Possession, Exorcism, And The Church

Among various horror films, the scariest probably are those involving demonic possessions and exorcisms. The reason could be attributed to the fact that many of us have always known since we were kids, as we have been often told and taught, that demons do exist. But even as adults, there is still a great mystery to possession and exorcism that fascinate us.

In general, possession is an occurrence wherein the devil or Satan himself, alone or with some other demons known as the Legion, is said to enter a person taking full control over him and his faculties. It may happen that the victim experiences lucid intervals from time to time. It is not exactly clear yet what kind of persons become victims of demonic possession. While some movies would show that Satan’s victims are the pure and pious, still, common knowledge would tell us that any form of evil, sin and temptations attracts Satan.

In any case, based on the Roman Ritual of Exorcism, the following show signs and symptoms of a person being possessed: the victim speaks or understands a language he has never known, spoken and understood; he knows things that he is not likely to know; he can foretell future events; he has an intense hatred for God, Jesus, the Bible, the church, saints, priests and an aversion to anything that is holy; he turns violent and vulgar intermittently; and he shows physical strength that is beyond normal. Priests are carefully warned about detecting these signs as they show the same indications of epilepsy, hysteria, paranoia, schizophrenia, and other sexual and psychological disorders that may be results of traumatic childhood and untreated obsessions.

Because it could be detrimental to the host or the person possessed, the demon inside the body has to be expelled as soon as possible by way of exorcism. Exorcism has been defined as an ancient ritual of driving away the demon or demons that have entered a person’s body. This practice has been continually slighted by many detractors because of the unspeakable torments the victim suffers during and after the rite, which sometimes end up in having the possessed person killed. However, even in the early times, this casting out of demons has already been widely accepted so that anyone could perform it. Especially for the Christians, exorcism has been a recognized religious practice, done in the name of God, based on the sacraments of Baptism and Anointing of the Sick. In fact, Luke 8:30 and Mark 5:1-13 of the Christian Bible shows Jesus performing his first exorcism.

Now, the exorcism by priests upon proper authorization finds its bases under the Canon 1172 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1614 Roman Ritual of Exorcism or the Ritual Romanum that was first written under Pope Paul V. This Rite of Exorcism underwent later revisions starting on October 1, 1998 under Pope John Paul II. At present, under the papacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger or His Excellency Pope Benedict XVI, the Diocese of Rome has a Chief Exorcist in the name of Rev. Gabriele Amorth. Rev. Amorth is also the honorary president of the International Association of Exorcists. 

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