John Paul II on Exorcisms
Role of the Diocesan Exorcist Often Overlooked
VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 1998
- "A typical activity for Jesus was in fact that of the exorcist," which he developed throughout his life with the power of the Holy Spirit. Pope John Paul II made these reflections during the General Audience in St. Peter's Square to an estimated 25,000 faithful. Present in the crowd were a large group of pilgrims from the Dominican Republic, led by Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, a group from the Charismatic Renewal, some 5,000 Polish faithful, and several thousand members of the "Regnum Christi" movement, who filled the square with cheers in Spanish and English.
The Pope's message cast light on a very important, but often neglected ministry: that of the exorcist. This is not the macabre role seen in the movies, but, as the Pope explained, an putting into action of the power of the Holy Spirit to defeat the power of the Devil.
Fr. Gabriele Amorth, exorcist for the diocese of Rome, announced several months ago that the role of the exorcist was in crisis. "The reduction of numbers of exorcists is leading many people to seek out 'wizards,' Satanic sects, and unscrupulous phonies who simply use others experiencing truly traumatic experiences for their own gain."
Fr. Amorth pointed out how this phenomenon may indicate that Christians have stopped believing in the "Prince of this world." The exorcist affirmed that "in the academic preparation of priests, demons have already gone out of existence," since "for decades this part of dogmatic theology hasn't been studied in the seminaries and ecclesial universities." Modern theologians have tried to make the exorcisms in the Bible into mere "cultural language" to symbolize the struggle against evil, using the language of the day.
The Pope's speech comes almost as a response to these statements. He confirmed the Church's tradition on the matter of exorcism, saying, "The three synoptic Gospels stress how, just after His baptism, Jesus was 'taken' by the Holy Spirit to the desert 'to be tempted by Satan.' " The Pontiff recalled how Jesus' work as exorcist lasted throughout His whole life. "With Jesus," he added, "the Devil lost his power in the presence of the Holy Spirit."
At the end of the audience, the Holy Father led the participants in the prayer of the "Pater Noster" [Our Father] for the people of Africa, especially for the "dangerous tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia." "The African Continent needs reconstruction and not new wars, reconciliation, not more lacerations," the Pope concluded.
ZW980607-2
JOHN PAUL II PERFORMED AN EXORCISM IN THE VATICAN Demonologist Warns: "If We Do Not Help Them, They Will Turn To Sects" VATICAN CITY, JAN 29 (ZENIT).-
In his book, 'My Six Popes', Cardinal Jacques Martin, former prefect of the papal household, revealed that in 1982 Pope John Paul II performed an exorcism on a woman who seemed possessed. In the book, written in the form of a journal, the Cardinal relates that on April 4, 1982, "Bishop Alberti of Spoleto (in central Italy), arrived for an audience with the Pope, with Francesca F, an 'obsessed' woman, who rolled on the floor screaming."
Cardinal Martin continues the narration: "from outside the papal study we could hear the woman's screams. The Pope began to pray, pronouncing the various exorcisms, but in vain. Yet, when he said to the woman, 'tomorrow I shall offer Mass for you,' Francesca immediately became normal." After the experience, John Paul II "remained very affected by the case, which he
described as 'a veritable Biblical scene'." "A year later", Cardinal Martin writes, "the woman, who was perfectly normal, was received in audience with her husband by the Pope and told him she was expecting a baby."
This story comes to light precisely at the time of the publication of the new Catholic ritual for exorcisms. Because of the interest awakened, experts on the subject have been consulted. Father Corrado Balducci, an authority on the matter who defines himself in theology as a demonologist, and who has been much sought after by the media during the last few days, has
commented on the enormous commotion the new ritual has triggered in the Italian press. "Although the old ritual, written in 1614, knew nothing about psychiatry or psychoanalysis, it was incredibly prescient. Above all it recommends prudence in judgement on the part of exorcists, because the cases of possession are not only rare but exceptional, very exceptional ..."
Father Balducci maintains that "the devil is always the same. It is men who are inconsistent: insecure, without faith, without morals, deprived of guidance, and without humility to allow themselves to be led by someone who could do so. So lost are some people that they believe themselves possessed and knock on the exorcist's door, when in reality they would do better to go to the doctor..."
But how can you explain the great demand for exorcists by an ever growing number of people? Father Balducci, who has been studying these phenomena for 40 years, believes that "when you live in a climate of total disillusion, without being rooted in the values of faith, without prayer, you latch on to anything and everything, even to the absurd churches of Satan, which adore
the devil as the god of Evil. Think of the lunacy. In the theological conception of God, there is no place for even a minimal idea of evil. God is absolute Goodness. This does not mean the devil has decreased his activity. On the contrary, he has multiplied temptations. Moreover, as Saint
Augustine said, the more distant we are from God, the more involved we are with the devil."
In this connection, Father Balducci has given some examples. "Let us look at the present and still growing crisis of the prevailing values of civil life: such decadence represents very fertile ground for the devil. The crisis is then followed by pessimism, uneasiness and in this state of fear, which is exacerbated by other causes such as growing violence and the lack of peace, the result is psychic disturbance. When have we ever had such an epidemic of depressions as we witness in our day? In the same way the fear of being victims of demonic disturbances has spread, but it is a big lie."
