The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist (9 page)

As of late, the International Association of Exorcists has been careful about reminding exorcists to stick with the
Ritual.
“It is better for the exorcist to just pray the
Ritual
as it is,” says Father Gramo-lazzo.

An exorcist must remember not to pray the
Ritual
in such a way that it could be confused with a magic ceremony. The reason this is so important is that “if an exorcist were to do so,” explains Father Nanni, “it would be like casting out a spell with another spell, or a demon by another demon.” It would negate the whole purpose of the rite, not to mention discredit the Church.

There is also the danger of suggestion to consider. Many exorcists have acknowledged the suggestive nature of exorcism and prefer to use euphemistic expressions when performing the
Ritual.
For example, instead of the word
exorcism
, they say “blessing,” and they never tell people they are possessed, but rather that they are suffering from some kind of “negativity.” In addition, many exorcists prefer to pray the
Ritual
in Latin to avoid auto-suggestion. “I think it is better if people don't understand,” says Father Dermine. “If I pray in a way that the person can understand, sometimes you can risk stimulating certain reactions. If there is really a demon there, he will understand no matter what.”

In the end, the most essential thing, says Father Gramolazzo, is that the exorcist has faith. “The power of the prayer is not in the formula but in the faith—my faith in the faith of the Church. I can like the prayer, it can be beautiful; but the efficacy depends on the faith.”

A
T THE BEGINNING OF AN EXORCISM
, the demon is loath to reveal himself. “To be discovered is for him a defeat,” says Father Bamonte. If the demon is strong, then he can hide in the person for a lengthy period, even allowing participation in mass and other prayerful activities. (Hiding doesn't mean that the spirit is holed up in some dark corner of the person's body; it simply means that he does not manifest.)

Usually, if the exorcist “insists,” as one Italian exorcist likes to say, the exorcism prayers will stimulate the demon and eventually force him out into the open. Father Nanni describes how this process works: “It is like boxers,” he says, “who can take a lot of punishment but stay up without falling. They are stronger because they have the capability of absorbing the blow, but they get hit anyway; and by getting hit and hit and hit, in the end their physical endurance collapses. For demons it is the same. If you keep going with perseverance, sooner or later they will start to give up and manifest.”

Throughout this whole process, the demon tries his best to thwart the exorcist. The demon will attempt to convince the victim that he or she is suffering from a psychological disorder, or if that fails, actually inhibit the person from physically reaching the exorcist. Cars mysteriously break down or phone calls cancel meetings—all without the victim's knowledge, say exorcists.

When the demon is finally forced out into the open, the person will lose consciousness and enter into a trance. At this point, all movement and speech are controlled by the demon. During these times the person's eyes will often roll up or down (the demon can't bear to look at holy objects, including the priest), the hands will usually curl into claws, and the person will be taken over by a rage directed at sacred or holy objects. Typically, the person remembers nothing upon awakening. Sometimes, however, the person may be conscious during the
Ritual
and may remember some of what transpired but will typically feel as if something “alien” had taken over. Some exorcists, such as Father Amorth, describe the latter as an example of demonic obsession, while a case involving a person emerging from a trance with total amnesia would be indicative of full demonic possession.

According to Father Nanni, once he has begun praying the
Ritual
, there are five traps that the novice exorcist should be wary of: (1) no reaction from the demon for a long time, which is an attempt to trick the exorcist into thinking the cause isn't demonic; (2) the demon fakes that he has gone after manifesting, fooling the person into thinking he or she is now liberated (for this reason, some exorcists ask for a sign of liberation); (3) the demon confuses the exorcist by creating in the possessed symptoms of mental illness; (4) the demon reveals the existence of an evil spell and the way in which the exorcist can get rid of it (the exorcist must not practice superstitious acts); and (5) the demon permits the victim to receive the Eucharist as a sign of liberation.

Many people assume that during an exorcism the demon will speak through the person, but this is not always the case. According to Father Amorth, it is a misperception that demons like to speak. In fact, they will almost never do so unless ordered to by the exorcist. Some, however, do try to confuse the exorcist by talking or even threatening him during the
Ritual
to distract him from the prayers. Father Amorth has been threatened repeatedly. “Tonight I will throw you out of your bed!” or “I will eat your heart!” To which he responds, “Come on, I have my guardian angel that protects me.”

However, beyond the bravado, there is a real danger of an exorcist being attacked physically, mentally, and spiritually by the demon during an exorcism, or even after.

