He claimed to have carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms over 30 years, he notoriously condemned Harry Potter and yoga, and declared Isis to be Satan. The Catholic Church is paying homage to world-famous exorcist Gabriele Amorth, who died last month at the age of 91. Jennifer Grech spoke to two local clerics about the Pauline priest from the Diocese of Rome.
Archbishop of Malta Charles Scicluna never met Fr Amorth in person. But he spoke to him once over the phone – and says he came away with an unforgettable lesson.
“A family had asked me to approach him to make an appointment with him,” the Archbishop recalled.
“Fr Amorth was very courteous but direct: ‘Tell them to go to their Bishop. The Bishop has all the spiritual power over Satan. There is no need for them to come to Rome!’
“It was a lesson I have never forgotten.”
“He was a true and good soldier for the Lord. May he rest in peace,” said Mgr Scicluna.
Fr Amorth was the founder of the International Association of Exorcists and its honorary president until death. He passed away on September 16, a few weeks after being admitted to hospital in Rome for a lung disease.
He started serving as an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome in 1985 (he was often inaccurately described as the Vatican’s exorcist), bringing Italian exorcists together in response to an upsurge in the interest in Satanism and occult practices.
He revealed that Pope John Paul II performed an impromptu exorcism on a young woman
He drew international attention with his outspoken warnings about the rising danger of diabolical influence in modern society. He often complained Catholic bishops were negligent in responding to those dangers, insisting that demonic influence is more prevalent than commonly understood.
One reason the “devil’s influence” is so high today, according to Fr Amorth, is that Christian faith has weakened, replaced in many cases by superstition and an interest in the occult. The Pauline priest gained notoriety in 2000 when he revealed that Pope John Paul II had performed an impromptu exorcism on a young woman, who flew into a rage at the end of a general audience at the Vatican.
Exorcism in the Catholic Church received renewed attention when St John Paul II repeatedly sought to convince sceptics the devil was very much active in the world.
During his papacy, the Vatican issued guidelines for driving out devils and stressed the power of evil.
Nowadays, Pope Francis speaks frequently about the devil, and in July 2014, he was seen placing his hands on the head of a man supposedly possessed by four demons, in what exorcists said was a prayer of liberation from Satan.
In the same year, the Vatican formally recognised Fr Amorth’s International Association of Exorcists. While his death could be seen as a blow for the Diocese of Rome, exorcisms will still be carried out by its other nine resident exorcists.