Francisco Veneto of Aleteia, tells the fascinating story of the missionary bishop who was recently elevated to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis for a country of only 1,500 Catholics.
In addition to setting an age record, this young bishop has been an exorcist for over 20 years!
The Church's youngest new cardinal is also an exorcist: 47-year-old Italian Bishop Giorgio Marengo, who serves as a missionary bishop in remote Mongolia, will officially become the "youngest cardinal" since from August 27.
During the conclave scheduled for that day, Pope Francis will give him the famous red zucchetto hat symbolizing courage and readiness to be martyred for Christ if necessary.
A young missionary in faraway lands
Aside from his young age – most of the cardinals are over 60 years old – another “interesting fact” surrounding the young bishop has caught the attention of Catholics: the country in which he carries out his mission. Its destiny, Mongolia, has less than 1,500 Catholics.
Mongolian history is characterized by great isolation from Western influence. Among the population who claim to be religious, a large part belongs to local indigenous traditions, especially Shamanism: they have more than 10,000 adherents, six times as many as Catholics. Furthermore, during the 20th century, Mongolia suffered persecution under a communist dictatorship, which officially banned religious worship.
The new cardinal, from the Congregation of the Missionaries of Consolata, said of his appointment as a cardinal: “For me, living this new vocation means continuing on the path of smallness, humility and dialogue.”
Young, but with long experience in the ministry of exorcism
Now, another piece of information about Bishop Marengo is causing curiosity among Catholics: the young bishop has been an exorcist for more than 20 years. And not only that: he is also a point of reference among the priests authorized to carry out the ministry of exorcism.
Bishop Marengo is one of the instructors in the XVI class of the Course in Exorcism and Prayer of Salvation, held annually at the Pontifical Institute Regina Apostolorum in Rome. He had previously attended the same course as a student.
The future bishop and cardinal spoke of the “Role of the Bishop in the Ministry of Exorcism,” whether in Western cultures or in mission lands. In fact, he said in his homily that non-Christians often came to him to ask him to rescue them “from the actions of the devil,” which shows that they recognize the power of the ministers. members of Christ against acts of evil.
According to Bishop Marengo, the devil is “a divider who specializes in hindering our relationship with Christ,” while the Church promotes a relationship with Christ through evangelization and sacramental action.
Superstition as an Obstacle to Faith
According to the missionary bishop, those preparing to be baptized in Mongolia suffered from special obstacles that indicated the actions of the wicked, which led them to orient themselves to ancestral practices that were incompatible with the Moktrin. revelation of Christ. Bishop Marengo recalled that since the earliest days of the Church, this resistance has been widespread: Catholic priests need to repeat “the activity of the Apostles of Jesus,” which “includes banishment. demons and heal the sick.”
It is not only Mongolia, however, where the defiance of entrenched superstitions is present: for Bishop Marengo, the new paganization of societies worldwide is a sign of demonic action. the devil to souls distracts them from the Truth.
“The reason for condemning superstitions is always the same and applies to us today: these practices presuppose our lack of faith, and we turn to them to escape,” Bishop Marengo said. from uncertainty”.
In contrast, Christ "fully trusts in the Father" and "in the same way, the humility of those who believe in Christ presupposes complete trust in him."
Five ways to fight the devil
Future Cardinal Marengo highlighted 5 ways to fight the devil:
1. “The main way is prayer. And in this area, Eucharistic adoration and various forms of Marian devotion stand out.” He asked special attention to liturgical prayers with texts referring to healing, always respecting the appropriate liturgical norms. And, regarding Mongolia, he testified: “Things are changing after Eucharistic adoration has spread.”
2. “Teach the full doctrine of the devil's actions and how to confront him.”
3. “Opportunity to share where witchcraft issues can arise in conversation.”
4. “Celebrating exorcisms when necessary,” always respecting Church rules.
5. “Training of priests and religious regarding mental health and the fight against the devil.”
The mystery of love conquers the mystery of evil
Remember, according to Aleteia, during the 2017 exorcism conference in Manila, Cardinal Tagle told the conference of exorcists that the mystery of love triumphs over the mystery of evil.
The cardinal said that evil is a mystery, sin is illogical and irrational and yet we are not against it.
But love is also a mystery – God remains faithful, knowing that mankind will not be faithful. And the mystery of love triumphs over the mystery of evil.
Cardinal Tagle affirmed that despite evil, human life is beautiful.
Logic may command us to get rid of sinners to make the world beautiful, but “the world is really beautiful because God responds to it. God is stronger than evil. That is the secret of world beauty. "
Cardinal Tagle reflected on the long history of evil and humanity, and how Satan was able to win human cooperation in the first place.
“We are fascinated by the mystery of evil,” the cardinal said. And “this is illogical. This is illogical. But sin, evil, is unreasonable.” Man does not understand his own choices and therefore evil is a mystery.
But the greater mystery is the mystery of God's love. The long history of man's cooperation with evil is met with God's constant response. “People will turn to Him in despair, God will respond, people will abandon Him again, God will be hurt,” but will stay with His people, whom He cannot abandon.
“This is also the mystery of God's infinite mercy and compassion. This mystery of love conquers evil. And there is no other way to conquer evil but the love of God.”