Paul VI – Credo of the People of God (June 30, 1968): the angels as pure spirits, and the reign of the demon

The Credo of the People of God (Solemnis Professio Fidei) of Paul VI, proclaimed on June 30, 1968, at the close of the Year of Faith, is the most solemn personal profession of faith of a Pope in modern times. It contains clear affirmations on angelology and demonology, at a moment of great post-conciliar theological crisis.

Historical context

The Year of Faith (June 29, 1967 – June 30, 1968) had been proclaimed by Paul VI on the occasion of the 1900th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. At the end of that year, during a phase of deep post-conciliar theological crisis (the questioning of dogmas, neo-theological modernism, dissent over Humanae Vitae), the Pope wished to make a personal and public profession of faith that would reaffirm the essential pillars of Catholicism.

Latin text, on the angels

We believe in one only God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Creator of visible things, such as this world in which we lead a transient life, but also of invisible things, such as the pure spirits, whom we call Angels, and equally Creator of the spiritual and immortal soul of each man.

English translation, on the angels

We believe in one only God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, Creator of visible things, as this world is, in which we pass our transient life, and also of invisible things, as the pure spirits are, whom we also call Angels, and equally Creator in each man of the spiritual and immortal soul.

Latin text, on the devil and original sin

We believe that our first parents Adam and Eve were constituted in the state of original holiness and justice… These, however, whom father Adam disobeyed through sin, which of himself he transmitted to his progeny, as he was to transmit human nature to the human race, deprived of that holiness and justice with which God had created it, by that original fault were made captives of the darkness, which now reigns, both through the demon (who by his sin turned away from God), over their will. Thus, human souls, conceived in original fault, are in a state of spiritual death…

English translation

We believe that our first parents Adam and Eve were constituted in the state of original holiness and justice… These, however, whom father Adam disobeyed through sin, which of himself he transmitted to his progeny, as he was to transmit human nature to the human race, deprived of that holiness and justice with which God had created it, by that original fault were made captives of the darkness, which now reigns, both through the demon (who by his sin turned away from God), over their will. Thus, human souls, conceived in original fault, are in a state of spiritual death…

The three great affirmations

1. The angels exist as pure spirits: “Invisibilium quoque, ut sunt puri Spiritus, quos etiam Angelos vocamus”
2. The angels are creatures: God is the “Creatorem rerum visibilium et invisibilium”
3. The Devil is a real personal being: “Captivos esse factos a tenebris, quae nunc et a daemone… regnant”

The “Credo” as a magisterial response

Paul VI was aware that many contemporary theologians were:

• Reducing the angels to “symbols” or “metaphors”
• Denying the personal existence of the Devil
• Reinterpreting original sin as “social sin”
• Eliminating “supernatural” elements from the faith

The Credo of the People of God is his clear response: each one of these points, far from being “mythology,” belongs to the deposit of faith revealed and defined by the Magisterium.

The devil and original sin

Particularly important is the connection between the Devil and original sin. Paul VI affirms:

1. Original sin was the cause of the “captivity of the darkness”
2. This captivity involves the action of the “demon,” who “by his sin turned away from God”
3. The demon reigns over the fallen human will
4. Only Baptism frees from this captivity

This connection takes up the soteriology of the Fathers (Saint Athanasius, Saint John Chrysostom), which sees the Cross as the victory of Christ over the Evil One (Christus Victor).

General structure of the Credo

The Credo of the People of God has 30 paragraphs covering:

• Trinity (paragraphs 1-9)
• Incarnation and Redemption (paragraphs 10-13)
• Church (paragraphs 14-22)
• Eucharist (paragraphs 23-26)
• Sacraments and Eternal Life (paragraphs 27-30)

The affirmations about the angels are at the beginning (paragraph 8, on creation); those about the Devil come in the context of original sin (paragraphs 11-12).

Doctrinal legacy

The Credo of the People of God was the direct basis for:

• The CDF Document Fede e Demonologia (1975)
• The Address of Paul VI on the Devil (November 15, 1972)
• The Catecheses of John Paul II (1986)
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992)

Further reading

Fourth Lateran Council 1215 | Florence, Cantate Domino 1442 | Paul VI Confronto col Diavolo 1972 | CCC on Angels and Demons

See our complete guide to Catholic Angelology.