MyCatholicSource.com - 'Quick Help' Page: Criticism Of Modern Exorcism

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Unfortunately, post-Vatican II exorcisms may be worthy of severe criticism. For example, consider the excerpt below from the page here...

"Changed Exorcisms - Ancient prayers and practices used in exorcisms - which have been proven effective - may have been abandoned in the wake of Vatican II. The new procedures have been criticized by exorcists [e.g. for failing to actually include an actual exorcism - 'an exorcism is not a prayer to God; exorcism is a command issued to the Devil in the name of God. The very word exorcism tells you that - exorcizo, I adjure' (As one priest ('Fr. X') says, 'As with the so-called 'exorcism' in the modern Rite of Baptism, simply placing the sub-heading Exorcism does not make what follows an exorcism'), by giving the appearance that the priest does not have special power to cast out the devil, by omitting important directives in use for hundreds of years, for 'scandalously (refusing) to bless objects but only persons', etc.], and even Pope Paul VI has said, 'I do not know why we have shortened exorcisms: I am not sure that it was very realistic or fitting.' Fr. Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist in Rome, has said 'The declarations contained in the new Ritual are very serious and very damaging. They are the fruit of ignorance and inexperience.' He also comments that the long awaited ritual 'has turned into a farce. An incredible obstacle that is likely to prevent us acting against the demon.' He also uses terms such as 'absurd', 'masterstroke of incompetence', 'absolutely ineffectual', and refers to 'grave errors' in the ritual, and says that 'We have a clergy and an episcopate who no longer believe in the devil, in exorcisms, in the extraordinary evil that the devil can cause, nor in the power that Jesus has given us to drive out demons.' He complains that exorcists are now 'up against a wall of rejection and derision' from various high-ranking prelates."

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