Exorcism in the Catholic Church
The
The Catholic Church revised the Rite of Exorcism in January 1999, though the traditional Rite of Exorcism in Latin is allowed as an option. The ritual assumes that possessed persons retain their free will, though the demon may hold control over their physical body, and involves prayers, blessings, and invocations with the use of the document Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications.
Solemn exorcisms, according to the
The first official guidelines for exorcism were established in 1614,
Pseudodiagnosis
According to the
Characteristics
What the Church views as signs of demonic invasion vary depending on the type of demon and its purpose, including: [9]
- Using languages unknown to the person or people around them.
- Having extraordinary strength or resistance to physical restraint.
- Knowledge of events or people that the person could not have possibly known.
- An aversion to holy objects or places, such as holy water or churches.
- Self-harming and displaying violent or aggressive behaviour.
- Ailments or conditions that cannot be diagnosed or treated medically.
- Having hallucinations or hearing voices.
- An abrupt change in behaviour or personality.
- Sudden spiritual dryness.
- Expelling of objects or animals through the mouth.
Process of the exorcism
In the process of an exorcism the person possessed may be restrained so that they do not harm themselves or any person present. The exorcist then prays and commands for the demons to retreat. The Catholic priest recites certain prayers – the
Literature
On this subject, there is the book by journalist Matt Baglio[14] called The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, first edited in 2009 and then in 2010, which inspired the 2011 film The Rite[15][16][17][18] and which mentions Psychiatrist Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who has also written a book on the subject, published in 2020 by HarperCollins, called Demonic Foes, A Psychiatrist Investigates Demonic Possession in the Modern United States.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
An Exorcist Tells His Story (published on March 1, 1999),[27] An Exorcist: More Stories (published on February 1, 2002),[28] An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels (published on October 20, 2016),[29] Father Amorth: My Battle Against Satan (published on November 15, 2018)[30] and The Devil is Afraid of Me: The Life and Work of the World's Most Popular Exorcist (published on January 19, 2020)[31] were some of the books written by Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican from 1986 until his death in 2016 (aged 91) which describes his experiences as an exorcist, which inspired the 2023 film The Pope's Exorcist.
By country
Germany
Following the 1976 death of Anneliese Michel as a result of exorcism, for which two priests were convicted of negligent homicide,[32] German bishops banned exorcism.[33]
Poland
In 2008, the Catholic Church approved plans to establish an exorcism centre in
Piotr Glas is a Polish exorcist. As of December 2017[update], according to a Polish Church official from Płock, Glas was disqualified from exorcism and from using techniques that are forbidden under the Church's rules of exorcism.[34] Other Polish Church officials stated in 2017 that their informal opinion was that Glas was "not an exorcist" as he was affiliated with the Diocese of Portsmouth, not with a Polish diocese.[35]
Notable examples
- A book written by Father Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican from 1986 until he died in 2016 (aged 91), describes his experiences as an exorcist. The film The Pope's Exorcist was inspired by Amorth's works.[36]
- 1928 — Emma Schmidt (pseudonym Anna Ecklund) underwent a 14-day exorcism in Earling, Iowa, performed by a Catholic priest. This is the most well-documented case of alleged demonic possession in history and a minor inspiration for The Exorcist. The priest who led this exorcism was Fr. Theophilus Riesinger.
- 1949 — Roland Doe was allegedly possessed and underwent an exorcism. The events later inspired the novel and film The Exorcist.
- 1975–1976 — Anneliese Michel was a woman from Germany who underwent 67 exorcisms, which inspired the films The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Requiem. In a conference several years later, German bishops retracted the claim that she had been possessed.[32]
Films about Catholic exorcists
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Devils | July 16, 1971 | Ken Russell | Ken Russell | John Whiting and Aldous Huxley | Robert H. Solo and Ken Russell |
The Exorcist | December 26, 1973 | William Friedkin | William Peter Blatty | William Peter Blatty | William Peter Blatty |
Exorcist II: The Heretic | June 17, 1977 | John Boorman | William Goodhart | William Peter Blatty | John Boorman and Richard Lederer |
Amityville II: The Possession | September 24, 1982 | Damiano Damiani | Tommy Lee Wallace and Dardano Sacchetti | Hans Holzer | Ira N. Smith, Stephen R. Greenwald, and José López Rodero |
The Exorcist III | August 17, 1990 | William Peter Blatty | William Peter Blatty | William Peter Blatty | Carter DeHaven and James G. Robinson
|
Repossessed | September 14, 1990 | Bob Logan | Bob Logan | Bob Logan | Steve Wizan and Mario Kassar |
Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes | May 12, 1999 | Sandor Stern | Sandor Stern | John G. Jones | Steve White |
Possessed | October 22, 2000 | Steven E. de Souza | Michael Lazarou and Steven E. de Souza | Thomas B. Allen | Barbara Title |
Exorcist: The Beginning | August 20, 2004 | Renny Harlin | Alexi Hawley | William Wisher and Caleb Carr
|
James G. Robinson |
