Cardinal Simoni took advantage of the pontifical Mass celebrated on October 25, 2025, by Cardinal Raymond Burke, to forcefully proclaim Pope Leo XIII's prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, introduced in 1886 into the Leonine Prayers. It is an exorcism against evil angels.
Cardinal Ernest Simoni Troshani is an emblematic figure of Christian resistance to communism. Born in 1928 in Albania, the high-ranking prelate experienced persecution from his youth. Ordained a priest clandestinely, he was arrested on Christmas Eve 1963 for celebrating a Mass deemed "illegal" by the regime.
Sentenced to death before his sentence was commuted to twenty-five years of hard labor, he endured torture, forced labor in mines and sewers, and constant surveillance by the authorities. Despite everything, he continued to celebrate the Mass by memory and hear the confessions of his fellow prisoners.
Released in 1981, he continued to be considered an "enemy of the people" and was forced to work in the sewers of Shkodër. It was only after the fall of the communist regime in 1990 that he was able to freely exercise his ministry.
The Prayer of Leo XIII
This prayer, which asks St. Michael to defend us “against the malice and snares of the devil,” was introduced into the prayers to be recited after Low Mass by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. It should not be confused with the exorcism “against Satan and the apostate angels,” published by order of the same pope in 1890, which incorporates elements of the prayer but is much longer.
The Albanian Cardinal Ernest Simoni, who suffered so much for the Mass, recited the words of Pope Leo XIII’s prayer, reminding everyone that the spiritual struggle against evil remains at the heart of the Catholic faith, that it is recited at the end of Mass, and that it can continue to be recited privately.
Cardinal Simoni solemnly proclaimed: “Let us implore the God of peace to crush Satan under our feet, so that he may no longer hold humanity captive or harm the Church… We drive out from you every unclean spirit, every satanic power, every attack of the infernal enemy… in the name and by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This outpouring of faith from Cardinal Simoni serves as a timely reminder that the struggle against Satan is not a thing of the past, but rather a battle that spans centuries and continues today within the Church itself. At a time when even Catholics no longer believe in the devil, the elderly Albanian exorcist has reminded us of what is essential.
Prayer of Leo XIII: “St. 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 do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the wicked spirits, who roam through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”