black Mass is a ritual characterized by the inversion of the Traditional Latin Mass celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church. The history of such rituals is unclear before the modern era. The Black Mass was allegedly celebrated during the Witches’ Sabbath.
arness, i could not guess what evil would find offensive, so i take the word of the man in the field who has direct experience of outbursts against latin by the evil he confronts. i do not think that it is unlikely that latin has in some way been touched by holiness of the vst array of holy saints who used it, much like relics.
One would think the devil highly fears Aramaic – the language Jesus spoke and used to order the devil to depart from and stop tormenting people. Nevertheless, I imagine the devil is laughing loudly about this topic as it takes our attention away from his evil works and agenda; namely – poverty, ignorance, sloth (how many video games did your children play today?), gluttony in the midst of starvation, abortion, war, racism, social, environmental and cultural degradation, the misuse and abuse of human sexuality, the destruction of the family, drug and alcohol addiction, and on and on. What is each one of us doing to address these issues in the Lord’s vineyard?
Well said prudente catholic!!!
Well, if the devil hates Latin, it’s probably because he’s so dumb.
Latin is a complicated language with many cases (i.e., nominative, accusative, dative, genitive, vocative, ablative, locative), whereas English only has “subjective” and “objective,” as in “he” and “him.”
The devil is definitely stupid, because anyone against God and God’s Son is dumb as a box of rocks!
As for which priests will turn out, in the end, to be abusers, you just can’t tell.
Some have made big names for themselves, and created fan clubs (there names are well known, sadly); others are just quiet men who abuse and do evil and few hear about it.
The “rock stars” who have gotten into big trouble (e.g., Corapi, Euteneuer, Cutie, Weakland) are just the tip of the iceberg, because we are ALL sinners, and no one can tell from the outside.
Some priestly sinners seem very holy, others seem very lax. Some are strict with others yet VERY LENIENT with their own obsessions; other are lenient with their people and very bad in their personal conduct as well.
Only God knows which is which…
“You shall know them by their fruits.”
A priest may dress and act and speak in a very proper way, but if the devil gets into his soul, watch out.
This is one reason we need to PRAY FOR OUR PRIESTS, that God and the Blessed Mother will help protect them from temptation, from evil thoughts & deeds, from using their positions of power and influence to corrupt others, abuse children, and damage Holy Mother Church!!