Church in phone exorcisms as demand rises

Increased workload means Devil-vanquishing priests sometimes deliver prayers of liberation remotely

DEMAND for exorcisms is booming as a result of a decline in Christian faith and the internet providing easy access to black magic, the occult and Satanism, a Vatican conference was told.

So many people are now asking to be liberated from the Devil’s malign clutches that some priests have taken to saying prayers of liberation – a first step to exorcism – over the phone, the conference for exorcist priests heard.

“There are priests who carry out exorcisms on their mobile phones. That’s possible thanks to Jesus,” said Cardinal Ernest Simoni, an Albanian who was once tortured and imprisoned by Communist authorities, but continued to perform frequent exorcisms.

His comments took some experts by surprise, with priests pointing out that conducting an exorcism remotely would not be wise because people who are possessed often writhe around violently and have to be restrained to stop them harming themselves.

“Priests pray with people on the phone to calm them down, but if you are not there you cannot control the physical aspects,” said Prof Giuseppe Ferrari, one of the event organisers.

More than 250 priests, theologians, psychologists and criminologists from 51 countries gathered at a Catholic university in Rome yesterday for the start of the week-long conference, the only one of its kind in the world. The concept of demonic possession may be regarded by agnostics and atheists with scepticism, even derision, but it is a subject of the utmost seriousness for the Catholic Church.

This is the 13th time the annual conference has been held at the Regina Apostolorum pontifical university – the first was in 2004 – and the number of participants grows every year.

A belief in black magic and Satan – or “the Prince of Evil” as one priest called him – is on the increase and with that, the need for exorcisms, delegates said.

In Italy, it is claimed that over the past decade the number of people asking for exorcisms has tripled to half a million. The country now boasts around 300 exorcist priests, with hundreds more in other parts of the world.

The Vatican insists that every Catholic diocese in the world must have a priest trained as an exorcist.

“Demand is growing, absolutely,” said Father Anthony Barratt, a British priest who is based in Albany, New York State. “I think it is partly due to the internet, which makes it (Satanism) so accessible. Films and television programmes are also a factor,” he added.

Priests at the conference claimed that, as depicted by Hollywood, victims really do vomit nails and shards of glass during exorcisms. They can also develop supernatural strength, their voices change to a gravelly growl and they are able to speak languages they have never studied.

“Most commonly they speak Latin, Hebrew and Aramaic,” said Father Pedro Barrajon, a Spanish priest.

Opening the conference, Father Jose Enrique Oyarzun said: “Digital technology is invigorating him [the Devil] and leading people astray.”