Exorcisms on the Rise

[Destinys...@aol.com]

Exorcisms May Be On The Rise

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/26/earlyshow/main3877560.shtml
<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/26/earlyshow/
main3877560.shtml>

(CBS) The Catholic Church has always believed in the idea of demonic
possession -- of the fight, within the individual, between good and
evil, says CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips.

The ancient ritual of trying to drive evil spirits formtortured souls
was dramatically portrayed by Hollywood in "The Exorcist."

The Church, Phillips points out, would rather such graphic religious
experiences took place privately.

When one Archbishop, Emanuel Malingo, began holding increasingly
popular
public exorcisms, the Vatican made him stop. The exorcism scenes
weren't
pretty, Phillips observes.

There is evidence, though, that the practice of exorcism is
experiencing
a revival, according to the Washington Post.

Particularly, says Phillips, among the faithful in Poland, so many of
whom came to Rome to mourn the death of Pope John Paul II. Demand for
exorcism has apparently risen so high, 70 priests now perform the
rite
there, double the number of five years ago. And the Church is planning
a
dedicated exorcism center.

Some blame the demand on the residue of the communist years. Father
Jerome Hall, of the Washington Theological Union, says, "Once the
oppressive regime falls, there's still a residue of pain, of
betrayal,
of anxiety, of evil. ... Some people who grew up in Eastern Europe
would
say, 'That's no wonder.' "

But numbers are said to be up elsewhere, as well, reports Phillips.
In
Italy, 350 trained exorcists are now working. There were only 20 ten
years ago.

Italian exorcist Father Gabriele Nanni says, "For the sinners, who
want
to conquer entities or the devil himself, for them, the situation is
very dangerous."

Even in the United States, Phillips notes, one-in-ten Catholics,
according to a recent survey, now says they've either submitted to or
witnessed an exorcism.

For many, it seems, the ancient battle between good and evil
continues
today, Phillips concludes.

What's behind the apparent rise in exorcisms?

Father Thomas Williams, Dean of Theology at the Regina Apostolorum
Pontifical University in Rome and a CBS News religion consultant,
told
co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez on The Early Show Tuesday, "There may be
two
reasons. One is that there's increased interest in the occult, even
in
Satanism. Where I live in Italy, Satanic worship is actually on the
rise. And this is true in a lot of places in Europe. And the second
reason I think is because people are less careful. Honestly, they
maybe
pray less. They play around with things they shouldn't play with, and
then they get into trouble. ... Anyone can be possessed, but I think
you
really have to open yourself up to it. You have to be un-careful. And
I
think the spiritual demons, or bad angels, do exist, and I think it's
an
extreme thing, but it happens sometimes.

How do you know that the person is possessed, and you're not just
dealing with a psychological problem?

"Well," Williams responded, "that's the biggest challenge we have.
Because obviously, many things that in the past that were considered
demonic possession or demonic influence were really just diseases or
psychological problems. So, priests work closely with psychologists
to
try to ascertain the real nature of the pathology or of the problem
before performing an exorcism. But prayer never hurts. So if you're
just
praying for a person, you're not gonna do them any damage."

There are specific signs that a person is possessed, Williams
continued;
"Three typical signs are speaking strange languages, a language a
person's never had any access to whatsoever, and they just become
fluent
in it. And often accompanied by a change of voice that doesn't even
sound like the person. Another is knowledge of secret things. For
example, saying things that the person has no way of knowing. And a
third is superhuman strength, the ability to lift objects and move
things."

What's the process of exorcism like? Is it similar to what the movie
portrayed?

"Well, it's similar," Williams replied. "It's mostly based on prayer
and
reading of sacred scripture, but there are other things used like
holy
water, a crucifix, etc. It's a long process. It begins with simply
praying over the person and asking the person to pray with you.
Often,
they won't; if there really is some sort of demonic presence there,
they
will not do that. It's a lot of prayer until there's some sort of
manifestation on the part of the demon, if there is one.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Bill]

Better safe----or SAFER----than sorry!

On Apr 13, 2:53 am, "Destinysmoon1...@aol.com"