Did you know The Pope has performed an excorcism? I didn’t. In fact, it seems he has performed three excorcisms in total. Hmm…
Guess that should read Exorcist and Exorcism.
Too many holy C’s.
Those who came here specifically to correct my spelling…well, he led you here…because his are the details.
He speaks in tongues, too! :eek:
Re: the exorcism, I’m surprised he’s only done 3. He’s the Pope, though, he’s busy.
From what I’ve read there seems to be a special class of priests that takes care of stuff like that.
How would I grow up to become an excorcist someday? I mean, do you have to have super Jesus Power or what? What are their qualifications?
First, you have to be a priest to make things all official.
I wouldn’t say the Roman Catholic Churh is ashamed of exorcism, but an increased understanding of mental illness has made it more likely to try and exhaust non-religious forms of diagnosis and treatment before turning to exorcisms.
All Christians can do it, according to the Bible. (I said CAN, I daresay most have not and will never do one.)
It’s best to make sure you’re dealing with an actual demon first, though. Sometimes the person’s possessed, often though it’s just a medical problem. I think the first question that should be asked is “have you been to the doctor?”
I was actually present for one some years ago. I am not, some years removed from the experience, of the mind that anything demonic was present, but that didn’t stop it from being some scary-ass shit.
Geesh – elements of common sense entering into a discussion of exorcism! At this rate, random episodes of sanity may begin breaking out all over the place! 
While Tom~ can give a lot more detail on this, Catholicism makes a big deal over what sacramental ministries are conveyed to a given clergyman by his ordination – validity – and whether he is authorized by competent authority to perform them – licitness.
Remember that true horror story where some backwoods preacher was trying to “exorcise the demon of autism” out of a kid, and killed him? Catholicism allows only certain priests, trained to recognize “true possession,” to exorcise, to prevent just such things as the above from happening.
And, of course, as Abbie said, the promise is that any believer can “cast out devils in My Name” – but authorization to do so does not necessarily convey the wisdom to do so properly, as Abbie also noted.
Note: The above post, and the ones it quotes, are founded in the presumption, for discussion purposes, that demonic possession and exorcism are real if rare phenomena, somewhat overblown in the media and popular imagination. Think otherwise? Don’t start an argument in MPSIMS – go to Great Debates and post the reasons why you think as you do.
What happened?
Tell me! is curious to know
My Anglican pastor once did one… very scary stuff. The boy was writhing like a snake on the ground, making creepy screaming-whimpering noises, clawing at everything. shivers