A breezy investigation of the Roman Catholic Church's approach to
demonic possession. Reporter Wilkinson takes readers to Italy,
where a small army of Catholic priests specialize in diagnosing
possession and exorcising demons. These priests aren't preying on
helpless people. Their clients, mostly women, are "the picture of
normalcy" - professionals, even physicians, who insist that
exorcism has saved their lives, and brought about healing that no
medical doctor or shrink could. The priest who has done the most to
"push exorcism into the mainstream" is Father Gabriele Amorth, who
believes that exorcism is a means through which God works miracles.
Indeed, in recent years, Italy has experienced something of an
exorcism revival. Why has the ritual become so popular? Exorcism
appeals to people, the author suggests, because it seems like a
time-tested, deeply religious response to the chaos of a society
that increasingly rejects morality and traditional religious
teaching. The Catholic Church officially sanctions exorcism, but
the Church hierarchy is cautious and ambivalent about the trend.
The Church requires exorcists to follow strict guidelines - public
healing ceremonies that smack of "hysteria" or "sensationalism,"
for example, are forbidden. Wilkinson concludes with some
speculation about what is really underneath supposed possessions.
"Many symptoms and behaviors" of possession "fit the pattern of a
litany of known psychological disorders." Aversion to sacred
symbols, which has traditionally been understood as a mark of
possession, is also consistent with obsessive-compulsive behavior.
Readers may wish Wilkinson had read more scholarship on demon
possession - the questions posed by anthropologists of religion and
cultural historians could have given this account the gravity and
insight it lacks.Ultimately doesn't deliver the substance its
subject deserves. (Kirkus Reviews)
John Paul II was the first pope since the early 1600s to view the
evil and his minions not only as formidable foes, but as tangible
forces which the Catholic church must battle on a daily basis. The
priest charged with spearheading this mission is Father Gabriele
Amorth and his Office of Exorcism. Revitalising a long-dormant
practice, Father Amorth has re-established exorcism as a common
rite in the church with a series of seminars and training sessions
during which priests from all over the world learn how to fight
Satan here on Earth. Tracy Wilkinson gained access to the Vatican's
highest authorities,allowing her to cover this story from every
angle - both beneficiaries and victims of exorcism, sceptical
scientists, devout believers and even those priests within the
church who question the revival of the practice.
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