Vatican rolls out exorcism training course to counter rise in 'demonic possessions'

After seeing a threefold increase in the demand for exorcisms, the Vatican announced last week it would hold a week-long conference to train priests in how to rid people of demonic possessions.

The April gathering in Rome aims “to offer a rich reflection and articulation on a topic that is sometimes unspoken and controversial,” exorcist Friar Benigno Palilla told Vatican Radio.

“We touch on the most burning issues,” he said. “From the sects linked to Satanism to their story of liberation [from] their possession.”

Mr Palilla, who is one of the organisers of the event, said there are about 500,000 cases requiring exorcisms in Italy each year, USA Today reported.

He blames the uptick in demons on practices that “open the door to the devil and to possession” like seeking the advice of fortune tellers and Tarot card readers.

While many of the reported cases are actually related to psychological or spiritual problems, Mr Palilla conceded, they must still be investigated.

But the church is concerned that many priests either haven’t learned or refuse to learn exorcism techniques.

“We priests, very often, do not know how to deal with the concrete cases presented to us. In the preparation of priesthood, we do not talk about these things,” Mr Palilla said.

In France, the demand for exorcists has also soared, but independent contractors have taken up the jobs — charging $US178 ($AU227) an hour — as the Catholic Church neglected training priests in the practice, The Economist reported.

Mr Palilla warned against using an amateur exorcist because they “certainly make errors”.

Exorcism is recognised under the Catholic Church’s canon law and can only be performed with permission from within the church. The Vatican-backed International Association of Exorcists was founded in 1990 and has licensed some 200 members across the world.

Vatican Is Training Exorcists To Meet Surge In Alleged Demonic Possession Cases

The Vatican set up dedicated exorcism training courses, starting this week, for clergy interested in advancing their skills in the field. Apparently the training was set up to cope with an evident increase in the number of requests for such services, which have tripled in Italy over the past few years, reports said Friday.

Sicilian priest and trained exorcist Benigno Palilla told Vatican News there are about 500,000 cases requiring exorcism services in Italy each year, due to which the Vatican has set up exorcism training courses.

"We touch on the most burning issues: from the sects linked to Satanism to the [telling] their story of liberation [from] their possession," Palilla said.

However, he warned novices in this field should leave training in the art of exorcism to the professionals, and not attempt the expulsion of evil spirits from the bodies of people without appropriate supervision.

"A self-taught exorcist certainly [makes] errors. I will say more: it would also take a period of apprenticeship, as happens for many professionals. An apprenticeship before starting the ministry," he explained.

He said "as for lawyers and professionals," trainee exorcists and novices should work closely with priests in the field before taking on any kind of casework themselves.

"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 added.

Palilla blamed this uptick in the demand of exorcism on the increasing number of people seeking out the services of fortune tellers, astrologers, and Tarot card readers. These things "open the door to the devil and to possession," he claimed to Vatican News. But he also stated an increasing number of cases involved psychological issues rather than actual demon possession.

'Brother Hermes' (standing) performs an exorcism on three people who claim to be possessed by spirits in La Cumbre, Valle del Cauca department, Colombia, June 1, 2011. Photo: Getty Images

Palilla himself holds classes on exorcism in Palermo, Sicily, along with other expert speakers on Satanism.

The Vatican also hopes to step up its game against demon possessions with an international conference in April that will go on for a week, in order to address a threefold increase in demand in Italy alone for the services of exorcists.

The church claimed it is specifically concerned about the uneven skills of some of its current exorcists and worried about priests who are no longer willing to learn the techniques as well.

This assessment is a major finding following a four-day meeting in Sicily, which included testimony on sects and Satanism, according to Vatican News.

Exorcism has been recognized under the Catholic Church's canon law; however, can only performed with high-level permission from within the church.

The first guidelines put out for exorcism were set forth in 1614, but were modified in 1999 with providing more emphasis against mistaking an illness for demonic possession.

The new guidelines stated that a rite must only be performed "after diligent inquiry and after having consulted experts in spiritual matters and, if felt appropriate, experts in medical and psychiatric science who have a sense of spiritual reality." The guidelines also call for a complete media ban on any rites performed, to avoid "spectacle."

The Vatican in 2014 backed the International Association of Exorcists, the group set up in 1991 by Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s chief exorcist.

This association has around 400 members, and majority of its member – 240 of them – are based in Italy.