EXORCISM

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DOES THE CATHOLIC CHURCH PRACTICE EXORCISM?

-- PUNKER (GREG_PISAHOV@HOTMAIL.COM), January 09, 2005

Answers

the catholic church not only practices the rite of excorcism, they are the only institution in history which has scientifically recorded success in the expulsion of demons.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), January 09, 2005.

if im correct there have only been TWO cases in the 20th century that were documented by the Church as true demonic possesion.

-- jas (jas_r_22@hotmail.com), January 09, 2005.

No, jas. You must be thinking of something else. Around the world, there may be 2 per week (or even 2 per day) in our time, according to rumors escaping the Holy See.

-- (TTTTT@TTTTT.TTTTT), January 09, 2005.

i dont know about two per day or two per week, but it is most certainly MUCH more frequently than you say jas, all you have to do is read the book "hostage to the devil" to learn about 6 different recent excorcism cases.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), January 10, 2005.

Dear friends in Christ,

I would just like to make a note about the frequency with which the rite of exorcism is practiced, compared to the number of cases of actual demoniac possession.

According to a book by Father Gabriele Amorth (a well-known Roman exorcist) called "An Exorcist Tells His Story" (1999), Father Amorth writes of his own experiences:

"I myself, in nine years of exhausting work (so much so that I have been forced to cut back my workload), have exorcised over thirty thousand people, and I have noted the name of everyone who was possessed: ninety-three so far, and they had all been possessed for approximately ten years" (Page 169).

It should be noted that the original work was authored in Italian, and it is not clear from the English translation as to whether or not Amorth is referring to all cases that he treated involving demonic influence (oppression, obsession, infestation, etc.) by the term "possessed." It would seem, given the context of the entire book, that he is referring explicitly to those in the tertiary (and most severe) stage of demonic influence known as "possession," rather than to the issue of demonic influence in general.

I hope this sheds some light on the discussion, simply to demonstrate that - though all "patients" must seek conventional means of psychiatric medical treatment before consulting an exorcist - the majority of cases that exorcists see are those of mental illness. However, experienced exorcists have little difficulty in discerning the obvious differences between the mentally ill and those suffering from some form of "negativity" (as it is generally called by Fr. Amorth).

God bless, MVB

-- MVB (mvbtwin@yahoo.com), March 11, 2005.



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