News.RttP{Exorcists in U.S. and Europe Holding Conferences to Discuss Surge in Demonic Activity}

Exorcists in U.S. and Europe Holding Conferences to Discuss Surge in Demonic Activity

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In countries around the world, exorcists are gathering to discuss the sudden surge in demand for their services. They are also planning to discuss the lack of formally trained exorcists, as well as common misconceptions of what an exorcist really does.

Regarding misconceptions, many people are unaware that:

* The office of an exorcist belongs to the local Bishop; a priest only act as an exorcist at the request of the Bishop.
* Catholic exorcists seek to work with a medical doctor or psychologist as much as possible. (Some exorcists actually seek out medical professionals who claim to be atheists, because they will act with far greater scrutiny.)
* The Rite of Exorcism is a Sacramental, not a Sacrament. Thus, Confession and the Blessed Sacrament are actually more powerful.

Father Gabriele Amorth makes that last point often when speaking with priests who are afraid that performing exorcism will anger the demons, resulting in problems for the priest. Confession actually angers the demons far more than an exorcism, because it cleanses and saves the soul — while the Rite of Exorcism is, in Father Amorth’s view, largely “diagnostic.”

In other words, if after numerous Saturdays of hearing confessions with nothing “bad” befalling the priest, there should obviously be nothing to fear from performing an exorcism.

Every job has its risks, of course; but Father Amorth makes an excellent point.

While there had been a decline in the numbers of exorcists worldwide, this is changing today. Since 1999 the number of Polish exorcists has surged from 30 to over a 100, for example. This is despite the fact that the Catholic Church has been concerned over an increasingly secular Poland.

Bishops today are recognizing the importance of the office of the exorcist. In addition to that, there has been a huge spike in demand of an exorcist’s services.

RELATED: Panic as Mass Possession Grips School.

In many countries, Bishops are scrambling to appoint priests to this important position, and to have them properly trained.

Some exorcists in Poland attribute the increase in their numbers to growing skepticism in psychology in the wider Polish population, and people looking for spiritual reasons for mental disorders. The Telegraph points out: “In recognition of modern science, however, exorcists now work in tandem with psychologists in order to distinguish between psychiatric problems and the work of the devil.”

The national congress in Warsaw comes as part of a policy by Poland’s Catholic Church to lift the veil on what was is far too often seen as a secretive practice. Frustrated by the Hollywood image of cross-wielding exorcists engaged in dramatic conflicts with demons the Church intends to show the often-mundane world of exorcism.

There are huge exceptions, of course; but Polish exorcist Father Andrzej Grefkowicz says that most of the time exorcism requires quiet prayer.

Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki, of Springfield, Ill., also emphasizes that the Rite rarely is as dramatic as portrayed in movies and popular media. “Other actions,” he says, “especially reception of the sacraments, can drive out the devil as well.”

Meanwhile in response to a growing interest in the rite of exorcism and a shortage of trained exorcists in America, North American bishops are sponsoring a two-day conference in Baltimore — Nov. 12-13. It’s being billed as a “Conference on the Liturgical and Pastoral Practice of Exorcism,” and has 56 bishops and 66 priests committed to attending.

Bishop Paprocki, who is chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, told Catholic News Service he knows of perhaps five or six exorcists in the United States. They are overwhelmed with requests to perform the rite, he said.

“There’s this small group of priests who say they get requests from all over the continental U.S.,” Bishop Paprocki said.

“Actually, each diocese should have its own resource (person). It shouldn’t be that this burden should be placed on a priest when his responsibility is for his own diocese,” he said.

The conference will encompass the spiritual, the theological and the practical. Speakers include Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Houston-Galveston, who will discuss the scriptural basis of evil. Father Dennis McManus, an assistant to New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, and Father Jeffrey Grob, pastor of St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park, Ill., also will lead sessions.

Father Grob told CNS he will review diocesan protocol in the appointment of an exorcist as well as what canon law says about the rite. He also will offer recommendations on how to evaluate an individual to determine if an exorcism is necessary.

This is also a goal of the Polish conference. While some cases of Satanic work are difficult to diagnose, others do manifest themselves in shocking circumstances, explained exorcist Father Andrzej Grefkowicz.

He offered some examples: “An indication of possession is that a person is unable to go into a church, or, if they do, they can feel faint or breathless. Sometimes if they enter a church they are screaming, shouting and throwing themselves on the ground.”

Catholic dioceses everywhere are seeking to restore the office of the exorcist to a position of regularity within each diocese, and to reaffirm the reality of spiritual warfare. “The work of the devil is much more regular and our response to that should be rather regular,” Bishop Paprocki said.