The Pope Warns Against Hell And The Devil

For some reason, though, I haven't seen these items in any mainstream outlets.

First, in a condemnation of the Mafia, Pope Francis said the following, per Zenit:

This life you are living now, it won’t bring you pleasure, it won’t give you joy, it won’t bring you happiness. The power, the money, that you possess now from so many dirty jobs, from so many mafia crimes, is blood money, it is power soaked in blood, and you cannot take it with you to the next life. Convert, there is still time, so that you don’t end up in hell.

Aww, man. What a buzzkill. Imagine the nerve of the Holy Father! Wanting to keep people out of hell! Or suggesting that someone might actually go to hell! Or even mentioning that there is a hell in the first place!

After all, who is he to judge?

Make sure nobody tells the universalists who have embedded themselves so firmly in the Church. I wonder if Scalfari is still holding on to that "the Pope abolished sin" crap.

To follow that up, the Pope had the audacity to bring up the reality of the Devil and demonic possession:

Pope Francis said, “There are some priests who, when they read this Gospel passage, this and others, say: ‘But, Jesus healed a person with a mental illness’. They do not read thus, no? It is true that at that time, they could confuse epilepsy with demonic possession; but it is also true that there was the Devil.”

“And we do not have the right to simplify the matter,” said Pope Francis, “as if to say: ‘All of these [people] were not possessed; they were mentally ill.’ No! The presence of the Devil is on the first page of the Bible, and the Bible ends as well with the presence of the Devil, with the victory of God over the Devil.” 

As for his comments on Satan and other demons, the Pope said, “Some may say, but, Father, you're too old fashioned. You're frightening us with these things.’ No, it's not me! It is the Gospel! And these are not lies: it is the Word of the Lord. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the Devil. Please, let's not do business with the Devil. He wants to come back home, to take possession … Don't accept relativism, be vigilant. And always with Jesus!”  

How disturbing and delightful at the same time! File these away for when you hear from all the alleged Pope Francis fans who like him because they think he's a modernist heretic.