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	Access of Evil By Alex Beam Boston Globe March 19, 2010 http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2010/03/19/access_of_evil_in_these_troubled_times_exorcism_could_be_a_growth_industry/ In these troubled times, it appears that exorcism could be a growth industry The Roman Catholic Church, to invoke a cliche from the banal world of corporate public relations, is facing significant challenges. The kind of clergy sex abuse scandals known to the American faithful are now being reported in Europe, too. In the United States, the number of men willing to enter the priesthood is dwindling, and almost every week brings news of parish closings in once-thriving dioceses. The church’s response? Bring on the exorcists! The Vatican’s chief exorcist, the publicity-crazed, 84-year-old father Gabriele Amorth, is sparing no horses in promoting his new book, “Memoirs of an Exorcist.’’ The root of the church’s problems, Amorth claims, is that “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican.’’ He freely discusses “cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon.’’ Popping off to the Times of London, Amorth says he is on a first-name basis with Satan, and claims to have performed 70,000 exorcisms. The modern world, he says, has “given in to the Evil One. You see it in the lack of faith, the empty churches, the collapse of the family . . . women did not go out to work. Now they have to because one income cannot support a family. So young people are left to their own devices, they get into bad company, they have lost their roots and replaced them with the negative influences of television and the Internet, or the occult.’’ Amorth has said that Pope Benedict XVI wanted to increase the number of exorcists in Catholic archdioceses, invoking the purported uptick in Satanism associated with rock music and interest in the occult. Italian churches have increased the number of priests trained in exorcism, but it is far from clear if other countries have followed suit. It has been reported that the Boston Archdiocese has an exorcist on call, but spokesman Terrence Donilon could not confirm this. “We do not comment publicly on specific requests for or the individuals involved regarding the possibility of an exorcism,’’ he said. Exorcism, which means the relief from demonic possession, is widely misunderstood by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Jesus battles with evil spirits in the Bible, and, in Mark 16:17, suggests that lay Christians can do the same: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.’’ Strictly speaking, you don’t need a fancy degree to perform exorcisms. Bill Jordan, a minister and registered nurse in Choctaw, Okla., and founder of the American Association of Exorcists, used to offer a 19-part audio cassette tape course intended “to provide certification training for Christians desiring a career in exorcism/deliverance.’’ The tapes (“Halloween: Whose Trick Is It Anyway?,’’ “Santeria, Macumba, Hoodoo, and Voodoo’’) cost between $15 and $25 each and led to “Ministerial Ordination as an Exorcism-Deliverance Minister (he/she cannot perform baptisms or weddings),’’ according to Jordan’s website. Jordan told me he wanted more exorcists available to fight evil. “The Catholic Church was very strict about who could get involved, and that made it difficult for people who are truly demonically possessed,’’ he said. “There are so many people knocking on the doors, they’ve had difficulty handling the load. And other Christian ministries are unwilling to tackle this issue out of fear.’’ In theory, Jordan accepted only Christian postulants, although in the several years he offered the course, no one applied. “Two people were interested, one in Haiti and one in Lebanon, and in the end I just sent them the tapes free of charge,’’ he said. A Southern Baptist, Jordan agrees with the Vatican that evil is intensifying the modern world, but he arrives at that conclusion differently. “The Bible indicates we’re getting close to the time of the rapture, and that satanic forces are going to be increasing the closer we get to that event.’’ Although he admits he has yet to perform an exorcism, he does not underestimate the enormity of the task, nor his formidable opponent: “One of the problems is that demons are tricky, they may not leave,’’ he explained. “They are a very sneaky enemy. Not everyone understands the wiles of the devil.’’ Alex Beam is a Globe columnist. His e-dress is beam@globe.com
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