Leo XIII – prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel (1886) and exorcismus in satanam (1890)

On October 13, 1884, Pope Leo XIII is said to have had a vision of the Devil challenging Christ, and in 1886 he promulgated two prayers: the celebrated “Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel” (recited after every low Mass until 1964) and the “Exorcism of Leo XIII” (a text in Latin, with solemn formulas of exorcism). These two prayers are a fundamental historical reference of papal demonology.

1. Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel

Original Latin text

Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio,
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, princeps militiae caelestis,
Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute, in infernum detrude.
Amen.

English translation

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle,
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray.
And you, prince of the heavenly host,
by the divine power,
cast into hell Satan and the other evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

History of the prayer

It is said that on October 13, 1884, Leo XIII was celebrating a private Mass when he is reported to have had a mystical experience: he heard two voices at the altar, that of Christ and that of Satan. Satan asked Christ for “more time and more power” to try to destroy the Church. Christ answered by granting him a limited extension. After the Mass, Leo XIII composed the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel and ordered that it be recited at all low Masses (not sung) throughout the world, together with three Hail Marys and the Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina).

This practice lasted from 1886 to 1964, when it was removed by the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council (Inter Oecumenici, September 26, 1964). It was widely revived after April 24, 1994, when Saint John Paul II, at the Regina Caeli, recalled the prayer and recommended that the faithful pray it personally.

2. Exorcismus in Satanam (1890)

On May 18, 1890, Leo XIII published the Exorcismus in Satanam et Angelos Apostaticos, a solemn exorcism in Latin intended for the use of bishops and priests designated for the ministry of exorcism. It was included in the Rituale Romanum of 1925 and in the appendix of exorcisms against Satan.

Latin text, exorcism (Excerpt)

Exorcizamus te, omnis immunde spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, in nomine et virtute Domini Nostri Iesu + Christi, eradicare et effugare a Dei Ecclesia, ab animabus ad imaginem Dei conditis ac pretioso divini Agni Sanguine redemptis +.

Non ultra audeas, serpens callidissime, decipere humanum genus, Dei Ecclesiam persequi, ac Dei electos excutere et cribrare sicut triticum +. Imperat tibi Deus altissimus +, cui in magna tua superbia te similem haberi adhuc praesumis…

English translation

We exorcise you, every unclean spirit, every satanic power, every incursion of the infernal adversary, every legion, every diabolical congregation and sect, in the name and by the power of our Lord Jesus + Christ, depart and flee from the Church of God, from the souls created in the image of God and redeemed by the precious Blood of the divine Lamb +.

Dare no longer, most cunning serpent, to deceive the human race, to persecute the Church of God, to shake and sift like wheat the elect of God +. The Most High God commands you +, whom in your great pride you still presume to resemble…

The historical context of the Leonine prayers

The end of the 19th century was marked by:

• Aggressive anti-clericalism (in Italy after 1870, in France after 1880)
• The growth of Freemasonry and spiritism
• Persecution of the Church in multiple countries (the German Kulturkampf 1871-1887)
• Nascent theological modernism
• Crisis of the Religious Orders in several countries

Leo XIII saw in these phenomena signs of an “organized satanic action” against the Church. His prayers to Saint Michael and the exorcisms he published are his spiritual response.

Contemporary pastoral relevance

After 1964, the Prayer to Saint Michael ceased to be obligatory in the Eucharistic liturgy. But:

• JP2 (April 24, 1994): recommended the prayer at the Regina Caeli as a personal devotion
• Benedict XVI: prayed it publicly several times, especially during his pontificate
• Francis (September 29, 2018): asked all Catholics to pray the Rosary, the Prayer to Saint Michael, and the Sub Tuum Praesidium every day of October 2018, in the context of the scandals of sexual abuse in the clergy
• Portuguese Episcopal Conference (2018): officially reintroduced the Prayer to Saint Michael after every Mass in all parishes

The exorcism of Leo XIII and the new rite

Leo XIII’s Exorcismus in Satanam was the basis for the Rituale Romanum of 1925 (chap. XII on exorcisms). After the Second Vatican Council, it was reformed and replaced by the new De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam (1999), but the original text of Leo XIII remains a historical reference and a theological source.

Further reading

Fourth Lateran Council 1215 | CDF Fede e Demonologia 1975 | Paul VI Confronto col Diavolo | JP2 Catecheses on Angels and Demons

See also: What is Angelology? The angels in the Bible and in the Magisterium

See our complete guide to Catholic Angelology.