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VATICAN CITY, June 2, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The devil is trying to “destroy” the family because that is where children are born and learn to love, said Pope Francis this weekend.

On two successive days, Pope Francis focused his remarks on the family and its importance in the Church and the world today.

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Speaking to a large gathering of charismatic Catholics in the Rome Olympic Stadium on Sunday, Pope Francis spoke of how the devil “attacks the family so much. The demon does not love it and seeks to destroy it.”

Illinois Bishop Thomas Paprocki sees clearly the demonic attack on the family today. The Bishop of Springfield held a rare public exorcism service at his Cathedral on the day Governor Pat Quinn signed Illinois’s same-sex ‘marriage’ bill into law. Commenting to LifeSiteNews on the Pope’s remarks, Bishop Paprocki said, “The remarks of Pope Francis about the devil’s attacks on the family are a helpful reminder not only that the devil is real, but also that we need to be vigilant in defending marriage from these persistent attacks that try to destroy family life as the place where children can grow in God’s loving presence through the love of their mother and father.”

The pope explained that the devil seeks to destroy the family because “families are the domestic Church, where Christ grows up – grows up in the love of the spouses, grows up in the life of the children.”

He prayed, “May the Lord bless the family. May He make it strong in this crisis, in which the devil wishes to destroy it.”

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“Amen! The battle for marriage and the family is not fundamentally about the next court decision the next vote or who has the most money,” said Human Life International President Fr. Shenan Boquet remarking on the Pope’s speech. “It is fundamentally a spiritual battle for lives and souls.”

Speaking to the bishops of Zimbabwe this morning, Pope Francis also stressed the importance of the family. “Show particular concern for the preparation and clear guidance of young Catholics desiring Christian marriage,” the Holy Father said, “opening up to them the richness of the Church’s moral teachings on life and love, thus enabling them to find true happiness in freedom as mothers and fathers.”

“The illusion that marriage and family life can be defined outside of God is the Evil One's greatest ploy,” Fr. Boquet told LifeSiteNews. “We hope the Holy Father's message will inspire pastors charged with the care of souls to preach the fullness of the Gospel and lead their people to genuine truth about the person, married life and the family.”