by Aaron Maxwell • ChurchMilitant.com • October 17, 2016
Calls for exorcism in Italy are sharply on the rise, with some church experts even calling the shortage of exorcists an “emergency.”
Father Vincenzo Taraborelli, the new Vatican head exorcist who replaced recently deceased Fr. Gabriele Amorth, says the request for exorcisms in Italy this year alone have exceeded 500,000, and there are not enough exorcists to fulfill the demand.
He commented, “There are only nine of us left and many more are needed. We need other priests like me to meet the needs of so many families.” Father Vincenzo he sees about 30 people a day.
Valter Cascioli, a psychologist and scientific consultant to the International Association of Exorcists, commented, “The lack of exorcists is a real emergency. There is a pastoral emergency as a result of a significant increase in the number of diabolical possessions that exorcist priests are confronting.”
Cascioli went on, “The number of exorcists has increased in recent years, but there are still not enough to deal with a dramatic situation that affects, above all, young people who use the internet a lot.”
“There is a broad spread of superstitious practices,” he continued, “and with that a growing number of requests for help from people who are directly or indirectly struck by evil.” He added, “It is dangerous to underestimate a phenomenon that is caused by the direct actions of the devil, but also by a decline in faith and values.” Read the rest of this article at Church Militant
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