By George Mathew
Fr Gabriele Amorth, the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, narrates his many experiences as an exorcist doing battle with satan in his book...
Jesus calls him "the prince of this world". John says that the "whole world is in the power if the evil one". By the word "the world" John means everything that is opposed to God. Satan was the brightest of the angels, but he became the most evil of the devils and their chief.
In his powerful book 'An exorcist tell his story', Fr Gabriele Amorth, the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, narrates his many experiences in his ministry as an exorcist doing battle with satan to relieve the the great sufferings of many people in the grip of evil. Fr Amorth, who was trained by another great exorcist Fr Candido Amantini, explains to the reader what an exorcist sees and does, and his personal confrontation with devil on hundreds of occasions. According to Fr Amorth who was granted the faculty of exorcist by Cardinal Ugo Poletti, the Pope's vicar of the Diocese of Rome, while the pastoral ministry is entirely overlooked in the Catholic world today, it was not so in the past. "In some denominations of the Protestant church, exorcisms are still practiced frequently and fruitfully," he writes.
Fr Amorth writes, "Bishops must realize that this ministry is entirely entrusted to their care; it's only they who can practice or delegate and exorcism. Sadly since most bishops have never performed an exorcism, they are seldom aware of the extent of the need."
The book says the demons remain bound to the same strict hierarchy that was given them when they were angels: principalities, thrones, dominions, and so on (Col 1:16). While the angels, whose chief is Michael, are bound by a hierarchy of love, the demons live under a rule of slavery, it says.
During a May 24, 1987 visit to the sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, John Paul II said, " the battle against the devil which is the principal task of Michael the archangel, is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world. The evil that surrounds us today, the disorders that that plague our society, man's inconsistency and brokenness are not only the results of original sin but also the result of Satan's pervasive and dark action."
What harm can the devil cause to the loving? "He talks of the ordinary and extraordinary activities. There are six different forms for the second category: External physical pain caused by satan, demonic possession, diabolical oppression, diabolic obsession, diabolic infestation and diabolical subjugation or dependence," Fr Amorth writes.
According to the Catechism of Catholic Church, there are two types of exorcism: the sacrament of baptism, which is the only form of simple exorcism, and the sacramental reserved to exorcists, which is called solemn exorcism. (CCC 1673). How long does it take to free somebody from demons? It can range from minutes to several years, he writes narrating several incidents of exorcisms.
"We can see the proliferation, especially among the young, of spiritism, witchcraft and the occult. We can add to this the pursuit of yoga, zen, transcendental meditation; these are all practices based on reincarnation, on dissolving the human person into divinity, or in any case, on other doctrines that are unacceptable to Christians. I must point out that too many churchmen are totally disinterested in these problems (created by satan), and so they leave the faithful defenseless," Fr Amorth says.
HOW DEMON BEHAVES
The book says it is difficult to distinguish between somebody who is possessed and someone with psychological problems. However, an expert exorcist will be able to detect the difference more easily than a psychiatrist. who does not believe in demonic possession.. and does not even consider it in his diagnostic process," he says. The Ritual for exorcism starts by listing 21 norms that must be followed by the exorcist. The two areas most commonly affected by evil influence are the head and the stomach, Fr Amorth says.
According to him, the demons react in various manners to prayers and injunctions. Many times he tries to appear indifferent; in reality he suffers and continues to suffer increasingly until liberation is achieved.
Fr Amorth says, there can be many or few, but there's always a chief, and he is always the first to be named. Generally, the evil one does not and cannot say holy names; he substitutes expressions such as "he" (referring God or Jesus) or "she" (referring to our Lady). Other times, demons say, "your Boss" or "your Lady" to indicate Jesus and Mary. If the possession is very strong and the demon is high ranking, then it is possible for them to say the name of God and Mary always followed by horrible blasphemies, the book says.
"The demon always tries his best to hide his presence. Demons are reluctant to speak, and when they talk, they say silly things to distract the exorcist and escapes his questions. For a demon, to leave a body abd go back to hell - where he is always condemned - means to die forever and to lose any ability to molest people actively," he says.
According to the book, children are very vulnerable, not because of personal fault, but because of their weaknesses. Many times when we exorcise as adult we discover that the demonic presence can be traced to early childhood, or even worse, to the moment of birth or even to their gestation.
Fr Amorth also talks about different types of curses: black magic, curses, evil and eye and spells. "Curses invoke evil, and the origin of all evil is demonic. When curses are spoken with true perfidy, especially if there is a blood relationship between the one casts them and the accused, the outcome can be terrible," he says.
"The scarcity of exorcists clearly denote a lack of interest on the part of episcopate in general. The first step, the fundamental step, is to reawaken the awareness of bishops and priests, according to sound doctrine the Scripture, tradition, and the Magesterium have always transmitted," the book says.
