The Vatican has announced steps to combat the misuse of Catholic spirituality for potential spiritual abuse. Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, has expressed a heightened vigilance over the potential for mystical or spiritual elements to be exploited for abusive ends. Speaking to OSV News, Cardinal Read more
The Vatican has responded to Bishop of Christchurch Michael Gielen’s request for help dealing with unauthorised exorcisms and related spiritual abuse in the Diocese. The retired bishop of Toowoomba, Robert McGuckin (pictured), has been tasked with conducting an Apostolic Visitation to investigate the allegations. The former professor of Canon Law at the University of Notre Read more
Following allegations of unauthorised exorcisms, Bishop Michael Gielen has suspended all exorcisms in the Christchurch diocese and ordered a comprehensive review of the practice. Gielen is currently in Portugal at World Youth Day. The announcement arrives in the wake of a report by TV3 journalist Michael Morrah that exposed alleged unapproved exorcisms conducted by the Read more
The recent television reporting of exorcisms and potential abuse by a fringe religious group in the Diocese of Christchurch is deeply disturbing on several levels. Poor Church communication is in the spotlight. The nub of the issue is why a fringe group, that does not belong to the mainstream of the Church and does not Read more
Fr Michael Mary, the leader of the ‘Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer,’ a conservative Latin Rite Catholic group in Christchurch, denies accusations that his group performed exorcisms on children. He clarified that sprinkling Holy Water around a child does not constitute an exorcism. The controversy surrounding the ‘Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer’, also Read more
A former Celebration member believes deliverance – the Pentecostal equivalent of exorcism – has been used to replace counselling, medical care and even law enforcement at the controversial church. Others say the experience of having a demon ‘cast out’ made them physically ill or left them psychologically damaged. Read more
Catholic priests are receiving an “overwhelming” number of requests from Covid patients for exorcisms to eradicate the infection. “During the pandemic, priests around the world have had more requests for psychiatric help from parishioners,” said Father Luis Ramirez, one of the 15th exorcists’ convention in Rome organisers says. “There is more awareness of exorcists and Read more
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone says exorcism prayers in Latin, because “tends to be more effective against the devil because he doesn’t like the language of the Church”. Cordileone recently performed an exorcism ceremony outside a Catholic church in San Rafael, where protesters had earlier toppled a statue of Father Junipero Serra. Serra was an Read more
A quality control guide has been issued by a group of exorcists to combat demonic possession. The handbook insists authority to perform exorcisms belongs exclusively to priests assigned by their diocesan bishop. According to the group, they issued the quality control guide because of a perception that there are too many unauthorised rogue operators, both Read more
Five people, including the leader of a self-styled Catholic prayer group, have been arrested in the West African country of Ivory Coast after a 16-year-old girl died during an exorcism. The accused were brought before the public prosecutor’s office on May 28 on charges of “intentional assault and battery” related to the May 18th death Read more