Editor's Note: We would like to make it clear that the Russian Faith team is flatly opposed to the pan-heresy of Ecumenism, rejecting any common prayer and union with heretics, be they Catholic, Protestant, Oriental Orthodox etc., in accordance with the teaching of the Orthodox Church and its canons. However, we occasionally share texts written by Catholics (& others) only when the content of the text remains completely within the bounds of sound doctrine.
Readers may recall that in June 2010, the author and pro-life leader Fr. Thomas Euteneuer discussed his recent book on the often misunderstood topic of exorcism, asserting that “priests are going to be inundated in the next decade or so at least with requests for exorcism because I can already see it happening now where the younger generations especially have been affected by a lot of hard and soft occultism [...] Soft forms of occultism are like Wicca and New Age,” he explained, adding that “Harry Potter contributes to that with over 400 million books being sold.” The popular book series, he claimed, has helped educate “younger generations in the language and the symbolism of the occult.” Although many young people have treated the books merely as “entertainment,” he observed, “it actually leads them more deeply into occult practices.”
Now, a decade later, his prediction seems to be materializing. It seems to be a well-publicized fact the Catholic Church is inundated with requests for exorcism. The problem is so sweeping that Catholic leaders are "reporting a system failure within Catholicism right now, as they simply can't keep up with the demand. A survey of 120 Italian exorcists by the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, a Vatican-approved university in Rome, found that they were overwhelmed by a growing number of "possessed" people. Researcher Giuseppe Frau said that some exorcists were seeing 30 to 50 cases a day, according to The Times of London. Similarly, the Sicilian priest Benigno Palilla claimed the demand for exorcist-trained priests had tripled in recent years, with requests for exorcisms in Italy allegedly reaching 500,000 per year.
One priest, Father Giuseppe Bernardi, sought help from psychologists over a hysterical young woman who jumped over pews, assaulted monks and insulted them in several languages including Latin. The woman's father said she suffered from a psychiatric problem, but her mother believed she was possessed. Participants in the Vatican university survey claimed that satanic possession could be distinguished by signs including vomiting, unusual physical strength and a sudden capacity to speak ancient languages such as Latin, Hebrew or Aramaic.
Sources: catholicnewsagency.com; newsweek.com; christianpost.com