An Irish priest has called on Catholic bishops to train more exorcists after noticing a surge in ‘demonic activity’.
Fr Pat Collins, Ireland’s most prominent exorcist, said demand for his services has risen ‘exponentially’ in recent years.
He has been overwhelmed by requests for his help, he added, stressing in an open letter to the church’s senior clergy that he needs support.
Fr Pat Collins (pictured), Ireland’s most prominent exorcist, said demand for his services has risen ‘exponentially’ in recent years
Paragraph 1673 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: ‘Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church’
‘What I’m finding out desperately, is people who in their own minds believe – rightly or wrongly – that they’re afflicted by an evil spirit,’ Fr Collins told The Irish Catholic.
The Dublin priest added that he is ‘baffled’ by bishops’ failure to recruit more specialist priests to deal with ghost encounters and demonic possession.
‘I think in many cases they wrongly think [they are possessed], but when they turn to the Church, the Church doesn’t know what to do with them and they refer them on either to a psychologist or to somebody that they’ve heard of that is interested in this form of ministry, and they do fall between the cracks and often are not helped,’ Fr Collins said.
The International Association of Exorcists – which consists of 400 Catholic priests and leaders – has also reported a surge in apparent demonic phenomena.
It said in 2014 that evil occurrences around the word had reached such levels that it had become a ‘pastoral emergency’.
In a statement to The Irish Catholic, however, the Catholic Communications Office at Maynooth said the church requires a trained exorcist in each diocese.
The specialists must be capable of distinguishing between genuine demonic possession and mental illness, it added.
A spokeswoman said: ‘Exorcisms are very rare and this office has not been made aware of any cases of ‘exorcism’ in Ireland in recent years’.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catholic News Agency notes, stresses the need to separate signs of mental illness and apparent manifestations of the devil.
The Dublin priest added that he is ‘baffled’ by bishops’ failure recruit more specialist priests to deal with ghost encounters and demonic possession. Pictured: A scene from the 1973 film The Exorcist, which drew attention to the phenomenon of supposed demonic possession
Paragraph 1673 explains: ‘Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church.
‘Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science.
‘Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.’
In November, Fr Collins said he was appalled there was no ‘safeguarding from the evil spirits’ in the church.
He said then that bishops were ‘neglecting’ the practice of fighting evil and that he was ‘deeply’ bothered by the lack of priests with exorcism training.
‘It’s interesting as people lose faith in God, they are increasing their interest in the devil and it’s purely morbid,’ he said.
‘I’d say to anyone who’s got that morbid interest, “If you had to deal with evil as someone have to do, it is horrible, it is pure darkness”.’
He also added that his deep faith protects him from evil spirits, stressing that he ‘knows who’s boss’.
He said that the lord has ‘power and authority’ over evil spirits, and because of that, exorcists also have authority over the demons.
‘I believe there is nothing to be afraid of but priests and lay people need training in how to go about this and how to distinguish between psychological problems and spiritual problems and how they interconnect at times as they often do,’ he said.