Regarding the work exorcists do, Father Balducci specified that "today the work of the exorcist is an ecclesial apostolate, a social service which consists in listening to people who think they are the victims of demonic presence. If the Church does not offer them the possibility of going to a priest who is assigned to practice exorcisms, they will turn to sects or wizards."
The Pope's message cast light on a very important, but often neglected ministry: that of the exorcist. This is not the macabre role seen in the movies, but, as the Pope explained, an putting into action of the power of the Holy Spirit to defeat the power of the Devil.
Fr. Gabriele Amorth, exorcist for the diocese of Rome, announced several months ago that the role of the exorcist was in crisis. "The reduction of numbers of exorcists is leading many people to seek out 'wizards,' Satanic sects, and unscrupulous phonies who simply use others experiencing truly traumatic experiences for their own gain."
Fr. Amorth pointed out how this phenomenon may indicate that Christians have stopped believing in the "Prince of this world." The exorcist affirmed that "in the academic preparation of priests, demons have already gone out of existence," since "for decades this part of dogmatic theology hasn't been studied in the seminaries and ecclesial universities." Modern theologians have tried to make the exorcisms in the Bible into mere "cultural language" to symbolize the struggle against evil, using the language of the day.
The Pope's speech comes almost as a response to these statements. He confirmed the Church's tradition on the matter of exorcism, saying, "The three synoptic Gospels stress how, just after His baptism, Jesus was 'taken' by the Holy Spirit to the desert 'to be tempted by Satan.' " The Pontiff recalled how Jesus' work as exorcist lasted throughout His whole life. "With Jesus," he added, "the Devil lost his power in the presence of the Holy Spirit."
At the end of the audience, the Holy Father led the participants in the prayer of the "Pater Noster" [Our Father] for the people of Africa, especially for the "dangerous tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia." "The African Continent needs reconstruction and not new wars, reconciliation, not more lacerations," the Pope concluded.
ZW980607-2
JOHN PAUL II PERFORMED AN EXORCISM IN THE VATICAN Demonologist Warns: "If We Do Not Help Them, They Will Turn To Sects" VATICAN CITY, JAN 29 (ZENIT).-
In his book, 'My Six Popes', Cardinal Jacques Martin, former prefect of the papal household, revealed that in 1982 Pope John Paul II performed an exorcism on a woman who seemed possessed. In the book, written in the form of a journal, the Cardinal relates that on April 4, 1982, "Bishop Alberti of Spoleto (in central Italy), arrived for an audience with the Pope, with Francesca F, an 'obsessed' woman, who rolled on the floor screaming."
Cardinal Martin continues the narration: "from outside the papal study we could hear the woman's screams. The Pope began to pray, pronouncing the various exorcisms, but in vain. Yet, when he said to the woman, 'tomorrow I shall offer Mass for you,' Francesca immediately became normal." After the experience, John Paul II "remained very affected by the case, which he
described as 'a veritable Biblical scene'." "A year later", Cardinal Martin writes, "the woman, who was perfectly normal, was received in audience with her husband by the Pope and told him she was expecting a baby."
This story comes to light precisely at the time of the publication of the new Catholic ritual for exorcisms. Because of the interest awakened, experts on the subject have been consulted. Father Corrado Balducci, an authority on the matter who defines himself in theology as a demonologist, and who has been much sought after by the media during the last few days, has
commented on the enormous commotion the new ritual has triggered in the Italian press. "Although the old ritual, written in 1614, knew nothing about psychiatry or psychoanalysis, it was incredibly prescient. Above all it recommends prudence in judgement on the part of exorcists, because the cases of possession are not only rare but exceptional, very exceptional ..."
Father Balducci maintains that "the devil is always the same. It is men who are inconsistent: insecure, without faith, without morals, deprived of guidance, and without humility to allow themselves to be led by someone who could do so. So lost are some people that they believe themselves possessed and knock on the exorcist's door, when in reality they would do better to go to the doctor..."
But how can you explain the great demand for exorcists by an ever growing number of people? Father Balducci, who has been studying these phenomena for 40 years, believes that "when you live in a climate of total disillusion, without being rooted in the values of faith, without prayer, you latch on to anything and everything, even to the absurd churches of Satan, which adore
the devil as the god of Evil. Think of the lunacy. In the theological conception of God, there is no place for even a minimal idea of evil. God is absolute Goodness. This does not mean the devil has decreased his activity. On the contrary, he has multiplied temptations. Moreover, as Saint
Augustine said, the more distant we are from God, the more involved we are with the devil."
In this connection, Father Balducci has given some examples. "Let us look at the present and still growing crisis of the prevailing values of civil life: such decadence represents very fertile ground for the devil. The crisis is then followed by pessimism, uneasiness and in this state of fear, which is exacerbated by other causes such as growing violence and the lack of peace, the result is psychic disturbance. When have we ever had such an epidemic of depressions as we witness in our day? In the same way the fear of being victims of demonic disturbances has spread, but it is a big lie."
Regarding the work exorcists do, Father Balducci specified that "today the work of the exorcist is an ecclesial apostolate, a social service which consists in listening to people who think they are the victims of demonic presence. If the Church does not offer them the possibility of going to a priest who is assigned to practice exorcisms, they will turn to sects or wizards."
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