France is experiencing a surge in demand for private exorcisms as priests refuse to take on those who are merely anxious or trying to save their relationships.
The Paris terror attacks and nerves over global politics have spurred a major rise leaving priests struggling to keep up.
The Roman Catholic church is stringent with its criteria for who can get one of the rituals, turning away thousands of applications each year.
But the booming demand has fuelled a private exorcism industry where self-proclaimed priests charge hundreds of pounds to perform the religious ceremony.
Jean Clement advertises his services online and says that he has only ever turned away one person, reports the Telegraph.
The 57-year-old, who claims to be an ordained priest, performs as many as four exorcisms per week.
The Roman Catholic church is stringent with its criteria for who can get an exorcism, turning away thousands of applications each year (stock photo)
It is a major surge in demand from the one or two that he used to conduct each month.
The ritual costs as much as £270 and can last up to two hours – but it has led to accusations that private priests are exploiting those with psychological issues.
One client spent hundreds on sessions with Mr Clement in a bid to cure her depression after other therapy failed.
Father Georges Berson, one of only two priests in the Paris area who is authorised by the Roman Catholic church to carry out exorcisms, said no real practicioner would charge money.
He said: ‘The false priests and the false exorcists and so on – they ask for money, a lot of money. One lady came here and she had spent €50,000 (£45,000) with charlatans.’
The 84-year-old added: ‘When someone is really possessed, we deal with it. Once the devil was inside a woman and he spoke to me in Dutch, perfect Dutch with an Amsterdam accent.
‘He said he didn’t want to go back to Hell. Afterwards I spoke to the woman in Dutch and she couldn’t understand a thing. She asked me if it was German.’
The ritual costs as much as £270 and can last up to two hours – but it has led to accusations that private priests are exploiting those with psychological issues (stock photo)
Earlier this year it was revealed that demand for exorcisms in the US had skyrocketed.
Father Vincent Lambert of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis said that the reason for the surge was that people are becoming more susceptible to the devil.
He said: ‘The problem isn’t that the devil has upped his game, but more people are willing to play it.’
Since he was appointed as the Archdiocese’s exorcist in 2005, Father Lambert said the number of other exorcists had grown from 12 to 50.
He claimed to have witnessed people releasing hideous odours as well as speaking in tongues and obscenities.
Father Lambert said a rise in pornography and drugs was somewhat to blame for the increase in demand.
Wavering faith in the Church may also have been to blame because it creates a void for evil to seep in to, he said.