Not many people know it, but there is an official position in the Vatican called “Chief Exorcist”. The post is currently filled by 85-year old Father Babriele Amorth, and this is his 25th year in that office. Not surprisingly, he puts the blame squarely on the Devil for all the ills that happened to the Vatican.
Father Babriele Amorth has just published a book called Memoirs of an Exorcist. It consists of a series of interviews with the Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti. He has also given interviews to the media, including La Repubblica.
But first, what are his credentials? Father Babriele Amorth was ordained by the Roman Catholic Church in 1954 and became an official exorcist in 1986. Besides holding the office of Chief Exorcist of the Vatican for 25 years, he is also the current President of Honour of the Association of Exorcists. And he has dealt with 70,000 cases of demonic possession over the years. His standing in the Vatican is so high that when he objected to a new version of the exorcism rite in 2001, the Vatican said later that he and other exorcists who objected could continue to use the old ritual.
So here is a person who knows the Devil thoroughly, having confronted him face to face in 70,000 cases over 25 years. He also knows the Vatican intimately. And therefore when he speaks of the Devil and of the Vatican, he deserves to be taken seriously.
So what did he say about the Devil and the Vatican in both his Memoirs of an Exorcist and in his interview with La Repubblica? Here are some details.
On Satan
Father Babriele Amorth said that the Devil “manifests himself with blasphemies and afflictions in the person he possesses. He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, transform himself or appear to be agreeable. At times he makes fun of me.”
He said that the 1973 film The Exorcist, gives a “substantially exact” picture of demonic possession, notwithstanding some parts which are ”exaggerated.”
A possessed person is so strong that oftentimes Father Babriele Amorth requires 6 or 7 assistants to hold him down. There is also the yelling and screaming from the possessed person. And then there are things that a possessed person can spit out from his mouth. Father Babriele Amorth said: “Anything can come out of their mouths – finger-length pieces of iron, but also rose petals.”
On Satanic Infiltration
Father Babriele Amorth believes that Satan has infiltrated the Roman Catholic Church. He said: “The Devil is at work inside the Vatican.” On what basis did he come to this conclusion? He gave a couple of reasons:
1. The ever growing sex abuse scandals within the Roman Catholic Church.
2. The power struggle within the Vatican.
3. The Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church who do not believe in Jesus.
4. Bishops who are linked to the Demon.
On Satanic Attacks
On June 29, 1972 speaking on the 9th anniversary of his coronation, Pope Paul VI said (according to a translation by Father Stephanos Pedrano): “From some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God. There is doubt, incertitude, problematic, disquiet, dissatisfaction, confrontation. There is no longer trust of the Church; they trust the first profane prophet who speaks in some journal or some social movement, and they run after him and ask him if he has the formula of true life.”
Now Father Babriele Amorth said: “When one speaks of ‘the smoke of Satan’ in the holy rooms, it is all true – including these latest stories of violence and paedophilia.”
Father Babriele Amorth gave the following examples of satanic attacks on the Roman Catholic Church:
1. The attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981.
2. The 2009 Christmas Day assualt on Pope Benedict XVI during Midnight Mass by a mentally disturbed woman.
On Satanic Behavior
Father Babriele Amorth gave the following examples of satanic behavior:
1. The Vatican’s “cover-up” of the 1998 deaths of 2 Swiss Guard and one of the man’s wife. Father Babriele Amorth said: “They covered up everything immediately. Here one sees the rot”. He was referring to the Vatican’s investigation that concluded that it was a double murder and suicide. However there were unconfirmed reports of a fourth person being involved in a homosexual relationship.
2. He previously warned that Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler were possessed by the Devil.
3. He warned also that Harry Potter novels made a “false distinction between black and white magic”.
So what has been the reaction from the church? Father José Antonio Fortea Cucurull, a Rome-based exorcist said: “Cardinals might be better or worse, but all have upright intentions and seek the glory of God. To affirm that some cardinals are members of satanic sects is an unacceptable distance.”
So what does Father Babriele Amorth hope to achieve out of all this? His wish is to see every diocese have a resident exorcist.
Think about it. Father Babriele Amorth has made some very serious statements against the Roman Catholic Church. He said that the Devil has infiltrated the church and is freely working inside the Vatican. He spoke of Bishops being linked to demons and Cardinals who rejected Jesus. And he has a ready answer to all the problems facing the Roman Catholic Church today – the Devil did it. As the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, his statement carries weight. But is he right in the charges he is making against his church? Why is he making these charges now?
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