This September 29, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Archangels, and Spanish exorcist Francisco Torres has issued a clear warning: assigning names to angels is a dangerous practice, born from esotericism and the New Age, which can lead to invoking evil spirits instead of God’s messengers.
The priest, from the Diocese of Plasencia and an expert in liturgy, explained in an interview with EWTN News that outside of St. Michael, St. Raphael, and St. Gabriel, no other angel names have been revealed by God. “The New Age has taken popular traditions and apocryphal books, and under the guise of devotion has multiplied names of supposed angels that are actually demons,” he assured.
True and False Angels
Fr. Torres recalled that angels are spiritual creatures at the service of God, as taught by the Catechism of the Catholic Church (nn. 328-330), but emphasized that not everything presented as “angelic” comes from Heaven. “Naming or invoking invented angels, which appear in tarot or self-help manuals, does not attract divine protection, but exposes us to the deception of evil spirits,” he warned.
For this reason, he asked Catholics to stay away from superstitions like the “angel caller” and return to authentic devotion to the three archangels that the Church celebrates today: Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel.
The Mission of the Three Archangels
- St. Michael, “Who is like God?”, leader of the heavenly armies and defender against Satan.
- St. Raphael, “medicine of God”, protector of travelers and comforter of the sick.
- St. Gabriel, “strength of God”, messenger of the Incarnation by announcing to the Virgin Mary that she would be the Mother of the Savior.
St. Gregory the Great taught that God revealed their names so that the faithful could turn to them in specific moments of need, aware of the mission entrusted to each one.
Authentic Devotion versus Superstition
The Spanish exorcist encouraged the faithful to cultivate a solid and sincere devotion: invoke St. Michael in the fight against evil, turn to St. Raphael as a guide and healer, and honor St. Gabriel, bearer of the Good News. “We do not need to invent new angels —he concluded—, because God has already made known to us those who are truly on our side”.