ROME (AFP) – Angels exist but do not have
wings and are more like shards of light, at least
according to a top Catholic Church
“angelologist” who says the heavenly beings
are now back in vogue thanks to New Age
religions.
“I think there is a re-discovery of angels in
Christianity,” Father Renzo Lavatori told AFP
on the sidelines of a conference on angels in a
lavishly-frescoed Renaissance palace in Rome.
“You do not see angels so much as feel their
presence,” said Lavatori, adding: “They are a bit
like sunlight that refracts on you through a
crystal vase.”
The senior clergyman was taking part in a
debate this week on angelic art by the
Fondazione Archivio Storico, an Italian art
foundation, and was held in the Vatican-owned
Palazzo della Cancelleria.
Professor Valerio Massimo Manfredi, an art
historian taking part in the conference, said the
first mention of the word “angelos” came from
the Mycenaean civilization in Greece more
than 3,000 years ago.
The word means “messenger” in ancient Greek.
Monsignor Giovanni Tonucci, head of the
Loreto Marian sanctuary, said that angels were
“pure souls” whose lack of a defined form had
allowed artists through the ages to let their
creative imagination run wild.
“Following the cultural history of angels is
following the history of humanity, or at least of
our civilization,” the organisers said.
“Angels have helped drive religious and
philosophical thought and have given birth to
sublime forms of poetic and artistic
expression,” they said.
Lavatori said the popularised image of angels is
a necessary result of their being “back in
fashion” but is dismissive of all the angel art
around Christmas.
“There is space for that, but you have to
understand that these are not real
representations. Angels do not have wings or
look like cherubs,” he said.
The widely-published Catholic clergyman is
also a “demonologist” and says angels are more
needed than ever because increasing
secularisation and materialism in society have
left an “open door” for the devil.
“There is a lot more interference from
diabolical forces. That is why you see queues of
people outside the exorcists’ offices in
churches,” he said.
“Pope Francis talks more about the devil than
about angels and I think rightly so. But it’s still
early, he will get round to the angels too.”

www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/angels-wings-says-catholic-angelologist/