Fr Gabriele Amorth, the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, narrates his many experiences as an exorcist doing battle with satan in his book...
Jesus calls him "the prince of this world". John says that the "whole world is in the power if the evil one". By the word "the world" John means everything that is opposed to God. Satan was the brightest of the angels, but he became the most evil of the devils and their chief.
In his powerful book 'An exorcist tell his story', Fr Gabriele Amorth, the renowned chief exorcist of Rome, narrates his many experiences in his ministry as an exorcist doing battle with satan to relieve the the great sufferings of many people in the grip of evil. Fr Amorth, who was trained by another great exorcist Fr Candido Amantini, explains to the reader what an exorcist sees and does, and his personal confrontation with devil on hundreds of occasions. According to Fr Amorth who was granted the faculty of exorcist by Cardinal Ugo Poletti, the Pope's vicar of the Diocese of Rome, while the pastoral ministry is entirely overlooked in the Catholic world today, it was not so in the past. "In some denominations of the Protestant church, exorcisms are still practiced frequently and fruitfully," he writes.
Fr Amorth writes, "Bishops must realize that this ministry is entirely entrusted to their care; it's only they who can practice or delegate and exorcism. Sadly since most bishops have never performed an exorcism, they are seldom aware of the extent of the need."
The book says the demons remain bound to the same strict hierarchy that was given them when they were angels: principalities, thrones, dominions, and so on (Col 1:16). While the angels, whose chief is Michael, are bound by a hierarchy of love, the demons live under a rule of slavery, it says.
During a May 24, 1987 visit to the sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, John Paul II said, " the battle against the devil which is the principal task of Michael the archangel, is still being fought today, because the devil is still alive and active in the world. The evil that surrounds us today, the disorders that that plague our society, man's inconsistency and brokenness are not only the results of original sin but also the result of Satan's pervasive and dark action."
What harm can the devil cause to the loving? "He talks of the ordinary and extraordinary activities. There are six different forms for the second category: External physical pain caused by satan, demonic possession, diabolical oppression, diabolic obsession, diabolic infestation and diabolical subjugation or dependence," Fr Amorth writes.
According to the Catechism of Catholic Church, there are two types of exorcism: the sacrament of baptism, which is the only form of simple exorcism, and the sacramental reserved to exorcists, which is called solemn exorcism. (CCC 1673). How long does it take to free somebody from demons? It can range from minutes to several years, he writes narrating several incidents of exorcisms.
"We can see the proliferation, especially among the young, of spiritism, witchcraft and the occult. We can add to this the pursuit of yoga, zen, transcendental meditation; these are all practices based on reincarnation, on dissolving the human person into divinity, or in any case, on other doctrines that are unacceptable to Christians. I must point out that too many churchmen are totally disinterested in these problems (created by satan), and so they leave the faithful defenseless," Fr Amorth says.
HOW DEMON BEHAVES
The book says it is difficult to distinguish between somebody who is possessed and someone with psychological problems. However, an expert exorcist will be able to detect the difference more easily than a psychiatrist. who does not believe in demonic possession.. and does not even consider it in his diagnostic process," he says. The Ritual for exorcism starts by listing 21 norms that must be followed by the exorcist. The two areas most commonly affected by evil influence are the head and the stomach, Fr Amorth says.
According to him, the demons react in various manners to prayers and injunctions. Many times he tries to appear indifferent; in reality he suffers and continues to suffer increasingly until liberation is achieved.
Fr Amorth says, there can be many or few, but there's always a chief, and he is always the first to be named. Generally, the evil one does not and cannot say holy names; he substitutes expressions such as "he" (referring God or Jesus) or "she" (referring to our Lady). Other times, demons say, "your Boss" or "your Lady" to indicate Jesus and Mary. If the possession is very strong and the demon is high ranking, then it is possible for them to say the name of God and Mary always followed by horrible blasphemies, the book says.
"The demon always tries his best to hide his presence. Demons are reluctant to speak, and when they talk, they say silly things to distract the exorcist and escapes his questions. For a demon, to leave a body abd go back to hell - where he is always condemned - means to die forever and to lose any ability to molest people actively," he says.
According to the book, children are very vulnerable, not because of personal fault, but because of their weaknesses. Many times when we exorcise as adult we discover that the demonic presence can be traced to early childhood, or even worse, to the moment of birth or even to their gestation.
Fr Amorth also talks about different types of curses: black magic, curses, evil and eye and spells. "Curses invoke evil, and the origin of all evil is demonic. When curses are spoken with true perfidy, especially if there is a blood relationship between the one casts them and the accused, the outcome can be terrible," he says.
"The scarcity of exorcists clearly denote a lack of interest on the part of episcopate in general. The first step, the fundamental step, is to reawaken the awareness of bishops and priests, according to sound doctrine the Scripture, tradition, and the Magesterium have always transmitted," the book says.
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