- Nov 26, 2019
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FYI, but you probably already knew, a Catholic diocese is supposed to have an exorcist (or even a few exorcists). And very rarely will the name of the exorcist be made public, or even be common knowledge among laity or other priests. I never knew the names of any exorcists in either diocese I have lived in. And it's not the kind of thing you look up in a phone book. Fr. Amorth was indeed an exception in being known.
Then too an exorcist cannot perform an exorcism without the express permission of the bishop. These are not independent agents. They also usually work together with medical personnel, and sometimes require multiple sessions.
The new 'Exorcist' movie is one I doubt I will be seeing. The original had some basis in fact, and although I have not read the book OR seen the movie I was in the building years after the exorcisms were completed and met with people who have had living memories of those days. I think the movie 'Nefarious' is far more realistic and less sensational. But then it had a patsy shrink and a patsy priest who you would NOT want doing your exorcism. I will be going to that movie soon. It's not my genre but Nefarious seemed to get some things right, as did 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose'.
Indeed even the original Exorcist depicted such a severe case of posession it could only be described as Wagnerian, and i have never heard of a demon managing to kill not one but both exorcists, at least in the Orthodox Church exorcisms are expected to be efficacious. It is worth noting that in the early church, far from being an elite office, exorcists were the most junior of the minor orders, ranking below doorkeepers and far below lectors in the pecking order. By the way, as far as I am aware, in the Orthodox Church the need for exorcism is sufficiently rare that they are not appointed on a diocesan level, nor has the need been increasing dramatically, and also frequently if someone has dabbled in the occult they can be considered to have left the church and are to be received through chrismation. This is something where it might be worth asking one of our Orthodox friends like @HTacianas or @prodromos to comment.
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