FALL OF ANGELS
Michael Archangel casting away bad angles By Edward Matulanya According to Roman Catholic doctrine, God created the angels as purely spiritual beings endowed with intellect and free will. Although they were created good, some angels made a definitive and irrevocable choice to reject God. This primordial event is traditionally called the “fall of the angels” or the angelic rebellion. 1. Nature of the Sin The Catholic Church teaches that the sin of the fallen angels was a radical and irrevocable rejection of God. The Catechism states that the angels’ decision was not due to any flaw in their nature but to the misuse of their freedom. Their sin is generally understood as pride—a refusal to serve and an attempt to be “like God” apart from Him (cf. CCC 392). Catholic tradition often links this to the words in Isaiah 14:12–15 (“I will ascend to heaven… I will make myself like the Most High”), though the Church does not define this passage as a literal historical account. 2. Irrevocabili...