Satanism and the incompetend Roman Curia
The Italian magazine Espresso asked Fr. Amorth some questions. Here are some of his most significant answers:
Question – What are the links between Satanists and the Devil?
Answer – There are two types: those who adore the Devil, celebrate Satanic masses, have their own priests and hierarchy; and those who don’t believe in Satan, but engage in actions that are either iniquitous or against nature. The latter is more dangerous.
Question – John Paul II made exorcisms over three persons possessed by the Devil. Did they work?
Answer – No, the third one did not. I have been taking care of her since 1998. It is really a sad case.
Question – Besides the Pope, what is the state of belief in the Devil in the Church?
Answer – Too low. The Devil is very pleased with that, since this gives him free reign to do his work. The Church went from one excess to another. Yesterday, it was the obsessive witches’ hunt that instead of exorcizing them, burned them; today, she has abandoned everything: devils and exorcists. The result is that there is not a single exorcist in entire Catholic areas of various countries: Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I admire the Italian Bishops. They don’t understand anything, but at least they have named exorcists. Last year we had a meeting: we were 170 exorcists.
Question – Could you explain how the Bishops don’t understand anything?
Answer – Because they, like all the priests, also studied in seminaries. And for some time the seminaries have no longer been teaching on angels and devils, nothing on exorcism, nothing on the sins against the First Commandment. “You shall not have false gods before Me” – which means the condemnation of Magic, Spiritism, Satanism.
Question – And what about the Roman Curia?
Answer – The same incompetence. It issued a new ritual that is a disaster for us exorcists. It forbids us to perform exorcisms in cases of spells, when it is known that 90 percent of the cases of possession come from them. It also forbids us to make an exorcism if we don’t have a prior certainty that there is a diabolic action, but we only can acquire this certainty by carrying out an exorcism. We are lucky that the old ritual continues to be valid. I use it, otherwise I would have to quit my job (Espresso, online edition, June 11-17, 2004; see also interview with Fr. Amorth on the new ritual – 30 Giorni, June 2000, reprinted in Christian Order).
