Exorcists now have a legal weapon at their disposal after the Vatican formally recognised a group of 250 priests in 30 countries who liberate the faithful from demons.

The Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy has approved the statutes of the International Association of Exorcists and recognised the group under Canon law, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported.

It gives legal recognition to the performance of an exorcism, and was a cause for joy – according to the head of the association, Fr Francesco Bamonte.

“Exorcism is a form of charity that benefits those who suffer,” he told the paper.

More than his predecessors, Pope Francis speaks frequently about the devil. In addition to being dubbed the most “liberal” pontiff, Pope Francis has long been suspected of supporting exorcism.

A form of charity that benefits those who suffer

In May 2013, the Pope was captured in astonishing footage placing his hands on the head of a boy in a wheelchair, reciting an intense prayer until the boy slumped down exhaling sharply.

The media reported the boy was purportedly possessed by four demons in what exorcists said was a prayer of liberation from Satan.

The Vatican insisted the Pope “didn’t intend to perform any exorcism”, and it released a statement that said “he simply intended to pray for someone who was suffering who was presented to him”.

Earlier this year, a number of Catholic churches across Italy and Spain were reported to have recruited at least 18 priests between them to tackle “an unprecedented rise in cases of demonic possession”.

Fr Bamonte then told daily newspaper La Repubblica: “Diabolical possessions are on the increase as a result of people subscribing to occultism.

“The few exorcists that we have in the dioceses are often not able to handle the enormous number of requests for help.”

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines exorcism as “the act of driving out, or warding off, demons, or evil spirits, from persons, places, or things, which are believed to be possessed or infested by them, or are liable to become victims or instruments of their malice”.