“Annabelle: Creation” opened in theatres in NZ on August 10.
What children read, what they see on the screen, can inspire them toward greater faithfulness.
Conversely, Father Robert warns, it can lead them into the sordid world of the occult, even opening them to demonic possession.
Father Robert is not exaggerating. A priest for more than ten years and an experienced exorcist, he knows firsthand the unintended consequences when children or adults open the door to demonic activity.
“Oftentimes,” he says, “[demon possession] begins because kids get curious after reading Harry Potter.” He explains that kids want the unusual powers that they see depicted on the screen.
One former Satanist whom Father Robert knew personally, a man who has turned away from his past life and embraced the Catholic faith, had begun his descent into Satanism at the age of nine or ten, when he began playing a game called “Bloody Mary.”
From that simple beginning, he gradually became involved with others who were Satanists.
Respecting Confidentiality
An important part of Father Robert’s ministry is training other priests at the Vatican’s official Exorcism Institute in America.
From across the country and around the world, Catholic priests come to the Institute to learn the secrets of this ancient rite, so that they too can exorcize demons and evil spirits.
The nature of the work that Father Robert and the Institute are involved in is so hazardous that he has requested that the Register not publish his full name or reveal his location.
A Decidedly “Catholic” Horror Film
I had the opportunity to meet and talk with Father Robert at a recent media preview of New Line Cinema’s latest horror production, “Annabelle: Creation”, which opens nationwide on August 11.
Directed by David F. Sandberg (director of the short film “Lights Out”), “Annabelle: Creation” is actually a prequel to the highly successful 2014 release of “Annabelle” – which is itself a prequel to the 2013 cult favorite “The Conjuring” and the more recent “Conjuring 2”(2016).
Father Robert had seen them all, and he agreed that “Annabelle: Creation” was largely faithful to the Catholic Church’s teachings with regard to possession and exorcism. Continue reading
Sources
- National Catholic Register article by Kathy Schiffer, a Catholic blogger
- Image: IGN