An Exorcist Tells His Story

(Note: This paperback edition is dated 1999 but states that the 12th edition of the book was published in 1994. Original publication date is not given in this edition. I’ve guessed that the book could have been published as early as the 1970s or anytime thereafter up until the 12th edition in 1994.)When Fr. Gabriele Amorth was appointed to undertake an apostolate of exorcism at the Vatican, he was assigned to assist and learn from Fr. Candido Amantini who had 36 years experience in exorcism. After years of his own experience and that gained also along with Amantini, Fr. Amorth saw a crying need for a greater availability of exorcists, and therefore greater knowledge about exorcism in order to relieve the suffering of an ever-increasing multitude of people who were possessed and otherwise afflicted by demons. He says he has striven to “fill a void and to present [his] argument from every angle” so as to help bring about in the Catholic Church a response to the need for knowledgeable exorcists. He hopes for “other writers with competence and religious sensitivity, so that the topic can be treated with the proper depth, which was found in times past among Catholics but is now found only among Protestants.” However, he notes that what Protestants usually do would more rightly be termed “deliverance” (forms of private or common intercessory prayers) than “exorcism” (prayers in the Church “Ritual”).He notes that “Jesus first gave the power to cast out demons to his apostles; then he extended the power to the seventy-two disciples, and in the end he granted it to all those who would believe in him.” He warns, however, that it is dangerous for amateurs to attempt to “attack the devil.” (Within the lore of Catholic saints, there are holy women who have performed successful exorcisms. Perhaps there may be records, unknown to this reviewer, of other holy Catholic religious and lay people who’ve done and are now doing the same. Many Protestants would surely be able also to state their own cases of actual true exorcisms they’ve done for people who fit the definition of being fully “possessed.”)In this book, Amorth says that he chooses “to dwell on what is less known and on practical aspects that may be useful to exorcists and to anyone who wishes to learn about the subject.”Besides ordinary “temptation,” which is the most common activity of demons, Fr. Amorth delineates six different forms of extraordinary demonic activity to include: external physical pain caused by Satan, demonic possession, diabolical oppression, diabolic obsession, diabolic infestation, and diabolical subjugation, or dependence. He notes the typical “gifts” of powers that Satan gives to his faithful followers---such as clairvoyance and others---and which the follower may or may not know have come to himself or herself from Satan. Amorth talks about the various evidences that can be signs of full “possession,” and he gives the three conditions or signs that are ALWAYS present in possessed people but which usually do not become evident except during the exorcism. He makes an argument that the exorcist cannot really know for sure that a person is “possessed” without going ahead with an exorcism. Therefore, he argues that “an unnecessary exorcism never harmed anybody.” For those who are concerned about the likelihood of confusing possession with mental illness, he states that “the first experts to caution about making this diagnostic mistake have been the ecclesiastic authorities themselves.” Amorth says that “an expert exorcist will be able to detect the difference more easily than a psychiatrist because the exorcist will keep his mind open to all possibilities and will be able to identify the distinguishing elements. The psychiatrist, [however,] in the majority of cases, does not believe in demonic possession...”Amorth points out that an exorcism can be a very long process and that it requires the cooperation of the patient which is often very difficult for the patient to give. Amorth lists factors that can help the victimized person, but he emphasizes that the time element of the final healing belongs to God, also that God brings good out of evil. In many cases it is a mystery why and how a person became possessed in the first place. This book and Fr. Amorth’s subsequent book entitled “An Exorcist, More Stories” both include stories about many mysterious and perplexing cases. These could be very helpful to lay readers who are troubled with perplexing symptoms in themselves or others, and also helpful to priests and ministers who are in search of insight into mysterious troubles they are experiencing in their efforts to heal and help people.(One thing that becomes apparent to a reader who explores the contributions of several or more exorcists and deliverance ministers is that there exists a fairly wide variance in their opinions and teachings about many elements of their subject matter. Probably exorcists and deliverance ministers who are Protestants and Catholics will unfortunately not be inclined to respect the opinions of their opposites in these two camps. [I mean there is so much unfortunate enmity between the ministers traditionally opposed to one another. And how wonderful if they could be “dispossessed” of their enmity and cooperate in their battle against evil and the author of it.] For other books that show Protestants involved in successful deliverances and exorcisms and also some additional practical experiential wisdom from Catholic lay ministers of deliverance and exorcism, read “The Dark Sacrament,” by Kiely and McKenna, and “Deliverance from Evil Spirits,” by Francis MacNutt. There are surely many other good books along the same lines, but those are two thought-provoking and very helpful and informative books that I'm familiar with and so am able to recommend.)Fr. Amorth makes clear that “evil, suffering, death, and hell (that is, eternal damnation in everlasting torment) are not acts of God.” (In fact, Fr. A. tells of a demon who told him during an exorcism: “It wasn’t God who made hell. It was us. He had not even thought of it.” And another demon claimed that “all of us cooperated ” in making hell!) (Of course, Fr. Amorth warns that the devil and demons are liers and what they say cannot be trusted. He instructs against conversing with the devil or demons during exorcisms.)Amorth states clearly that “The truth of salvation is this: Jesus came ‘to destroy the works of the devil’ (I Jn 3:8), to free man from Satan’s slavery, and to establish the kingdom of God after destroying the reign of Satan.”The reader may be amazed to find bits of incredible information. For instance, peculiar objects like nails and roles of wire and other odd objects sometimes materialize out of the possessed person’s body or otherwise manifest in some way during the exorcism.The reader will find many informative statements throughout the text such as that : “Satan’s power is felt more keenly in periods of history when the sinfulness of the community is more evident.” Or, that the demons are very sensitive to the five senses. (A demon told Fr. Amorth, “We enter through the senses.”) That the final goal of the devil is to bring a person to despair and suicide. That possession is not contagious to relatives, witnesses to an exorcism, or to places where exorcisms are held. That Baptism is one of the two chief methods of exorcism (that is to say, Baptism is an exorcism). That spells and curses can cause possession. That “Almost always in cases of evil presence [during an exorcism], the eyes look completely white, [and] we can barely discern, even with the help of both hands, whether the pupils are toward the top or the bottom of the eyes.”There is much much significant information in this book and Amorth’s other book. It’s impossible to give a complete idea of what can be learned from the two books. The names of Chapters in this book include: The Centrality of Christ. The Power of Satan. Exorcisms. Targets of the Evil One. The Point of Departure. The First “Blessing.” The Demon’s Behavior. A Victim’s Witness. Effect of Exorcisms. Water, Oil, Salt. Exorcising Houses. The Curse. More on Witchcraft. Who Can Expel Demons? The Cinderella of the Ritual. Pastoral Directives to Be Rebuilt. There are prayers of deliverance at the end of the book. (There is no Index.)Fr. Amorth tells of many many instances of his experience of suffering Italian people who sought the needed help of deliverance or exorcism but could find no priests near them who were willing and/or knowledgeable enough to help them.In the last several years and currently in the spring of 2015, the Vatican is responding to the need that Fr. Amorth was made evident decades ago by amassing forces of exorcist priests and amassing increased knowledge about the subject of possession and exorcism.(I wonder if the time has come for someone to write a "comparative" compendium of collected information taken from the writings and/or testimonies, both from the past and in the present, of numerous exorcists and deliverance ministers, both Catholic and Protestant. Both groups are encountering a greater need to help the many people who seek their help. The increase in occult activity is a causitive factor in the increased need. [Catholic prophecies and at least one Marian apparition have said that an extra force of demons would invade the world sometime about mid-20th century, I think. I don't recall the exact timing.] A compendium of information would be a large project but could be very useful to ministers. It would also likely be a very interesting book, to say the least.)

