Exorcism Over the World on Holy Saturday

ON OCTOBER 13, 1884, Leo XIII had a terrible vision of the assault of the powers of Hell against Holy Mother Church, and ordered the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel to be said at the end of Mass. He also composed an Act of Exorcism and ordered it to be inserted into the Roman Ritual, and explicitly mentioned what he had seen: “The Church, the Spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, has been filled with bitterness and inebriated with poison by her crafty enemies, who have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the place where the See of Holy Peter and the Chair of Truth has been set up as the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered.”

In these modern times of terrible tribulation, when the pandemic has deprived Catholics of Holy Mass and the Sacraments, the Evil One has gone into a frenzy and multiplied his attacks to tempt souls into sin. These blessed days of Holy Week, which used to be the ideal time to go to Confession to prepare ourselves for our Easter Communion, now see us locked inside our houses, but they cannot stop us praying to Our Lord.

Since it is a day of silence, while we await His glorious Resurrection, this Holy Saturday ought to be an ideal opportunity for Sacred Ministers. There is no need to go out, or to breach any of the laws currently in force.

I should like to ask you all to pray together, using the form given by Leo XIII, the Exorcism against Satan and the Apostate Angels (Exorcismus in Satanam et angelos apostaticos, Rituale Romanum, Tit. XII, Caput III), at three o’clock in the afternoon, Roman time (15:00 hours, Central European Summer Time) on Saturday April 11, 2020, so we can all fight together the common enemy of the whole human race [See exorcism prayer below, in Latin and English].

Holy Saturday is the day when we remember Our Lord Jesus Christ as He descended into Hell to free the souls of the Fathers from Satan’s chains. In the great silence after Our Lord’s Passion and Death, Our Lady kept watch and believed, waiting in hope for the Resurrection of Her dearly beloved Son. It was a time when the world seemed to have won, but when everything was being prepared for the glory of Easter.

I should like to ask all my brother Bishops and Priests to join me as I recite this Exorcism, knowing the power of this Sacramental - especially when it is recited together with all other Priests - to help the Church in Her fight against Satan. I should also like to recommend that all of you wear a stole, the sign of your Priestly power, and Holy Water.

The great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, terrible as an army set in array, and Saint Michael the Archangel, Patron of the Holy Church and Prince of the Heavenly Host, will help all of us.

+ Carlo Maria Viganò,
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Maundy Thursday 2020

Exorcism Prayer of Pope Leo XIII

 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen

INTRODUCTION
Psalm 67 Arise God, may His enemies be scattered and those who hate Him flee from His presence.

As smoke disperses, so may they disperse; as wax melts before the fire, so will the impious perish before God.

Psalm 34 Lord, fight against those who attack me; combat against those who wage war against me.

May those who persecute me to death suffer defeat and be shamed. Return the sword full of confusion to those who plot my harm. May they be like dust before the wind when the Angel of the Lord destroys them. May their path be dark and slippery, when the Angel of the Lord persecutes them. Because without motive they tended webs of death, without reason they set mortal traps for me.

May an unforseen disaster surprise them, may the net they hid entangle them; may they fall in the same trap they set for me.

My soul rejoices with the Lord and will enjoy its salvation. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and always, world without end. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Michael Archangel
Most glorious Prince of the Celestial Militia, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the fight we maintain combating "against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the malignant spirits dispersed through the airs" (Ephesians, 6, 12).

Come to the assistance of "men whom God has created incorruptible in His image and likeness" (Wisdom 2, 23) and rescued at such "a high price" (1Corinthians, 6, 20) from the tyranny of the devil.

With the Hosts of the Good Angels fight today the battles of the Lord, as from time in memorial You fought against Lucifer, leader of haughtiness and fighter against his own apostate angels. They all cannot prevail and have lost their places in Heaven. "The great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent named devil and Satan, the seducer of the entire world; he was precipitated to the earth and with him all his angels also fell" (Apocalypse 12, 8-9).

From here it is that the ancient enemy and homicidist has arisen with vehemence. Disguised as the "angel of light" (2 Corinthians, 11, 14) with the escort of all his malignant spirits he surrounds and invades the entire earth, and is installed in all places, with the purpose to erase therein the Name of God and of His Christ, to attack and snatch the souls destined for the crown of eternal glory, to destroy and lose them for ever. As the most filthy torrent of evil, the malignant dragon poured over those men with depraved minds and corrupted hearts, the venom of his malice: the spirit of lying, of impiety and of blasphemy; the lethal breath of lust, of all vices and iniquities.

Those enemies most crafty and sly have filled with bitterness and sadness the Church, spouse of the Immaculate Lamb. They have given Her wormwood to drink; they have placed their impious hands over everything that for Her is most dear. Where the Seat of Saint Peter and the Cathedral of the Truth has been erected to be a light for the nations, they have erected the throne of domination of impiety betting that with luck, having struck down the pastor, they can disperse their congregation. Oh invincible champion, help the people of God against the perversity of the spirits that attack them and give them the victory!