B
ECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE ROLE
they play exorcists are faced with a variety of moral and spiritual dilemmas that can open them up to potential attack by demonic forces. Perhaps the most obvious of these is sexual temptation. Exorcisms are highly charged encounters, often taking place in small confined spaces that involve a lot of thrashing and moaning from the victim, who is almost always a woman. There are several theories for the preponderance of female victims: Women are more intuitive and in touch with their spiritual side; the Devil targets women specifically to use them to tempt men; or as Father Bamonte suggests, it may simply be because more women than men are willing to seek out an exorcist.

Given this gender dynamic, it is recommended that the exorcist have a “helper” in the room who is also a woman (this is listed in the guidelines of the 1614
Roman Ritual).
Being the cunning foe that he is, say exorcists, the demon will try anything to distract the exorcist and get him to stop praying, including sexual advances. According to Father Dermine, the exorcist must also use good sense when he touches a woman he is praying over, always keeping in mind the heightened level of sexual tension.

The exorcist can also be attacked through his pride. This sense of pride can come either from the admiration that an exorcist receives from the people he helps, or from the exorcist thinking himself superior because he has a connection to the supernatural or because he believes he has some personal “power” that can liberate people. The exorcist should never claim to be a holy man or to cultivate a cultlike following. This means he should never take money for his services, which would turn him into a kind of magician or faith healer.

On the flip side, while many exorcists may be admired by the victims, they are often ridiculed by their fellow priests.

An exorcist must be equally careful about familiarity. In many cases an exorcist is the only hope these people undergoing deep pain and suffering believe they have, and there is a real danger of their becoming too dependent on the exorcist (or vice versa). The risk is that the sufferers can become addicted and develop an exaggerated affection for the exorcist. For this reason, say exorcists, it is best to keep these people at a slight distance.

The demon will also try to dishearten the exorcist through intimidation or fear, usually carried out by displays of power. In one such instance, Father Daniel (who became an exorcist in the fall of 2006) had all his instant text messages erased from his cell phone one morning. He had recently signed up for a new plan and figured it must be a problem with the company. Later that night, however, when he was giving a blessing over the same phone (exorcists claim telephone blessings can be efficacious), the voice of the person changed and the demon came out taunting: “Did you like the little joke I played on you this morning?” When Father Daniel expressed confusion, the gruff voice mocked, “If you say a prayer that I give to you, then I will give you back all your instant messages.”

Another exorcist in Chicago, the day before he found out he was to be nominated by the bishop, was awakened by a terrible noise in the middle of the night, like a train wreck happening in his room. Opening his eyes, he then saw the TV at the foot of his bed levitate off the stand a few feet then crash to the floor, and the tape inside the VCR shoot out across the room. At the same time, the curtains of his room moved violently even though his windows were closed.

Sometimes the signs can be even more direct. In 2006, an exorcist from the Midwest was talking to a young man he thought might be possessed when he heard a raspy voice—as if out of nowhere—say, “Get out!”

An Italian exorcist told of an episode involving members of a Catholic charismatic prayer group who thought they had a special “gift” to cast out evil spirits. During the exorcism, the charismatics were laying on hands and talking to the demon, ordering it to comply. Without warning, the demon turned on them saying, “Who are you?” Then he launched a bookcase at them, sending them all to the emergency room with injuries.

Exorcists have seen things happening even outside, beyond the confines of the exorcism itself. Father Nanni reports that some exorcists have had their car headlights mysteriously turn off just as they were negotiating particularly dangerous curves on mountain roads. In his book,
An Exorcist Tells His Story
, Father Amorth recounted how one exorcist, after the demon threatened him with immolation, was driving home when his car caught fire. Father Nanni, while performing a blessing by phone, had the lightbulb in his room explode over his head.

In extreme instances, an exorcist may be severely injured, though this last point has perhaps been exaggerated, especially in the media. Exorcists are rarely hurt. Father Nanni recalled one example: As an exorcist was leaving the house of a demonized person in Sicily, he was shoved by an unseen force into an oncoming truck, which nearly killed him. When asked why God would allow such a thing to happen, Father Nanni seemed unfazed. “We all have to bear our own burdens,” he said. In this case, the exorcist recovered, returned to the house, and liberated the person.

Throughout all of this, the only armor the exorcist has to protect him is his faith. “Faith is worth more than anything else,” says Father Amorth. “The faith of the exorcist, of the person who is getting exorcised, the faith of the people who help and pray for the person, family and friends.”

“I learned more in performing exorcisms through prayer and faith than from my studies,” said Father Gramolazzo. “The books that you read and study become something more theoretical; you don't get inside the world of faith. When you perform an exorcism, however, you have to enter into this world; you get in touch with the supernatural.”