Vatican City, May 2, 2018 / 03:45 am
It is not possible to have a relationship with God if we are attached to sin and the devil, Pope Francis said Wednesday, encouraging Christians to cut those harmful ties and re-proclaim their faith in Christ and his Church.
"To the extent that I say 'no' to the suggestions of the devil – he who divides – I am able to say 'yes' to God, who calls me to conform to Him in thoughts and deeds," the pope said May 2.
A person cannot put conditions on how they follow Christ, he said, explaining that "it is necessary to detach oneself from certain bonds in order to be able to really embrace others; either you're good with God or you're good with the devil."
Continuing his catechesis on the sacrament of Baptism, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of the act of renunciation during the baptismal rite – when the candidate for Baptism, or the parents in the case of a child, proclaims his or her rejection of Satan and affirms belief in Christ and the Church.