Exorcist: Devil loves his fun image
By Simon Caldwell
18 April 2008

The devil is delighted by the popular depiction of him with horns and a pointed tail, according to Rome's most senior exorcist.

Fr Gabriel Amorth said that such "ridiculous" imagery as Satan with wings of a bat and cloven hooves play into the devil's hands because it leads to fewer people believing he exists and trying to live good lives.

"The devil is pleased by the way he is generally represented," said Fr Amorth, 82. But he said in reality the devil "is an angel and therefore a pure spirit created good by God and who perverted himself because he rebelled against God". "Therefore, he maintains all the characteristics proper of a pure spirit, such as a very large intelligence, immensely bigger than ours," he said.

He said that the devil would use any device to lure people into sin, his "preferred activity".

Fr Amorth said he usually performs exorcisms in the many churches of Rome that are closed during the daytime. He told Rome-based H2O News that Satan's great enemy is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is often depicted in Catholic art crushing the serpent's head with her foot.

He said sometimes God makes Satan tell the truth. "On one occasion an exorcist friend of mine asked the devil what most hurts him about Our Lady, what most annoys him. He responded: 'That she is the purest of all creatures and that I am the filthiest; that she is the most obedient of all creatures and that I am the most rebellious; that she is the one who committed no sin and thus always conquers me.'