Dozens of Catholic priests in the U.S. have spent the weekend brushing up on their Devil-banishing skills in a bid to boost the number of clergy qualified to carry out exorcisms. Although the rite - in which the spirit of the Devil is cast out from a possessed victim - is rarely carried out, church leaders have been swamped with requests for exorcisms from worried parishioners. Currently the church has just a handful of priests qualified to investigate thousands of cases. 'Learning the liturgical rite is not difficult,' said Texas archbishop Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who spoke at the event in Baltimore. 'The problem is the discernment that the exorcist needs before he would ever attempt the rite.' The weekend training camp - which was attended by more than 100 bishops and priests - provided lessons in outlining the scriptural basis of evil, instructing clergy on evaluating whether a person is truly possessed, and a review the prayers and rituals that comprise an exorcism. No one knows why more people in the U.S. are seeking the rite. Organisers said one reason could be the growing interest among Americans in exploring general spirituality, as opposed to participating in organised religion, which has led more people to dabble in the occult. Despite strong interest in the training, scepticism about the rite persists within the American church. Event organisers said they were aware of the ridicule that can accompany discussion of the subject. (Daily Mail)Tuesday 16 November 2010
More Of "The Ridiculous and The Sublime":Better the Devil you know: Catholic Church in U.S. gives lessons in how to perform exorcisms
Dozens of Catholic priests in the U.S. have spent the weekend brushing up on their Devil-banishing skills in a bid to boost the number of clergy qualified to carry out exorcisms. Although the rite - in which the spirit of the Devil is cast out from a possessed victim - is rarely carried out, church leaders have been swamped with requests for exorcisms from worried parishioners. Currently the church has just a handful of priests qualified to investigate thousands of cases. 'Learning the liturgical rite is not difficult,' said Texas archbishop Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who spoke at the event in Baltimore. 'The problem is the discernment that the exorcist needs before he would ever attempt the rite.' The weekend training camp - which was attended by more than 100 bishops and priests - provided lessons in outlining the scriptural basis of evil, instructing clergy on evaluating whether a person is truly possessed, and a review the prayers and rituals that comprise an exorcism. No one knows why more people in the U.S. are seeking the rite. Organisers said one reason could be the growing interest among Americans in exploring general spirituality, as opposed to participating in organised religion, which has led more people to dabble in the occult. Despite strong interest in the training, scepticism about the rite persists within the American church. Event organisers said they were aware of the ridicule that can accompany discussion of the subject. (Daily Mail)