Picked the book up and was hard to put back down.

This is the 2nd time I've read this book. I first read it when the book was first published, but then loaned it out and never got it back. A while back, I repurchased it, this time in the Kindle version.I am truly amazed about what Fr. Amorth describes. It is scary.Sometimes, I confess, I have doubts. I am human and so, I sometimes wonder how there can be anything so cruel as demons. Yet, I know they exist. I have only to look at history to know this is a truth: Hitler and the Nazis, Stalin and the communists, Pol Pot, Mao, Che Guevara, and so on. So, while I have trouble comprehending this evil, the evidence is clear throughout history, particularly the 20th century which saw the deaths of 400 million (or more) at the hands of atheistic regimes.People try to say that more wars have been fought in the name of religion than for any other reason. The 20th century gives lie to that claim. The evil one, in his evil lies, has led to more destruction, than God ever did. And he has done it by convincing people to deny God. Atheists hate and destroy, not Christians who truly believe and follow the Word of God.Christ exorcised demons from people of His time, and Scripture even tells us of other exorcisms.Popular culture would have us believe that demons will just enter a person, or take over animals, etc.This book explains what the demons can and cannot do. And they are always incredibly brutal.It is painfully clear, after reading this book, that science can do nothing to stop the evil one.Fr. Amorth doesn't mince words when he describes not only successful exorcisms, but also failures and terrible mistakes that are made.Sometimes, a victim is not liberated from the evil one. This is perhaps the most devastating fact in this book. Not everyone is freed from the evil one's influence. Most are, but often other factors figure in, including those who don't want to give up the vice that opened themselves up to exorcism, or because the spell, or hex, or curse has yet to be broken. This is complicated and I cannot explain it all in this little (and immediately poorly written) review.I'm astonished at how difficult it is in finding the right words for this review and so I'll just move on to another part of this book. Namely, Fr. Amorth has included some excellent prayers that are efficacious in deliverance that the ordinary lay person can use against the evil one. I found a pamphlet online that has these exact prayers (Fr. Amorth is given full credit in this pamphlet) and have downloaded them to my Kindle.Bottom line is this, demons exist, and they exist to ruin, to destroy and to claim as many into hell as they can. And they do a darn good job in convincing people they don't exist, which gives them an open field to hurt and maim as much as they can.Disbelieve at your peril.