Leonine prayer

Just after the attack in Paris last week, the Holy Father asked the world to pray to St. Michael, the Archangel. Why did Pope Francis call for a universal resort to St. Michael?

This is unusual in the sense that the prayer to St. Michael, long known as the Leonine Prayer has been discarded after the liturgical reforms mandated by the Second Vatican Council were implemented. The Mass was simplified and among those that were taken out was this prayer said after the Mass. However, many Catholics who found this prayer beautiful and powerful continued to pray it privately or in small groups, though in shorter version.

Although named after Pope Leo XIII,the prayer was instituted in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX when the Church was under attack during the revolutionary movements in Europe that threatened the Vatican. It was a prayer that included three Hail Marys and Salve Regina followed by several other prayers. It was said in all Low Masses, the ordinary Mass celebrated daily.

The Papal States were then taken over by the King of Italy but the Pope refused to leave the Vatican and declared himself a prisoner. By doing so the Pope remained a Sovereign of the Vatican. The other possessions of the Church were lost to Italy but the Italians refrained from forcibly taking the Vatican or ejecting the Pope who had no army but a few Swiss guards who swore to martyrdom to protect the Pope and the Church.

The St. Michael prayer after Mass was for the specific intention of Pope Pius IX. However when he died in 1878, his successor Pope Leo XIII continued the prayer because the danger to the Church remained. In fact Pope Leo XIII added more prayers. He reformed the prayer a few more times that the set became known as the Leonine Prayer. The prayer to St. Michael became famous. There were a few minor revisions but the prayer to St. Michael remained. In 1929 the issue of the Vatican state was finally settled with Italy yielding to the Papal Estate. With the issue settled the question of continuing the Leonine Prayer was raised. It was believed to have served its purpose.

The succeeding popes continued to pray especially with the onslaught of Nazism and Fascism in Italy until the liturgical reforms of Vatican II in 1962 when it was no longer needed. Some dioceses, priests and pious lay people however continued the prayer. They believed that, firstly the liturgical reforms were only for the Mass and the Leonine Prayer was said after or outside the Mass. Moreover, there remained the threat of communist Russia for which the Church had launched a Rosary prayer brigade.

Traditionally, the Leonine Prayer was attached to the Latin Mass. When it was reformed in 1962, some believed the Leonine Prayer went out with Latin. However, Pope Benedict XVI clarified that the Roman Missal which used Latin at Mass was not abrogated so that many priests returned to Latin Mass and with that the Leonine Prayer.

When communism collapsed in 1989, some people again asked whether the Leonine Prayer should be continued. Some stopped but other lay people and priests alike, continued to pray it because of itsbeauty and effectiveness and as personal and even collective defense against evil. After all we are surrounded by new evils.

The call of Pope Francis for the recitation of the Leonine Prayer is timely and proper in the face of the evil that is ISIS. The Church in Africa and in other countries is facing persecution. Each day martyrs are made. Aside from the ISIS and its terrorism, there are other evils of drugs, prostitution, human trafficking and rights violations and religious persecution. Evil stalks the land in many and various forms.

Let us once more seek St. Michael's help. In the Book of Daniel (12:1) he is called “Great Commander” who defends God's people “in time of anguish as never before since nations first existed until this very day.”

Here is the prayer.

“Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And thou, Prince of the heavenly Hosts by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and the other evil spirits that prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls! Amen.”

It is being invoked after Mass at the Cathedrals of San Sebastian in Bacolod and in Jaro.*

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