Exorcism

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Exorcism in Orthodoxy

Exorcism in the prayers for entrance into the Catechumenate

Exorcism prayers of St. Basil

Exorcist as a minor order. History and significance.

Exorcisms today.

Orthodox Resources

• Exorcism in the Orthodox Church - Rev. George C. Papademetriou, Ph.D. (on Goarch.org)
• Excorcism - Rev. George Mastrantonis (on Goarch.org)

Other Resources

There are many books about exorcism and demonology that go to one extreme or another. These resources are some of the better ones we have found. As always, read with discretion.

• An Exorcist Tells His Story by Fr. Gabriele Amworth (Roman Catholic) - Fr. Amworth is an official exorcist of the diocese of Rome. His commentary and experience is certainly worth engaging. ISBN: 0898707102
• An Exorcist: More Stories - also by Fr. Amworth ISBN: 0898709172
• War on the Saints by Jessie Penn-Lewis - A classic Protestant/Pentecostal work.
• Rites of the Catholic Church, vol. 2 - Contains the new rite of exorcism (? - can somebody verify this) ISBN: 0814660371

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (s. 1673) has this to say about exorcism:

When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. [Cf. Mk 1:25-26; 3:15; 6:7, 13; 16:17.] In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.

External Links

• Video of Russian Orthodox Exorcism
• News stories about the exorcism and death of a Romanian nun, June 2005

Related Pages

• Demonology
• The Evil Eye (vaskania)