Don Samuel reveals why the devil is not a monster but an angel who decided to act against God.
1. Radio In Fiore presents Episode 20 of 'Storie da Brividi,' a discussion program on horror and the supernatural, with guest Don Samuel, a Catholic priest who was formerly a parish priest in Frassinello Monferrato.
2. The panel consists of hosts Marco and Enea, co-director Cele, and Don Samuel as guest; the episode opens with Iron Maiden's 'The Number of the Beast' as a thematic introduction.
3. The episode's core thesis, advanced by Don Samuel, is that the devil is best understood not through dramatic manifestations but through the systematic dissolution of relationships and the cultivation of individualism.
4. Don Samuel traces the etymology of 'Lucifer' to the Latin name for Venus as the morning star, which ancient observers saw as arrogantly refusing to yield to the sun—an image of pride applied to the angel who refused to serve God.
5. 'Satan,' he explains, is a Hebrew term meaning 'accuser,' describing a prosecutorial function: cataloguing human failures before God's judgment to induce despair.
6. 'Diablo,' from Greek, means 'divider': the entity whose core purpose is to interrupt the relationship between God and humanity, which Don Samuel identifies as the devil's defining goal.
7. In Eastern cultures, Don Samuel notes, what became 'demons' were originally the dark face of nature in a holistic cosmology—competitors on the evolutionary scale of humanity—rather than purely evil beings.
8. Greek daimons, he explains, were bridges between the divine and the human, sources of artistic inspiration and charisma, that became dangerous when they 'literally possessed' a person and removed their freedom—the origin of the phrase 'between genius and madness there is a thin line.'
9. Applying this to 2026, Don Samuel argues the devil no longer needs dramatic interventions: modern individualism, the selfie replacing the gaze of a person who loves you, and the isolation of broken or poisoned relationships are the current 'maintenance work.'
10. He cites the theological maxim that 'the devil's greatest masterpiece is to make people believe he does not exist' and describes contemporary society as a world that functions perfectly on the surface while eliminating charity, brotherhood, and care for the next person.
11. Don Samuel draws on visits to the Holy Land and contact with Patriarch Pizzaballa to argue that the devil is not present in war zones, where he has witnessed 'angelic experiences,' but in conference rooms where powerful men impose their will while calling it peace.
12. He invokes Al Pacino's portrayal in 'The Devil's Advocate' and De Niro's in 'Angel Heart' as the two finest cinematic depictions of the devil, and specifically cites Pacino's line identifying vanity as 'my favorite sin.'
13. The group conducts an extended theological analysis of 'The Exorcist,' with Don Samuel arguing the film is theologically accurate: the real target is Father Carras's faith, not the possessed child Regan, because the devil attacks where faith is strongest.
14. Don Samuel describes exorcism as resembling boxing more than chess: not a game of skill but a contest of endurance, citing Father Carras's background as a former boxer as deliberate authorial symbolism.
15. The Catholic Church's formal exorcism protocol, he explains, requires episcopal authorization, psychiatric and medical clearance to rule out known pathologies, and a team-based discernment process distinguishing obsession (external phenomena without loss of self-control) from possession (body and mind appearing to obey another will).
16. Don Samuel notes that every Catholic receives a minor exorcism at baptism through the oil of the catechumens, which he traces to the practice of gladiators oiling their bodies to slip from an opponent's grip.
17. The group also discusses Graham Greene's novel 'The Power and the Glory,' set in anti-clerical 1930s Mexico, as an example of a spiritually authentic story about a flawed priest who continues administering sacraments under persecution.
18. The tone is intellectually curious and conversational, with frequent film references and humor, punctuated by heavy metal music including Iron Maiden, Stryper, and Black Sabbath's 'Heaven and Hell' with Ronnie James Dio.
19. Listeners interested in Catholic theology, demonology, horror film analysis, or comparative religion in an accessible format will find this episode substantive.
20. Listeners who prefer secular, empirical, or non-religious perspectives on evil and horror, or who dislike frequent music interruptions, may find the format and framing uncongenial.
