Children left screaming and in tears after priest at Polish religious camp carries out mass exorcism in bid to 'banish the devil'

By Mark Duell
Daily Mail
March 30, 2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3018864/Children-left-screaming-tears-priest-Polish-religious-camp-carries-mass-exorcism-bid-banish-devil.html

'Spiritual renewal through prayer': 1,000 pupils from Gryfice, Poland, attended the three-day Christian camp

Hands: The children were left screaming and in tears after a priest carried out a mass exorcism at the camp

On the floor: Children the priest had touched began screaming while others burst into fits of laughter

Down they go: A church spokesman for the area said it had not received any complaints about the camp

Children were left screaming and in tears after a priest carried out an exorcism at a Christian camp.

Some 1,000 pupils from Gryfice, Poland, attended the three-day event - which was billed as a way of helping ‘young people explore God and devote themselves to spiritual renewal through prayer’.

But when the youngsters arrived at the camp to mark Lent, they found that 37-year-old priest Tomas Wieczorek wanted their demons to be exorcised and replaced with God.

Mother Magda Rutkowska said: ‘On the first day he took a few of the children on stage and placed his hand on their foreheads one by one and started repeating “Holy Spirit, come. Holy Spirit, come”.

The 43-year-old witness added: ‘Some of the children fainted while others started crying.’

The priest told friends who tried to help those affected to stay where they were, adding: ‘God is entering their souls and banishing the devil.’

Other children the priest had touched began screaming while some burst into fits of laughter.

One of the students said: ‘It was really scary, almost like a mental asylum. Some of them were writhing on the floor, others were laughing hysterically and others were screaming and crying.

‘The priest said he was purifying them but it was all too much for most of us. The next day we didn’t turn up because we were scared about what would happen.’
It was really scary, almost like a mental asylum

School psychologist Halina Wysocka said: ‘Children are not emotionally mature enough to experience prayer during which the Holy Spirit may enter them. The methods presented were similar to those in religious sects.’

A church spokesman for the area said: ‘We haven’t received any complaints so far, so there’s no problem.’

The Metropolitan Police has received reports in recent years of children in Britain being dunked in baths or forced to drink noxious liquids to cleanse them in exorcism ceremonies.