The Holy Church venerates you as Her guardian, patron and protector; be the glory that you are as Her defender against the toxic terrestrial and infernal powers; God has entrusted to you the souls of the redeemed to place them in the state of their deserved supreme happiness. Plead to the God of Peace that He crush Satan beneath our feet, so that he may no longer retain men captive nor harm Your Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High so that without any delay the mercies of the Lord may descend on us (Psalsm 78, 8), and hold captive the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan and, once enchained, cast him into the abyss so that he may never again be able to seduce the nations (Apocalypse 20).

After this, confident in your protection and patronage, with the sacred authority of the Holy Mother Church, we dispose ourselves to reject the pestilence of the diabolical frauds, confident and secure in the Name of Jesus Christ, Our God and Lord.

V. Here is the Holy Cross of the Lord! Be gone, flee, enemy powers.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered.
V. May Your mercy, Lord, come over us.
R. As we hope in You.
V. Lord, listen to our prayer.
R. And may our clamor reach You.
V. May the Lord be with you.
R. And with Your Spirit.

Let us Pray
God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we invoke Your Holy Name and we implore suplicatingly Your clemency so that, by the intercession of the always Immaculate and Virgin Mary Mother of God, of the Archangel Saint Michael, of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Most Holy Virgin, of the Apostles Peter and Paul and of all the Saints, that You deign to lend us Your efficacious aid against Satan and all the putrid spirits that roam throughout the world so as to harm the human race and for the perdition of souls. Amen.


EXORCISM
(At the "†" make the sign of the Cross)
We exorcize you, all malignant spirit, satanic power, attacks of the infernal adversary, legion, concentration and diabolical sect, in the Name and Virtue of Our Lord Jesus † Christ, to leave and flee from the Church of God, from souls created in the image of God and redeemed by the Most Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb. †
From now on, do not venture, most perfidious serpent, to deceive the elect and sift them like wheat. † The Most High God commands this to you, to whom, in your insolent arrogance you still pretend to resemble, "He who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy, 2).
God the Father commands you. †
God the Son commands you. †
God the Holy Ghost commands you. †
The Majesty of Jesus † Christ, God’s Eternal Word made man, commands you. †
He, Who to save our race, which became lost due to your envy, "humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death" (Philippians, 2, 8);
He, Who has built His Church on firm rock and revealed that the powers of hell would never prevail against Her, because He will dwell with Her all the days until the end of the world" (Saint Matthew, 28, 20).
The sacred Sign of the Holy † Cross commands you,
and also the virtue of All the Mysteries of the Christian Faith. †
The august Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, commands you † who, by her humility from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception, crushed your proud head. †
The faith of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of all the other Apostles command you. †
The blood of the Martyrs and the pious intercession of all the Saints command you. †

Thus, cursed dragon and all diabolical legions, we adjure you by the Living † God, by the True † God, † by the Holy † God, "Who so loved the world that He handed over His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but live the everlasting life" (Saint John, 3); stop deceiving human creatures and feeding them the poison of eternal perdition; stop harming the Church and setting traps against Her liberty.

Begone, Satan, inventor and master of all fallacy, enemy of the salvation of men. Place yourself before Jesus † Christ in Whom you have found none of your works. Place yourself before the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the same One acquired by Jesus † Christ with His Blood.

Humble yourself below the All-Powerful Hand of God. Tremble and flee as we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, before which all hells tremble, to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of the Heavens submit, which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly with voices saying: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of the Armies.

V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto You.
V. May the Lord be with You.
R. And with Your Spirit.

Let us pray
God of Heaven and of the earth, God of Angels, God of Archangels, God of Patriarchs, God of Prophets, God of Apostles, God of Martyrs, God of Confessors, God of Virgins, God Who has power to give life after death and rest after work, because there is no other God outside of You, nor can there be any other than Yourself, Creator of all things, visible and invisible, of whose reign there shall be no end: we humbly supplicate to You that Your glorious Majesty may deem to free us efficiently and guard and heal us, keep us healthy, safe and sound from all power, chains, lies and malice of the infernal spirits. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

V. From the snares of the devil,
R. Deliver us, O Lord.
V. Make it be that Your Church serve You with secure liberty,
R. We beg You to hear us.
V. Deign to humble all the enemies of Your Church,
R. We implore You: hear us.
Amen

(Holy water is then sprinkled in the place and on those present where we have prayed this prayer.)

Lord, do not remember our wrongdoings nor those of our parents; do not take revenge for our sins (Tobias 3, 3).

Pray the OUR FATHER

Our Father, Who are in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come.
Your Will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen

† In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen