When it comes to searching for information about archangels on the internet, it is extremely common to come across the names of Uriel and Raguel.
In fact, it is relatively easy to find various prayers to Uriel as well as a whole history of his angelic mission.
However, the Catholic Church is firm in its stance that Catholics are not allowed to pray to Uriel or Raguel.
Are Uriel or Raguel in the Bible?
In the book of Tobit, when Raphael reveals his identity, the archangel says, “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand and serve before the Glory of the Lord” (Tobit 12:15).
This has led many to believe that there exists seven archangels. This number also appears in the Book of Enoch, an ancient Jewish writing that is not accepted as canonical in either in the Hebrew Scriptures or the Catholic Bible.
Enoch lists seven archangels: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Phanuel, and Sariel. The name Uriel also appears in 2 Esdras, another Jewish text that is not included in the official canon of scripture, but is accepted by some Orthodox Churches. Uriel is sometimes even depicted in icons or the stained glass windows of Christian churches.
Since some Christian denominations accept these names as “official,” many Catholics have developed devotions to these extra-biblical archangels. The Catholic Church has been very clear that this is spiritually dangerous.
In the Directory on popular piety, the Church states, “The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael, whose names are contained in Holy Scripture.”
Any other name we find online is suspect because it is not part of divine revelation. We do not know if the name Uriel is inspired by God, a human invention, or the name of a malevolent spirit.
Uriel in particular is often used in New Age practices or even in the occult.
While we might think that we are praying to a friendly archangel, we may in fact be praying to a demonic spirit.
Whatever you do, stick to Sts. Michael, Raphael and Gabriel and don’t pray to every archangel name you find online.
And today we celebrate...