Archbishop appoints two exorcists
Ottawa's Catholic archbishop has appointed at least two new exorcists, one each for the English and French communities, replacing the region's last exorcist who retired five years ago.
Ottawa's Catholic archbishop has appointed at least two new exorcists, one each for the English and French communities, replacing the region's last exorcist who retired five years ago.
The archdiocese will not name the priests, or say how many exorcists there are for fear of a flood of phone calls. Msgr. Kevin Beach says all the men are experienced clergy with overseas experience, some in areas of the world where belief in demons is more robust than it is in North America.
He said it wasn't easy to find men with the right qualifications, nor was it easy to persuade them to take the duties.
"I think they had to give prayerful consideration. If they are looking for the job, that's not the person you want."
They all have other duties as well as their new roles.
The archdiocese doesn't receive any more than seven or eight calls a year. Nor are the callers any more likely to be possessed -- in the past 15 years, Ottawa clergy say they have had only one case of demonic possession.
But exorcism has always been part of the Catholic ministry, even if it has fallen by the wayside in the last generation.
Under Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor, John Paul II, talk of Satan and his minions has made a comeback. In the past two decades, Italy alone has increased the ranks of its exorcists from 20 to 350. Just before Christmas, Rome's chief exorcist, Gabriel Amorth, indicated the Pope wanted an exorcist in every diocese in the world.
The Vatican press office later toned down Father Amorth's statement, saying the Pope had no intention of "ordering local bishops to bring in garrisons of exorcists."
But the Pope clearly supports their work, and an Ash Wednesday homily from Vatican City reminded the faithful that Satan still stalks our world, whatever modern rationalism may say.
Exorcists describe the ideal candidate as a priest's priest, who prays and celebrates mass daily. He believes in demons, but almost never believes they have someone in their clutches, at least not at first. He is not someone who sees himself as a hero, battling Satan single-handedly.
"There are those in our society, even within the church, who have a kind of lust for this topic," an American specialist told a seminar on exorcism last year. "And I would advise you, if that is part of your motivation, either get rid of it or get out. It has nothing to do with helping the people who need it and it's a vulnerability in front of any demon."
Most important, an exorcist is a good listener who can lend a sympathetic ear, administer the sacraments, and, if necessary, nudge someone toward psychiatric help as well.
Jeffrey Grob, exorcist at the archdiocese of Chicago and a former doctoral student at Ottawa's Saint Paul University, says an exorcist in a large, ethnically diverse diocese might get 100 calls a month, mostly from women. The callers complain of bad luck, or they hear or see things they believe are evil.
But those who think they are possessed usually aren't, says Father Grob. He adds that people can sin with gusto, but it doesn't mean demons are at fault. In fact, ordinary sinning doesn't seem to interest demons much; they go for people reading horoscopes, playing around with New Age spiritualities, lonely, alienated kids getting into a Goth lifestyle, and especially anyone having a fun night with a Ouija board. Even that yoga class at the community centre might be suspect.
Almost all demonic activity is in the milder forms of simple temptation, moving through oppression, obsession and finally, full-blown possession, a very rare phenomenon marked by superhuman strength, a strong aversion to church and the sacraments, and knowledge of foreign languages or esoteric information that the victim could not have otherwise known.
Any priest can administer simple prayers of deliverance for the lesser problems. For a full exorcism, the parish must eliminate any medical explanation and get permission from the bishop.
The priest conducts the liturgy, with lay assistants answering and holding the afflicted if need be. The ceremony itself is about an hour or so, but it may have to be repeated several times.
It is hardly surprising that Ottawa is keeping the names of its exorcists quiet. A Toronto priest who asked not to be named said he knew of no official exorcists in Canada.
The archdiocese of Chicago appointed a full-time exorcist in 2000, the first in 160 years. New York City has four, and the entire United States has just 17. Many bishops are loathe to appoint an exorcist, for fear they will get more calls from reporters than afflicted souls. Even their colleagues may have some fun at their expense.
The church has long been ambivalent about exorcists, seeing them almost as spiritual "waste management," says Father Grob. It needs them, but it doesn't like to talk about them, or even deal with them. The exorcists themselves shrink from publicity. Not one agreed to have his picture taken for this series of stories.
Father Grob writes in his doctoral thesis that priests often turn people away, saying they are exhausted and unqualified to deal with them. Sometimes a priest "bluntly informs the individual that he/she is crazy and requires the services of a mental health professional."
People may seek out "independent contractors" or "lone rangers," exorcists who operate without the bishop's permission. Some are retired priests, others are disenfranchised clergy "who view the ministry of exorcism as a means of correcting all that they think is currently wrong with the church." In his thesis, Father Grob says there are at least 12 in the U.S. alone -- almost as many freelancers as approved exorcists.
Most exorcists have other duties as well, meaning that, as more people call for help, they are increasingly growing overburdened. Burnout is reaching critical proportions, he says.
In Ottawa, at least, the devil is on notice: reinforcements have arrived.
