An Exorcist Tells His Story

(Note: This paperback edition is dated 1999 but states that the 12th edition of the book was published in 1994. Original publication date is not given in this edition. I’ve guessed that the book could have been published as early as the 1970s or anytime thereafter up until the 12th edition in 1994.) When Fr. Gabriele Amorth was appointed to undertake an apostolate of exorcism at the Vatican, he was assigned to assist and learn from Fr. Candido Amantini who had 36 years experience in exorcism. After years of his own experience and that gained also along with Amantini, Fr. Amorth saw a crying need for a greater availability of exorcists, and therefore greater knowledge about exorcism in order to relieve the suffering of an ever-increasing multitude of people who were possessed and otherwise afflicted by demons. He says he has striven to “fill a void and to present [his] argument from every angle” so as to help bring about in the Catholic Church a response to the need for knowledgeable exorcists. He hopes for “other writers with competence and religious sensitivity, so that the topic can be treated with the proper depth, which was found in times past among Catholics but is now found only among Protestants.” However, he notes that what Protestants usually do would more rightly be termed “deliverance” (forms of private or common intercessory prayers) than “exorcism” (prayers in the Church “Ritual”). He notes that “Jesus first gave the power to cast out demons to his apostles; then he extended the power to the seventy-two disciples, and in the end he granted it to all those who would believe in him.” He warns, however, that it is dangerous for amateurs to attempt to “attack the devil.” (Within the lore of Catholic saints, there are holy women who have performed successful exorcisms. Perhaps there may be records, unknown to this reviewer, of other holy Catholic religious and lay people who’ve done and are now doing the same. Many Protestants would surely be able also to state their own cases of actual true exorcisms they’ve done for people who fit the definition of being fully “possessed.”) In this book, Amorth says that he chooses “to dwell on what is less known and on practical aspects that may be useful to exorcists and to anyone who wishes to learn about the subject.” Besides ordinary “temptation,” which is the most common activity of demons, Fr. Amorth delineates six different forms of extraordinary demonic activity to include: external physical pain caused by Satan, demonic possession, diabolical oppression, diabolic obsession, diabolic infestation, and diabolical subjugation, or dependence. He notes the typical “gifts” of powers that Satan gives to his faithful followers---such as clairvoyance and others---and which the follower may or may not know have come to himself or herself from Satan. Amorth talks about the various evidences that can be signs of full “possession,” and he gives the three conditions or signs that are ALWAYS present in possessed people but which usually do not become evident except during the exorcism. He makes an argument that the exorcist cannot really know for sure that a person is “possessed” without going ahead with an exorcism. Therefore, he argues that “an unnecessary exorcism never harmed anybody.” For those who are concerned about the likelihood of confusing possession with mental illness, he states that “the first experts to caution about making this diagnostic mistake have been the ecclesiastic authorities themselves.” Amorth says that “an expert exorcist will be able to detect the difference more easily than a psychiatrist because the exorcist will keep his mind open to all possibilities and will be able to identify the distinguishing elements. The psychiatrist, [however,] in the majority of cases, does not believe in demonic possession...” Amorth points out that an exorcism can be a very long process and that it requires the cooperation of the patient which is often very difficult for the patient to give. Amorth lists factors that can help the victimized person, but he emphasizes that the time element of the final healing belongs to God, also that God brings good out of evil. In many cases it is a mystery why and how a person became possessed in the first place. This book and Fr. Amorth’s subsequent book entitled “An Exorcist, More Stories” both include stories about many mysterious and perplexing cases. These could be very helpful to lay readers who are troubled with perplexing symptoms in themselves or others, and also helpful to priests and ministers who are in search of insight into mysterious troubles they are experiencing in their efforts to heal and help people. (One thing that becomes apparent to a reader who explores the contributions of several or more exorcists and deliverance ministers is that there exists a fairly wide variance in their opinions and teachings about many elements of their subject matter. Probably exorcists and deliverance ministers who are Protestants and Catholics will unfortunately not be inclined to respect the opinions of their opposites in these two camps. [I mean there is so much unfortunate enmity between the ministers traditionally opposed to one another. And how wonderful if they could be “dispossessed” of their enmity and cooperate in their battle against evil and the author of it.] For other books that show Protestants involved in successful deliverances and exorcisms and also some additional practical experiential wisdom from Catholic lay ministers of deliverance and exorcism, read “The Dark Sacrament,” by Kiely and McKenna, and “Deliverance from Evil Spirits,” by Francis MacNutt. There are surely many other good books along the same lines, but those are two thought-provoking and very helpful and informative books that I'm familiar with and so am able to recommend.) Fr. Amorth makes clear that “evil, suffering, death, and hell (that is, eternal damnation in everlasting torment) are not acts of God.” (In fact, Fr. A. tells of a demon who told him during an exorcism: “It wasn’t God who made hell. It was us. He had not even thought of it.” And another demon claimed that “all of us cooperated ” in making hell!) (Of course, Fr. Amorth warns that the devil and demons are liers and what they say cannot be trusted. He instructs against conversing with the devil or demons during exorcisms.) Amorth states clearly that “The truth of salvation is this: Jesus came ‘to destroy the works of the devil’ (I Jn 3:8), to free man from Satan’s slavery, and to establish the kingdom of God after destroying the reign of Satan.” The reader may be amazed to find bits of incredible information. For instance, peculiar objects like nails and roles of wire and other odd objects sometimes materialize out of the possessed person’s body or otherwise manifest in some way during the exorcism. The reader will find many informative statements throughout the text such as that : “Satan’s power is felt more keenly in periods of history when the sinfulness of the community is more evident.” Or, that the demons are very sensitive to the five senses. (A demon told Fr. Amorth, “We enter through the senses.”) That the final goal of the devil is to bring a person to despair and suicide. That possession is not contagious to relatives, witnesses to an exorcism, or to places where exorcisms are held. That Baptism is one of the two chief methods of exorcism (that is to say, Baptism is an exorcism). That spells and curses can cause possession. That “Almost always in cases of evil presence [during an exorcism], the eyes look completely white, [and] we can barely discern, even with the help of both hands, whether the pupils are toward the top or the bottom of the eyes.” There is much much significant information in this book and Amorth’s other book. It’s impossible to give a complete idea of what can be learned from the two books. The names of Chapters in this book include: The Centrality of Christ. The Power of Satan. Exorcisms. Targets of the Evil One. The Point of Departure. The First “Blessing.” The Demon’s Behavior. A Victim’s Witness. Effect of Exorcisms. Water, Oil, Salt. Exorcising Houses. The Curse. More on Witchcraft. Who Can Expel Demons? The Cinderella of the Ritual. Pastoral Directives to Be Rebuilt. There are prayers of deliverance at the end of the book. (There is no Index.) Fr. Amorth tells of many many instances of his experience of suffering Italian people who sought the needed help of deliverance or exorcism but could find no priests near them who were willing and/or knowledgeable enough to help them. In the last several years and currently in the spring of 2015, the Vatican is responding to the need that Fr. Amorth was made evident decades ago by amassing forces of exorcist priests and amassing increased knowledge about the subject of possession and exorcism. (I wonder if the time has come for someone to write a "comparative" compendium of collected information taken from the writings and/or testimonies, both from the past and in the present, of numerous exorcists and deliverance ministers, both Catholic and Protestant. Both groups are encountering a greater need to help the many people who seek their help. The increase in occult activity is a causitive factor in the increased need. [Catholic prophecies and at least one Marian apparition have said that an extra force of demons would invade the world sometime about mid-20th century, I think. I don't recall the exact timing.] A compendium of information would be a large project but could be very useful to ministers. It would also likely be a very interesting book, to say the least.)

