An Exorcist Tells His Story

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The author states how important is to submit to the authority of the Church, yet admits to performing thousands of unauthorized exorcisms. Obviously as seen above most of those were completely unnecessary. And he performed them in spite of disobeying the Church and his own admission that people with mental health issues might suffer from the wrong belief they are possessed reinforced by needlessly receiving an exorcism. Great job, father. Amorth, however, believed the need for exorcising demons was so great he advocated all Catholic clergy should be permitted to perform major exorcisms without acquiring permission. Gabriele Amorth S.S.P. ( Italian: [ɡabriˈɛːle ˈaːmort]; 1 May 1925– 16 September 2016) was an Italian Catholic priest of the Paulines and an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome. [1] Amorth, along with five other priests, founded the International Association of Exorcists. [2] His work in demonology and exorcism gained him international recognition. Over the course of his career, Father Amorth claimed to have performed tens of thousands of exorcisms and became one of the most prominent and controversial figures in the Catholic Church in the modern era. [3] Life and work [ edit ] Amorth, Gabriele (2016). An exorcist explains the demonic: the antics of Satan and his army of fallen angels. Stefano Stimamiglio, Charlotte J. Fasi. Manchester, New Hampshire. ISBN 978-1-62282-345-1. OCLC 945745738. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)

On the one hand, Amorth is obviously a very intense, passionate and dedicated man. Exorcism that takes years, if not decades, to complete must stretch anyone. To have completed tens of thousands in his tenure as a Master Exorcist shows an immense focus. I can see he feels that many in the Church have lost their way and no longer recognise the full extent and powers given to them by right of their priesthood and faith. Now, Russell Crowe’s new supernatural horror film The Pope’s Exorcist fictionalises Amorth’s exorcism ministry, adding in a centuries-old Vatican cover up for good measure. At a conference in 2011, he denounced yoga as “the devil’s work” because it leads people to Hinduism and other religions based on what he saw as the false idea of reincarnation. He also said the devil is in the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling, because its plot centered around magic. Books and Documentary Exorcist". The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V. New Advent - Catholic Encyclopedia. January 1909 . Retrieved 2007-03-03. Amorth, Gabriele (2006). Exorcisté a psychiatři. Kostelní Vydří: Karmelitánské nakladatelství. ISBN 80-7192-981-6. OCLC 85548700.The purpose of the book, however, is to keep the problem of the devil in the discussion. Too many times there are people, including priests and bishops, who deny the actual existence of the devil. If people deny his existence, it is easier for him to do his work, because no one protects against him. This is consistent (as Fr. Amorth himself explains) with the vision granted to Pope Leo XIII. Only a few of the details are set forth in this book, and Fr. Amorth indicates how they were related to him. The vision actually took place on October 13, 1884, when the Pope had a vision of God speaking with Satan. The devil claimed he could destroy the church if given 75 to 100 years, and greater power over those who would surrender to the devil. God said that He would grant the devil such time and power. This vision, naturally parallels the book of Job, with the Church being in the place of Job. Friedkin, William (December 2016). "The Devil and Father Amorth: Witnessing "the Vatican Exorcist" at Work". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast . Retrieved 2 November 2016.

These rituals encompass readings of the Psalms and Gospel, reciting of specific “exorcistic prayers”, holy water, a crucifix and the performing of the sign of the cross. Grobar, Matt (August 9, 2022). " The Pope's Exorcist Finds Its Pope In Django 's Franco Nero; Laurel Marsden, Cornell S. John & Peter DeSouza-Feighoney Also Set For Screen Gems Thriller". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 19, 2022.In the meantime, Amorth had co-founded the International Association of Exorcists in 1990 to help inspire and train other priests. Headquartered in Rome, its first international conference took place in 1994 and became a biannual event. The Vatican formally recognized the group in July 2014. The church requires a thorough medical and psychiatric examination before a major exorcism can be implemented. Canon Law, the code of laws governing the church, dictates exorcisms can only be performed with “express permission” from the local ordinary, a church officer who can execute these laws. Should you start to worry about the notion that facts are subjective and wonder if maybe there are alternative explanations for these utterly diverse phenomena - beware! Those who don't believe in the devil only provide proof of his existence. This archetype continues to be enduring. It represents a traditional form of spiritual authority seldom seen in our modern society. If an individual has the power to exorcise demons this can be seen as a validation of their faith, the Devil and God. Also realistic in terms of talking about how demon possession/oppresion can have very few symptoms, and yet at the same time we shouldn't go around saying how everything is demonic, etc.

