Vatican, 27 December, 2023 / 8:55 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis inaugurated a new catechetical series on vices and virtues during Wednesday’s general audience by opening with the story of Adam and Eve, which introduces “the dynamic of evil and temptation” and points toward the dangers of dialoguing with the devil.
The Holy Father instructed the pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican that the best way to eschew the precipitous fall into temptation is to “never argue with the devil; he is astute and intelligent,” with the pope adding that “the devil is a deceiver. Never talk to him, because he is smarter than all of us and will make us pay.”
Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 27, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
The pope pointed to the Book of Genesis, where evil, or the devil, is manifest in the infamous figure of the serpent. That animal’s insidiousness is often unnoticed as it is able to “camouflage itself well in its environment,” Francis said.
In the biblical account of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and the fall of man, the progenitors thought the serpent to be benign. But, the pope warned, the devil is a master tactician and shapeshifter who was able to instill doubt, which was veiled as “wicked gossip.”
Pope Francis delivers his remarks at his Wednesday general audience to pilgrims in the Paul VI Audience Hall on Dec. 27, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his Wednesday general audience on Dec. 27, 2023. Credit: Elizabeth Alva/EWTN
