Exorcists on the rise as Church faces 'unprecedented' demand
Increasing number of Catholic priests trained in exorcism as more people dabble in the dark arts

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
THE Catholic Church is said to be training more priests in exorcism in a bid to tackle an "unprecedented rise" in cases of "demonic possession".
According to the Daily Telegraph, dioceses across Italy and Spain are among those increasing the number of priests schooled in the practice of exorcising evil spirits.
The diocese of Milan recently nominated seven new exorcists, the bishop of Naples has appointed three new exorcists and the Catholic Church in Sardinia sent three priests for exorcism training in Rome amid concern that the Mediterranean island is "a hotbed of occultism", says the newspaper.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Church claims the rise in demonic cases is because more people are dabbling in the dark arts – such as black magic, paganism and Ouija boards – with the help of information on the internet.
Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, the archbishop of Madrid, said the Church in Spain has come across many cases that "go beyond the competence of psychologists" and they were occurring with "a striking frequency".
He chose eight priests to undergo special training last May to confront what he described as "an unprecedented rise" in cases of "demonic possession".
It comes four decades after the 1973 film The Exorcist, the American horror film based on the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl.
The Church says that most people who claim to be possessed by the Devil are suffering from a variety of mental health issues, from paranoia to depression, and are generally advised to seek medical help. But in a few cases, it is judged that the person actually has been taken over by evil spirits, and an exorcism is required.
Last November, Catholic priests from Mexico also told the BBC that there was increased demand for their services. While earlier in the year, Father Gabriele Amorth – an Italian Catholic priest who claims to have carried out more than 160,000 exorcisms – told the Sunday Times he believed all priests should be given the powers to perform exorcism in an attempt to cope with a surge in demand.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Cops 'arrest' Chucky doll
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
'Shocking state of prisons'
Today's Newspapers A round-up of the headlines from the UK front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ten Things You Need to Know Today: 26 September 2023
The Week’s daily digest of the news agenda, published at 8am
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rebellious nuns ban Texas bishop from monastery in chastity row
Speed Read Wheelchair-using Mother Prioress has been accused of ‘sexting’
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
QR codes could reveal sex-offending French priests
Speed Read Move by Catholic Church denounced as a ‘publicity stunt’ by sexual abuse survivors’ group
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Papal succession: the cardinals in the running to be the next pope
feature Current favourite from Philippines would represent changing demographic of the Church
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cardinal George Pell: polarising Australian Catholic dies aged 81
Why Everyone’s Talking About Controversial cardinal, acquitted of child sexual abuse charges, died of heart complications after hip surgery
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Pope Benedict XVI - a life in pictures
In Pictures Thousands of Catholics have paid their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI, who died aged 95
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Pope Benedict ‘turned blind eye’ to child sexual abuse
feature Church-commissioned report says the former pontiff ‘perpetuated a culture of trivialising’ abuse of minors
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sexual abuse and ‘cruel indifference’: the disgrace of the French Catholic Church
Speed Read Landmark report estimates around 330,000 children were abused by clergymen and officials between 1950 and 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
French academics clash with minister over ‘Islamo-leftism’ inquiry
Speed Read Row over allegations of extremism in universities stokes growing culture war
By Chas Newkey-Burden Last updated