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist | May 20, 2005 | Paul Schrader | William Wisher Jr. and Caleb Carr | James G. Robinson | |
The Exorcism of Emily Rose | September 9, 2005 | Scott Derrickson | Scott Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman | Scott Derrickson and Paul Harris Boardman | Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Paul Harris Boardman, Tripp Vinson, and Beau Flynn |
The Rite | January 28, 2011 | Mikael Håfström | Michael Petroni | Matt Baglio | Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson |
Deliver Us / Libera Nos | September 7, 2016 | Federica Di Giacomo | Federica Di Giacomo | ||
Amityville Exorcism | January 3, 2017 | Mark Polonia
|
Billy D'Amato | Mark Polonia | |
The Devil and Father Amorth | April 20, 2018 | William Friedkin | William Friedkin and Mark Kermode | Mickey Liddell , Pete Shilaimon, and Francesco Zippel
| |
Prey for the Devil | October 28, 2022 | Daniel Stamm | Robert Zappia | Robert Zappia, Earl Richey Jones, and Todd R. Jones | Paul Brooks, Earl Richey Jones, Todd R. Jones, and Jessica Malanaphy |
The Pope's Exorcist | April 6, 2023 | Julius Avery | Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos | R. Dean McCreary, Chester Hastings, Father Gabriele Amorth
|
Doug Belgrad, Michael Patrick Kaczmarek, and Jeff Katz |
The Exorcist: Believer | October 13, 2023 | David Gordon Green | David Gordon Green and Peter Sattler | Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and David Gordon Green | Jason Blum, David Robinson, and James G. Robinson |
See also
- Aspergillum
- Saint Michael's Prayer against Satan and the Rebellious Angels
- Minor exorcism in the Catholic Church
- Exorcism in Christianity
- International Association of Exorcists
References
- ^ p.43 An Exorcist Tells His Story by Fr. Gabriele Amorth; Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1999.
- ^ a b Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1673
- ISBN 0-06-065337-X
- ^ "THE ROMAN RITUAL Translated by PHILIP T. WELLER, S.T.D." Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ Radford, Benjamin (7 March 2013). "Exorcism: Facts and Fiction About Demonic Possession". LiveScience. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Cuneo, Michael W. (Jan 1999). "Exorcism". Contemporary American Religion. 1 (New York: Macmillan Reference USA): 243.
- ^ Goodstein, Laurie (Nov 13, 2010). "For Catholics, Interest in Exorcism is Revised". New York Times.
- ISBN 978-0-9831171-6-2.
- ISBN 978-0-86012-327-9.
- ^ The Rite, by Matt Baglio; Doubleday, New York, 2009.
- ^ Vyse, Stuart (2019). "The New Wave of Exorcism". Skeptical Inquirer. Vol. 43, no. 5. Center for Inquiry. pp. 22–24.
- ^ "Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation Course". Sacerdos Institute. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ Steiger, Brad (2003). "Demonic Invasions". The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained. 1: 179.
- ^ "Matt Baglio". www.mattbaglio.com. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ "CS#125: Matt Baglio the Rite | Catholic Spotlight". Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
- ^ "Interview with an exorcist". Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-11-29.
- ^ "The Rite (2011)". Chasing the Frog. 2009-03-16. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Demonic possession is real and victims seeking exorcism should not be ignored': Prominent psychiatrist on the world beyond". yahoo.com. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Psychiatrist: Demonic possession is real". Churchmilitant.com. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Psychiatrist says demonic possession is real, recalls encounter with cult priestess". Christiantoday.com. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Dr. Richard Gallagher, Demonic Possession Expert, Isn't Trying to Convince You". Esquire.com. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ "When exorcists need help, they call him". edition.cnn.com. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ "As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
- ^ "A Case of Demonic Possession". newoxfordreview.org. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ^ "Among the Many Counterfeits, a Case of Demonic Possession". sott.net. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ISBN 978-1-68149-669-6.
- ISBN 978-1-68149-670-2.
- ISBN 978-1-62282-345-1.
- ISBN 978-1-62282-609-4.
- ISBN 978-1-62282-625-4.
- ^ a b c "Planned Polish Exorcism Center Sparks Interest in Germany". DW. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ Wikidata Q117207250. Archived from the originalon 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Komunikat ws. byłego egzorcysty ks. Piotra Glasa". DEON.pl (in Polish). 2017-12-12. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ "Czy ks. Piotr Glas jest egzorcystą? Wyjaśniamy zamieszanie i komunikat Episkopatu". Aleteia Polska (in Polish). 13 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Hagler, Carolyn (21 April 2023). "Who Was the Real Pope's Exorcist?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
Further reading
- Baglio, Matt (2009). The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist. ISBN 9780800792329.
- Martin, Malachi (1976). Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Living Americans.
- Nicola, John J. (1974). Diabolical Possession and Exorcism.
- Richardson, James T.; Best, Joel; Bromley, David G., eds. (1991). The Satanism Scare.
External links
- Frequently Asked Questions About Exorcism—U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- The Catholic Prayer of Exorcism in Latin .Prof Wladimir Di Giorgio.
- What is an exorcism?