During the Mass at San Pietro, I sat right behind Ernest Card. Simoni. 97 years old, Albanian, tortured, imprisoned to do forced labor, sentenced to death. At the end of Mass he went to the ambo and recited the long St. Michael Prayer as an exorcism Specifically… exorcism.
The only things that would have made it better would be a) had it been done before Mass and b) had it been done by every priest in the place.
On Christmas Eve 1963, Fr. Simoni was arrested after celebrating a Mass for the repose of U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s soul—a gesture deemed subversive by authorities. Sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment, then reduced to 28 years), he endured torture,… https://t.co/qmbz92FIXi
— Father V (@father_rmv) October 26, 2025
Card. Simoni went straight at the devil.
The Basilica itself has needed rites of exorcism for a long time.
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Well, it’s simple. Will the Pope affirm the preachings of Saint Paul? His Epistles occur after the Resurrection and Pentecost. They apply to us now! If the Pope denies the the preaching of Saint Paul, he has lost the Faith and the Deposit of Faith.
My goodness what he endured.
Kudos to this faithful and brave Cardinal. For most (if not, all) of us, it is impossible to imagine the horrors he had to endure. To say the Hoxha regime was brutal would be an understatement.
FranzJosf – the Pope explictly approved the TLM at St Peter’s, so I’m not sure what you’re talking about?
Very grateful for this good and faithful shepherd and Cardinal Burke as well.