Reverend Ron Feyl runs The Order of Exorcists, an independent exorcist service operating out of Highland Park, California
Italy has seen an explosion in the number of people seeking exorcisms – and the country’s industry is struggling to cope with the demand.
Now, an independent ghoul-busting service has sprung up to fill the gap. The Order of Exorcists operates across 24 countries
The Catholic Church recognises exorcism but only when performed by high level members of the church.
But the Order of Exorcists operates outside of the rules and regulations imposed by the Vatican.
In 2014, the Vatican publicly backed the International Association of Exorcists – a group founded in 1990 which has about 200 members on six continents.
The Order, which is not recognised by the Vatican, operates through its website, which has comprehensive descriptions of previous exorcisms.
Its mission statement reads: ‘Our mission is to help anyone with demonic issues, free-of-charge, who are experiencing symptoms of demonic possession, demonic infestation and/or house disturbances, including evil spirits, demons, and demonic hauntings; the Order of Exorcists should be your last call for help.’
The group describes itself an ‘autonomous and independent branch of the Catholic faith which derives from the ancient Old Roman Catholic Church of the 12th Century.’
The group has divisions in 24 countries. Pictured: The Atlanta, Georgia, branch of the Order of Exorcists
The original church, and the exorcism order established under it, reject the current leadership and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.
The order was created in the the 1980s and operated from St Michaels Catholic Parish, a small church in Highland Park, California.
The order is is now run by Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Ron Feyl who decided to reach out and recruit members of the clergy from other jurisdictions.
First the church only held exorcisms in the local area but soon they began receiving requests from people outside of California.
In 1981 the church established a full -time exorcism ministry ‘The Sacred Order of Saint Michael the Archangel – Order of Exorcists.’
Since then the order has grown. Now with 61 full time members, it carries out regular exorcisms across the world.
Last month is was revealed the demand for exorcisms had prompted the Vatican to hold an international conference in a bid to train more priests to carry them out.
The church was concerned the skills of some of its current exorcists have declined and is worried priests are no longer willing to learn the techniques.
Many churches, like The Order of Exorcists have popped up to fill that gap.
According to Friar Beningo Palilla, one of the organisers of the conference, which took place in Sicily, there are now some 500,000 cases requiring exorcism in Italy each year, Vatican Radio reported.
Pope Francis laying his hands on the head of a young man after celebrating Mass in St Peter’s Square, Rome
The Vatican says there has been a three-fold increase in demand for exorcisms in Italy alone
He blamed the increase on a growing number of people seeking the services of fortune tellers and Tarot readers in recent years.
Such practices ‘open the door to the devil and to possession,’ he claimed.
Many of the cases are not actually related to demonic possession, but to spiritual or psychological problems, he said, but they nonetheless must be investigated.
Palilla, a priest in Palermo, is calling for an across-the-board improvement in training.
‘We priests, very often, do not know how to deal with the concrete cases presented to us – in the preparation for the priesthood, we do not talk about these things,’ he said.
Pope Francis addressing crowds from the balcony of St Peter’s in Rome. Friar Beningo Palilla is calling for an improvement in training for priests carrying out exorcisms
Palilla is particularly concerned about some priests conducting exorcisms without proper training.
He called for ‘a period of apprenticeship, as happens for many professionals’ and said priests wanting to train as exorcists ‘should work alongside an expert to learn in the field.’
Palilla said the aim of the conference, billed as the first in the world on exorcism, was to ‘to offer a rich reflection and articulation on a topic that is sometimes unspoken and controversial’.
Exorcism can only performed with high-level permission from within the church.
Four years ago, the Vatican backed the International Association of Exorcists, which was founded in 1990 and has licensed some 200 members on six continents.