Deliverance and Exorcism

Well-known realities

Strictly speaking, the supernatural is what comes from God.

Angels and demons are creatures like us. The only difference is that they are invisible to us.

All religions speak of angels and demons: they are found not only in the Old and New Testaments, but also in the Muslim, Animist, Taoist, and Hindu traditions, etc.

We shouldn’t blame everything on spiritual warfare

Our modern society is pretty "out of whack" and can be a source of disturbance in itself. Sometimes all we have to do is "detoxify" our sensory universe to restore our will and our intelligence.

We must courageously unmask evil

The introduction of the ritual of (Catholic) exorcism warns the exorcist about the possibility that the devil might pretend to be someone else, such as the soul of a saint, or deceased person, or an angel, and that he shouldn’t be believed (No. 14).

Jesus Christ

Christ is above all invisible powers.

• The power to cast out demons was first conferred by Christ to the Apostles:

"Having called his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, with the power to expel them. (Matthew 10:1)

• This power has also been granted to all believers by Jesus himself:

"And here are the miracles that will accompany those who believe: by my name, they will cast out demons." (Mark 16:17)

The power to cast out demons is a consequence of faith and the Christian life. We should all reread the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians (Eph 6)!

The Lord's Prayer ends with these words: "deliver us from evil."

The Mother of Jesus

When in contact with the divine light, evil leaves and evaporates. That is why the Blessed and All Immaculate Virgin Mary chases Satan away from our lives and helps us overcome him.

We should not confuse prayer of exorcism and the actual rite of exorcism

• A private "exorcism" can be said by a priest or any faithful (see Mark 16:17) and its form is undefined, for instance invoking the Name of Jesus or praying to the Lord's Prayer.

Strictly speaking, the word "exorcism" is reserved for public exorcism.

• A public exorcism is performed in the name of the Church, by an authorized person, in accordance with certain rites.

A) A “simple exorcism” is included in other rites, such as baptism.

B) A “solemn exorcism” is performed in the name of the Church, and for this reason it is done by a priest and with the permission of the bishop (see Matthew 10: 1).

The code of canon law (§ 1172, 1), with its restrictions, applies only to solemn exorcism.

Following is a testimonial from someone who wrote to Dom Armoth [Vatican exorcist]:

“I feel delivered. Prayer and fasting helped me more than the exorcisms, which only achieved temporary improvements.”

Here is Dom Amorth’s answer: “I think this testimony is important. It already provides us with an explanation. I would like to confirm the very important principle that the affected person should not remain passive, as if it was up to the exorcist to deliver her. The person must actively cooperate.” [1]

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 [1] Dom Gabriele Amorth, Nouveaux récits d'un exorciste (English edition: An Exorcist: More Stories), Editions du Rocher, 2011 (first edition, Rome 1991), p. 228