I gave this five stars even though I don't accept everything I read by Father Amorth. At least not yet. This was challenging for me to read. He pulls no punches and makes no excuses for any church's (any denominations) refusal to deal with the subject of demons. Very scripturally based with a good history on the Catholic church's stand on demonology. He did address one question I have had for awhile, which has to do with hauntings from former humans who are now spirits which hang around after they have died. There are so many TV shows and books about this type of thing but they seem to contradict the Bible. If I understood Father Amorth correctly, he stated there are only two spirits - Angels and Demons. When a person dies, his soul goes to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. If we are communicating with a spirit it is most likely demonic fooling us into thinking we are communicating with someone who has died. I tried to find the exact page so I could provide direct quotes, but could not find it again. But this has made me think twice about my acceptance of good spirits, such as parents, grandparents, etc. floating around. He is very critical of those who trust in Tarot readings, horoscopes, and other sources to guide our lives rather than only putting our faith and trust in the Bible, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I also found his stand on homosexuality to be hard to accept. I know a number of priests who are homosexual as well as other Christians who are homosexual. His view is that homosexuality is of demonic origin (as I understood it) as is most any indulgence of the flesh. This is not written by a self proclaimed ghost hunter like you see on TV who claims to have special abilities to see or talk to spirits, so you may not find it as entertaining as you might find some of the other books on the topic of Exorcisms and demonology. I plan on reading it again in the future because his book gave me a lot to think about.

