Fr. Dwight Longenecker in his essay, Understanding the Apocalyptic Vision of Pope Francis gives us a refresher on the battle that has always raged above us. So why should we be surprised that we are at war?
“Pope Francis, like Benedict before him, sees the Church in conflict with the world. His regular references to the battle against Satan and his call to stand up to the evil and corrupt powers of the world reveal a pope who is apocalyptic in his vision. Pope Francis refers to Benson’s novel because he wants Catholics to take notice that the Church is in conflict with the spirit of the age and with the Lord of this World who is Satan, the Father of Lies, the Great Deceiver, the Hater of Humanity and the Destroyer of All Things.
Pope Francis has referred to Benson’s novel [Lord of the World] numerous times during his papacy, and I believe this work is the key to understanding Francis. It would be wrong to take Benson’s dystopic vision literally and in too much detail. Instead it is the larger themes and underlying truths which give us the framework to understand Francis’ mindset.”
