The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist

by Matt Baglio

  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.”

  AT 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.

  BECAUSE 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.”

  As THEY WALKED BACK to the train station following class, Father Gary discussed some of the finer points of the day's lecture with Father Daniel. Perhaps as a result of his experiences as an embalmer, or the fact that he had survived a near-death hiking accident in 1997, he wasn't worried about being physically attacked by a demon. If he feared anything, it was performing an exorcism on someone who didn't need it. And while the course had taught him a lot, he realized that the only way to put his fears to rest would be to actually participate in an exorcism.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  SEARCHING FOR AN EXORCIST

  An exorcist works all his life between being admired and thanked by some and bitterly despised and persecuted by others … God desires that this ministry always be done from the cross. If a priest is not willing to bear this burden, he should not accept this ministry.

  —Father José Antonio Fortea, Interview with an Exorcist

  On a typical Tuesday morning, a small crowd gathers outside the Scala Santa by 8:30, even though the large wooden doors won't open for another half an hour. Most are women, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to late sixties, their outfits running the gamut from shawls and brooches to hip-hugging jeans and leather jackets. Milling around, some people pass the time chatting, others avoid eye contact. In addition to the normal purses and backpacks, several carry large plastic grocery sacks filled with various items, such as religious candles and plastic water bottles.

  The Scala Santa or Church of the Holy Staircase has always held a unique place among the churches of Rome, drawing countless pilgrims over the years to its venerated sanctum sanctorum (Holy of Holies), the personal chapel of the popes, which the devout reach by climbing a special staircase, thought to be the very stairs from Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem that Christ climbed on the day of his death (brought back to Rome by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century). Pilgrims climb the twenty-eight steps on their knees, pausing at each one to say a prayer. Encased now in protective wood, the original steps can still be glimpsed through small glass windows that supposedly reveal actual drops of Christ's blood.

  And yet, beyond the chapel and the stairs, among Romans, the church has a long association with exorcism. For thirty-six years, the Passionist priest Father Candido Amantini performed exorcisms there until he died in 1992. Long thought of as a holy man, even among exorcists, Father Candido had an open-door policy toward exorcism, never turning anybody away. It was rumored that he saw around sixty people every day, and while not everybody needed an exorcism, he tried to at least give them a simple blessing or even just a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

  When Father Tommaso took over, this open-door policy was maintained. Even as the church continues to be a major attraction for tourists and pilgrims, exorcisms and blessings are performed around the clock, screams and all.

  For half an hour, most of the women wait patiently outside the church; as more show up, the ones closest to the door begin jockeying for position. A few minutes later, they hear the telltale jingle of keys from behind the door followed by the click of the lock, and even before the sour-faced custodian has time to swing the door all the way open, the women begin filing through. Hurrying past him, they sidestep the historic steps and proceed instead toward one of the two side staircases. Climbing, they move in a rush past the sanctum sanctorum, through the Saint Lawrence Chapel, until they reach the door to the sacristy. One half expects to see a red ribbon stretched across the corridor.

  Instead, everyone takes a place, as if settling into a favorite chair. One woman bends onto a small wooden kneeler right outside the door while others slide into a ten-foot wooden pew that runs the length of the wall. More branch off to a nearby chapel, where they kneel in front of a life-sized representation of Christ on the cross. A few clutch rosaries, their fingers moving anxiously over the beads as their lips mouth silent prayers. Others keep their eyes down. By now around twenty people have gathered, and still more trickle in. One of these is an attractive young woman who walks past everyone to stand next to the door. A few people eye her and shift nervously, but otherwise seem not to mind that she has cut in line. One of the latecomers, a man in his sixties, asks the woman on the kneeler, “Is he seeing anyone right now?” The woman shakes her head.

  Somebody nearby pipes in, “I just have to get a quick blessing and then I'll go.”

  The woman on the kneeler flashes the speaker a dirty look and says, “He decides who goes in first.”

  “Who gets chosen to go in?” someone else asks.

  “He performs exorcisms first and then blessings afterward,” the woman on the kneeler explains.

  Someone pulls out a piece of paper and people begin writing their names down, as if waiting for a table at a restaurant. Most have places to go in the afternoon and a few sigh and cluck their tongues when they see themselves at the bottom of the list.

  As if on cue, the door opens and Father Tommaso pokes his head out, his tired eyes searching. A few people near the door turn to him, but his presence keeps them back; it's clear that nobody wants to get on his bad side. He nods to the attractive woman who'd cut in line, and she enters, the door shutting behind them.

  In the ensuing silence, the people settle back into their slumped postures. Then, suddenly from the sacristy comes a sound like a wolverine that has gotten loose and is knocking down all the chairs. A high-pitched
scream, followed by a woman's voice shouting “Basta!,” disrupts the silence. Then comes moaning and howling as if someone were being tortured. Some clutch their rosaries tighter. Some try to move out of earshot, but inside the cold, marble-floored sanctuary, sounds carry far.

  WHEN FATHER GARY ASKED about finding an exorcist with whom to apprentice, Father Daniel's first thought was to ask Father Tommaso. However, the exorcist was too busy to take on another student. While Father Gary was disappointed, Father Daniel reassured him by saying, “You won't learn much there anyway. The place is insane.”

  Over the ensuing month, Father Gary continued to look for an exorcist he could work with, a task that proved more daunting than he'd imagined. Even a cardinal whom he met in the halls of the NAC one day was unable to help. With his limited Italian, Father Gary needed an exorcist who spoke a little English, and according to a reply he received from the dean of the Lateran University, there weren't any.

  Finally, Father Daniel contacted one of the exorcists who helped teach the course. A few days later, he called Father Gary back with good news. Father Bamonte, who had studied under Father Amorth and who had been performing exorcisms since 2003, said he would be willing to take on Father Gary as a last resort (he was not thrilled, largely because of the language barrier). In the meantime, Father Bamonte suggested that Father Gary contact a Capuchin by the name of Father Carmine De Filippis, who he thought knew a little English.

  As he got off the phone with Father Daniel, Father Gary was guardedly optimistic about this latest turn of events.