The “Smoke of Satan” Became the “Spirit of Vatican II” and the Battle of Our Age

David J. Barton of The Remnant reports that Pope Paul VI warned in a 1972 sermon that the smoke of Satan had entered the temple of God through a crack or fissure. Barton notes that the Pope, who had previously rejected the papal tiara in 1964, expressed surprise that the faithful were unhappy with the changes brought by the Second Vatican Council.

According to Barton, the Pope lamented during that sermon that the Church was no longer trusted. The report states that many Catholics in the 1960s and 1970s resisted the council's impact on Catholic traditions, specifically the denigration of sacraments and the changing nature of the Mass. Barton claims that modern priests and laity continue to struggle to restore traditional faith amidst these ongoing challenges.