This is a revealing story that tells alot about exorcism I didn't know before. The introduction references other titles that have been based on the subject, including Cronista all'inferno by Renzo Allegri. Interesting, beginning of the first chapter the point that hell is more a state of mind than a place. Topics include ordinary activity, physical pain caused by possession, posession itself, and diabolical oppression. The point is made that prayers of deliverance and repentance are the strongest ways to pick ourselves back up. Consumerism and satanic rock are listed as factors which promote evil influence, and posession due to evil spells, hexes and consulting sorcerers and sorcery. Case examples are given including the first Arab to be beatified. The most obvious cause would be association with black magic and evil places. The reality of what takes place in the exorcism is expounded upon, having instances of superhuman strength of the possessed person. These examples make up most of the rest of it, and are really detailed with the instances of the spirits revealing their names and their rank. The book referred to as a regulation for prayers of deliverance in the final section should be good to explain the importance further along. It's interesting enough and is well written, and describes the prayers. Sure is interesting.

Great little book covering the work of an Exorcist, Fr Gabriele Aamoth. Gives a more accurate description of Exorcism than we tend to get from Hollywood films, although the story of this Exorcist has come out in a film version. The book debunks many of more sensational ideas that travel around. It was nice to read something that put things into a 'real world' perspective. I found this book very interesting and a good read.

Reading this book requires and strenghtens the Christian faith. The author (died in 2016), chief exorcist of the diocese of Vatican, adheres strictly to the Catholic faith and interprets his experiences in this frame of understanding. He shares his knowledge with other priests and exorcists and with the Faithful generally. He offers good advice and precautions to other practitioners and orientation and exhortation to people. He complains about the fact that there are far too few exorcists and bishops are far too little aware of the necessity and efficacy of this ministry. His book (first published about 1987), which widely includes the teachings of his teacher and mentor Father Candido Amantini (died in 1992), was intended to remedy this deplorable state of affairs and had soon some positive effect. In his objective and humble way, Amorth deals with issues as demonic possession, diabolical oppression (physical symptoms), diabolic obsession (psychological symptoms), diabolic infestation, and diabolical subjugation (voluntary submission to Satan); temptation, angels, prayers of deliverance (mostly in prayer groups), the Ritual (containing the prayers and norms of the Church for exorcism); spiritism, sorcery, evil spell, warlocks, witchdoctors, card readers, soothsayers, magic, witchcraft; spells by means of strange hidden objects, cooperating seers and sensitives; Satan’s influence on groups, communities, and nations with human assent; diagnosis of possession, signs of evil influence, speaking with the demon, his behavior, tactics and tricks, before he is driven out, names of demons; sacramentals like holy water, or rather exorcised water, oil, and salt. The author illustrates his statements with many examples and a witness of a victim on his possession and exorcism. Some prayers of deliverance are added. Like any exorcist, he fought with demons, being victorious only thanks to the help of God, as he underlined. So he must have had a very firm and profound faith. One can learn much from his statements about religious subjects. Here he shows very clear views and concepts in a clear way of thinking. He warns against turning to sorcerers and the like for help, because exorcists often have to face up to the disastrous consequences. The cooperation of the victims is necessary and very helpful, in the form of much prayer, frequently going to confession and receiving communion, a habitual state of grace, and a truly Chistian life. The same has a preventive effect. The author encourages priests to lead souls to God and to trust in God, and not to be afraid of the devil’s reprisal following exorcisms, which is very rare. Clerics and lay people can nothing but appreciate Amorth’s great contribution through this book, which he was assigned to write by Cardinal Poletti, and which was unique at that time. A subsequent volume of his stories was published in 2002.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in acquiring true knowledge of the Spiritual battle with mankind's greatest enemy. Fr. Amorth is brutally honest in revealing some dark secrets that failures in exorcism is quite common when the possession is deep rooted for many years in the victim. Unlike, the flamboyant, megalomaniac American Exorcists who claim to have more powers than God himself, and who have converted this warfare into an ugly commercialized market, Fr. Amorth's book should be considered as the primary reference to understanding the weaknesses of Man against this powerful entity, who was once the perfect angel created by God. This book will only teach you one thing and one thing alone; that humility and humbleness is the most powerful weapon against dark forces.

I was expecting more of the exorcising examples/stories ... instead, it was mostly of the author's thoughts.

Nice