Pope Francis Asks for Prayers to ‘Protect the Church From the Devil’
As the Vatican sends a disgraced cardinal to live in a “very remote” Kansas friary after sex abuse allegations.

Tony Gentile/Reuters
Pope Francis is calling on Catholics worldwide to pray every day “to protect the church from the devil,” in what appears to be an indirect response to mounting scrutiny facing the church over sexual abuse and cover-up allegations. In a statement released by the Vatican on Saturday, the pontiff warned of “attacks by the devil,” who he said is “always looking to divide us from God and from one another.” He went on to say daily prayers are also necessary for the church to be aware of its “guilt, errors and abuses committed in the present and the past.” The statement comes shortly after the Archdiocese of Washington announced that disgraced cardinal Theodore McCarrick will be moved to church housing in Kansas after resigning over sexual abuse allegations. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, D.C., was removed from all public ministry in June after several years-old allegations of sexual abuse against altar boys surfaced. He will now reside in a “very remote” friary “in the middle of nowhere” in Victoria, Kansas, according to Bishop Gerald Vincke, the leader of the diocese where the friary is located. Vincke told The Washington Post that although the friary is near an elementary school, McCarrick will be “very restricted.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.