catholic priests complain that there are too many possessed in the world.
Exorcists in Italy are overwhelmed, with some saying they see dozens of disturbing cases every day.
Speaking to scholars at the 16th annual Regina Apostolorum exorcism course in Rome, the exhausted priests said they needed help.
The course attracted 120 participants, who were energized by Pope Francis, a strong supporter of the practice of fighting evil spirits.
Exorcists at the conference, who tried to offer support, said they needed psychologists to help them determine who was really possessed and who needed clinical support.
And some shared their own experience of the increased need for spiritual intervention.
According The temperatureFather Giuseppe Bernardi told researchers he performed a nine-hour exorcism on a woman who shouted profanities in Latin and assaulted monks.
The woman’s father believed she suffered from a ‘psychiatric problem’, while her mother believed she had in fact been taken by a ‘demonic influence’.
And while Fr Bernadi revealed he had sought the help of a psychologist to assess the woman, he said there was no church support to do so.
Conference attendees claimed that there were several ways to determine if a case truly required an exorcism.
According to the participants, unusual physical strength, the ability to speak Latin, Aramaic, or Hebrew, and vomiting were clear signs of demonic possession.
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13 days agoOther exorcists said they also struggled to get help from clergy during the pandemic and were forced to perform exorcisms on people who tested positive for Covid.
And then there’s the amount of exorcisms the priests say they have to do.
One of the researchers, Giuseppe Frau, said: “Some said they were seeing 30 to 50 cases a day.”
According to the study, there were 290 exorcists in Italy, 37 in Spain and 28 in the UK and Ireland.
Researcher Luis Santamaria del Rio said, “Many of the potentially possessed people they see in Spain have spent time with New Age, spiritual or meditation groups.”
Father Pedro Barrajon, a Spanish priest and professor of theology, said the course was essential in giving exorcists the tools they desperately need to combat demonic forces.
He said: “Costa Rica didn’t have a single exorcist and last year they appointed their first. Manila in the Philippines now has a dedicated office and team.
“Before, it was like the Wild West there, but the quality is increasing and we see more cooperation with psychologists. Exorcism always arouses interest because of the films about it, but the truth is that these priests must be trained.”
