From an exorcist: 5 spiritual weapons to fight the devil
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ACI Prensa Staff, May 24, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Father Cristian Meriggi, an exorcist priest of the Archdiocese of Florence, Italy, shared the five spiritual weapons he uses and recommends to combat the devil and his influence.
Meriggi, an exorcist for almost 20 years and a priest for 27, shared his recommendations on the website of the International Association of Exorcists (IAE), to which he has belonged since 2006.
In his text, the priest thanked his mentor, Father Mario Boretti; Father Francesco Bamonte, vice president of the IAE; and Father Gabriele Amorth, a famous exorcist of the Diocese of Rome and co-founder of the IAE. Amorth, who died in 2016, performed tens of thousands of exorcisms during his lifetime.
“I remember the advice Don Gabriele gave me before we said goodbye: ‘Remember, Don Cristian, that we are good for nothing!’” the Italian priest recounted.
Meriggi also thanked Cardinal Ernest Simoni, 96, who “practiced the ministry of exorcist even before the atheist communist regime of Albania arrested him on Christmas Eve 1963. Today he also exercises his beautiful ministry in Tuscany.”
*1. Adoration and Communion*
Meriggi, whose guide and teacher in exorcisms was Boretti, recalled something the late priest told him: “Without Communion, one cannot be healed.”
Thus, the 55-year-old priest emphasized that “an intense sacramental life, a love for the Eucharistic Christ is crucial because the Eucharist is the true path to healing and liberation. Adoration and Communion!”
*2. Confession*
The exorcist also emphasized that it is very important to “live with steadfastness the sacrament of confession. Through it, we find God’s mercy, which not only confirms the forgiveness of our sins but also, with his grace, penetrates deeply into the darkest areas of the soul where our sins have their roots.”
*3. An intense life of charity*
Another important spiritual weapon in the fight against the devil is “to live, as St. Paul says, as far as it depends on us, at peace with all. An intense life of charity where we think not only of our own needs but also of those of others, praying and working for their good, seeking and giving forgiveness.”
“Live everything, every moment of our life, as a gift, aware that everything works for the good of those who love God, even the most difficult moments,” the exorcist exhorted.
*4. Devotion to the Virgin Mary and the rosary*
Meriggi also emphasized that it is essential “to nurture a faithful and loving devotion to the Virgin Mary. Let us make the prayer of the Church our own: in addition to holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, also the holy rosary. And then there is devotion to the saints and the blessed souls in purgatory.”
*5. Use of sacramentals*
“In addition to the sacramental life, the use of sacramentals is of great benefit. They are like medicines that, together with the sacraments, help us bring God’s grace into every area of our lives,” the Italian priest noted.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals “are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church.”
Sacramentals can include crucifixes, holy water, medals, and blessed salt, among others.
Finally, Meriggi emphasized that “the entire life of the Church is medicinal; it is a path of liberation, healing, and consolation, leading to resurrection in Christ, to living our days in love and peace, to ward off or expel from our lives the enemy and his influence.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.