To hear about the story behind the story, a long, strange trip from Waco, Texas, to Chicago and back to Ottawa, read Jennifer Green's blog, The Search for Meaning, at http://communities.canada.com /ottawacitizen/blogs/meaning/default.aspx in the observer: why the catholic church's renewed interest in exorcism pits priests against psychiatrists, Page B1
The archdiocese will not name the priests, or say how many exorcists there are for fear of a flood of phone calls. Msgr. Kevin Beach says all the men are experienced clergy with overseas experience, some in areas of the world where belief in demons is more robust than it is in North America.
He said it wasn't easy to find men with the right qualifications, nor was it easy to persuade them to take the duties.
"I think they had to give prayerful consideration. If they are looking for the job, that's not the person you want."
They all have other duties as well as their new roles.
The archdiocese doesn't receive any more than seven or eight calls a year. Nor are the callers any more likely to be possessed -- in the past 15 years, Ottawa clergy say they have had only one case of demonic possession.
But exorcism has always been part of the Catholic ministry, even if it has fallen by the wayside in the last generation.
Under Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor, John Paul II, talk of Satan and his minions has made a comeback. In the past two decades, Italy alone has increased the ranks of its exorcists from 20 to 350. Just before Christmas, Rome's chief exorcist, Gabriel Amorth, indicated the Pope wanted an exorcist in every diocese in the world.
The Vatican press office later toned down Father Amorth's statement, saying the Pope had no intention of "ordering local bishops to bring in garrisons of exorcists."
But the Pope clearly supports their work, and an Ash Wednesday homily from Vatican City reminded the faithful that Satan still stalks our world, whatever modern rationalism may say.
Exorcists describe the ideal candidate as a priest's priest, who prays and celebrates mass daily. He believes in demons, but almost never believes they have someone in their clutches, at least not at first. He is not someone who sees himself as a hero, battling Satan single-handedly.
"There are those in our society, even within the church, who have a kind of lust for this topic," an American specialist told a seminar on exorcism last year. "And I would advise you, if that is part of your motivation, either get rid of it or get out. It has nothing to do with helping the people who need it and it's a vulnerability in front of any demon."
Most important, an exorcist is a good listener who can lend a sympathetic ear, administer the sacraments, and, if necessary, nudge someone toward psychiatric help as well.
Jeffrey Grob, exorcist at the archdiocese of Chicago and a former doctoral student at Ottawa's Saint Paul University, says an exorcist in a large, ethnically diverse diocese might get 100 calls a month, mostly from women. The callers complain of bad luck, or they hear or see things they believe are evil.
But those who think they are possessed usually aren't, says Father Grob. He adds that people can sin with gusto, but it doesn't mean demons are at fault. In fact, ordinary sinning doesn't seem to interest demons much; they go for people reading horoscopes, playing around with New Age spiritualities, lonely, alienated kids getting into a Goth lifestyle, and especially anyone having a fun night with a Ouija board. Even that yoga class at the community centre might be suspect.
Almost all demonic activity is in the milder forms of simple temptation, moving through oppression, obsession and finally, full-blown possession, a very rare phenomenon marked by superhuman strength, a strong aversion to church and the sacraments, and knowledge of foreign languages or esoteric information that the victim could not have otherwise known.
Any priest can administer simple prayers of deliverance for the lesser problems. For a full exorcism, the parish must eliminate any medical explanation and get permission from the bishop.
The priest conducts the liturgy, with lay assistants answering and holding the afflicted if need be. The ceremony itself is about an hour or so, but it may have to be repeated several times.
It is hardly surprising that Ottawa is keeping the names of its exorcists quiet. A Toronto priest who asked not to be named said he knew of no official exorcists in Canada.
The archdiocese of Chicago appointed a full-time exorcist in 2000, the first in 160 years. New York City has four, and the entire United States has just 17. Many bishops are loathe to appoint an exorcist, for fear they will get more calls from reporters than afflicted souls. Even their colleagues may have some fun at their expense.
The church has long been ambivalent about exorcists, seeing them almost as spiritual "waste management," says Father Grob. It needs them, but it doesn't like to talk about them, or even deal with them. The exorcists themselves shrink from publicity. Not one agreed to have his picture taken for this series of stories.
Father Grob writes in his doctoral thesis that priests often turn people away, saying they are exhausted and unqualified to deal with them. Sometimes a priest "bluntly informs the individual that he/she is crazy and requires the services of a mental health professional."
People may seek out "independent contractors" or "lone rangers," exorcists who operate without the bishop's permission. Some are retired priests, others are disenfranchised clergy "who view the ministry of exorcism as a means of correcting all that they think is currently wrong with the church." In his thesis, Father Grob says there are at least 12 in the U.S. alone -- almost as many freelancers as approved exorcists.
Most exorcists have other duties as well, meaning that, as more people call for help, they are increasingly growing overburdened. Burnout is reaching critical proportions, he says.
In Ottawa, at least, the devil is on notice: reinforcements have arrived.
To hear about the story behind the story, a long, strange trip from Waco, Texas, to Chicago and back to Ottawa, read Jennifer Green's blog, The Search for Meaning, at http://communities.canada.com /ottawacitizen/blogs/meaning/default.aspx in the observer: why the catholic church's renewed interest in exorcism pits priests against psychiatrists, Page B1
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