A Modern Real Life Exorcist

dThe concept of exorcisms dates as far back in Christianity in which it is said that Jesus cast out demons according to the Gospels. It's possible that expelling evil spirits goes back even further.

Today, when we think exorcisms, we most likely associate it with two things: the Catholic church and exorcism’s part in Hollywood.

While exorcisms are thought of as just a concept in horror films, notably the 1973 classic, The Exorcist, the practice very much exists in real life and is still being performed today.

The concept of exorcisms has even been referenced into literary works such as Shakespeare's "King Lear"

Of course, horror flicks such as The Exorcist which is based on the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty only scratch surface level of what exorcisms are truly like.

Exorcisms are rituals involving prayer that have the sole intention of removing evil and demonic spirits.

A Modern Real Life Exorcist

Father Gabriele Amorth was a real-life exorcist who is said to have performed a startling 100,000 exorcists.

While he’s had quite an influential role in the exorcisms within the Catholic church, Father Amore didn’t become involved in exorcisms until later in life. Over time, he has gained an abundance of respect. Perhaps why he was so respected was because of his surprising combination of humor and seriousness.

Father Amore is quite a rarity of a character combining seriousness with humor. He has jokingly said he speaks and argues with the Devil himself while still keeping a seriousness about the work he does as an exorcist.

I suppose with being an exorcist, you’d need to have some kind of humor. An immense amount of faith and humor.

Father Amorth did many things as his time as the official Exorcist of the Vatican including writing a book that detailed his journey as an Exorcist titled An Exorcist Tells His Story as well as founding The International Association of Exorcists. Yes. There really is such a thing.

Father Amorth was an exorcist from the years 1986 until his death in 2016. In that time, he has left behind a legacy on the conduct of exorcisms and the Catholic church. His lifelong legacy changed the way exorcisms were viewed.

The film, The Pope’s Exorist (2023) is a supernatural horror film based on the real-life story of Father Amore’s time as the Chief Exorcist of the Diocese of Rome. I’ve honestly never heard of Father Amorth and his work until I’ve watched this film.

Starring Russell Crowe as Father Amorth, it has a strong ratio of chilling suspense, paranormal horror, and bits of humor throughout. I highly recommend watching it.

For as long as the concept of exorcisms has existed, skepticism has also resided along with it. The skepticism of the existence of exorcisms is understandable as supernatural forces are involved. Is the supernatural real? Do ghosts exist? Do demons? Can the symptoms of someone that is possessed in reality be a mental disorder?

Just as with any profession out there, frauds claiming to be exorcists have also happened.

Do you believe in the idea of being possessed and exorcisms? I’m on the fence as to whether or not I believe in demons and exorcisms.

While I’m not 100% definite if I believe in demons or exorcisms, I still strongly believe that much like people, there must be spirits out there that aren't so good. Even more so, there is much to this world we still don’t know and maybe we will never know.

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