What I mean by "Exorcism 101" is that Fr. Amorth's book does not place a special emphasis on just a single aspect of exorcism. Rather, it touches on many factors: the nature of Christ, the angels, and the demons; forms and characteristics of diabolic activities; and the basic theories of exorcism---what it is, who can do it, when should it be done, why it should it be done, and how it should be done. The author talks about signs to recognize demonic possession, yet says you cannot be certain until exorcism is attempted and you can't tell for sure even after one of two sessions. Some signs of demonic possession are simply ridiculous. I am in a period of long unemployment, which is apparently a symptom of potential demonic influence in my life. If one of your ex's has suddenly dumped you with no explanation it could have been due to a curse, yo. One of his clients suffered from 'all imaginable misfortunes' such as poor health, problems with his kids and a broken car. And here I thought this would be a serious book, yet I am reminded of a Jerome Jerome novel where the main character read a list of medical illnesses and concluded he suffers from them all. As Christianity took hold across the Roman Empire, exorcism shifted from a form of charismatic lay-healing into a miracle carried out by figures of exceptional spiritual authority. From the 4th century, the liturgy of exorcism was refined as the early church assumed full authority over the ritual. It gave me many insights into the devil—satan—and his minions and the various ways they work to ensnare human beings, hang on to them once they have been trapped, continue to haunt them even after they have been exorcised and all the damage they can do if an exorcism is not done properly.

What’s in an exorcism?

In October 2000, it was reported he had performed over 50,000 exorcisms (which ranged from "a few minutes" to "several hours" in length). [10] In March 2010, he said the number had increased to 70,000. By May 2013, he said he had performed 160,000 exorcisms in the course of his ministry. [11] According to Amorth, each exorcism does not represent a victim of possession, but rather each exorcism is counted as a prayer or ritual alone; some possessed victims required hundreds of exorcisms. [12] [13] But, one the other hand, this book shows the blinkered and quite unsettling narrow-mindedness of the Church and the belief that innocuous behaviors cause an awful corruption of the soul. That Wicca, violent TV or 'punk' can cause satanic possession seems an antiquated and regressive viewpoint of societal norms and personal freedoms. I fear that in Amorth's eyes my interest in Dungeons & Dragons or my son's fascination with console games like Dark Souls would be enough to set the exorcist to prayers of liberation on my behalf.

Amorth wasn’t shy about discussing his experiences and wrote his own books, including 1999’s An Exorcist Tells His Story and 2002’s An Exorcist: More Stories which Sony Pictures says helped inspire the new film. In the early 1990s, Amorth established the International Association of Exorcists, becoming its longtime president. The association received Vatican approval in 2014 and now holds a biannual exorcism conference. a collection of horror stories. If you want such stories, go see The Exorcist or The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Granted, this book presents an assortment of possession stories, but does not go into great gory details. And if present, the stories mainly serve as illustrations for the theological/pastoral descriptions. If you're expecting a freak show, you'll be disappointed;

An enduring archetype

This is a very important book. Every pastoral leader, clergy and lay, should read it. The ministry of exorcism badly needs to be restored and Fr. Amorth's book is a significant contribution in this direction." Amorth, Gabriele (2010). Memorie di un esorcista: la mia vita in lotta contro Satana. Marco Tosatti, Cles, tipografo trentino Mondadori. Milano: Piemme. ISBN 978-88-566-0942-4. OCLC 799745365. And he wasn’t opposed to being on camera, either. You can even watch him performing an exorcism. In 2016, Vanity Fair asked film director Friedkin to travel to Italy to write a story about Amorth. He became the first person to film the priest performing an exorcism and used the footage he gathered to make the 2017 documentary The Devil and Father Amorth. Allegri, Renzo (10 August 2003). "The Exorcist". A Messenger of St. Anthony. PPFMC . Retrieved 24 September 2018. In this instance Hollywood’s sensationalist depiction of exorcism does at least get the basics right.