2023-04-17 20:56:00
Father Gabriele Amorth was arguably the most prolific and famous exorcist of the modern era, and his controversial life has now been brought to the big screen in a spectacular film starring Russell Crowe, writes The Conversation.
Russell Crowe in “The Exorcist of the Pope”Foto: LMK / Landmark / Profimedia Images
If we are to go by his statements, Amorth performed more than 60,000 exorcisms during his career, leading to a revival of interest in exorcism within the Catholic Church.
Amorth has also been known for the controversial statements he has made over the years.
He claimed that Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the devil, in 2012 he made the rounds of the media in Italy and not only after he claimed that there were sects of pedophiles in the Vatican, he was also a virulent critic of modern “pop” culture, accusing Ouija boards, yoga and “Harry Potter” books as gateways to the demon realm.
The new supernatural horror film “The Pope’s Exorcist”, also released in Romanian cinemas on April 7, brings Russell Crowe back to Italy for a very different feature film from “Gladiator”, one that comes with a fictional version of “padre” Amorth and who adds to his story an old conspiracy theory about a Vatican cover-up.
The Rosaria possession case in the film appears to be a direct reference to the mysterious disappearance of teenager Emanuela Orlandi from the Vatican, a case that has once again sparked strong controversy after Netflix recently aired a documentary about her story.
Exorcism in the history of Christianity
Exorcism has been a prominent rite of the Christian faith since the early years of its spread. In the first centuries after the death of Christ exorcisms could be performed by all believers and played an important role in attracting new followers to the flourishing religion.
As Christianity began to conquer the minds and souls of the Roman Empire, exorcism transformed from a form of charismatic healing within the reach of ordinary people to a miracle that could only be performed by persons of exceptional spiritual authority.
Beginning with the 4th century AD. the practice of exorcism was refined by the early Christian Church which assumed full authority over the ritual.
Over the centuries that followed, the popularity of exorcism saw periods of frightening extremism, but also lapses into quasi-obscurity. By the middle of the 20th century, for example, most clergy believed that exorcism had no place in a modern Catholic Church.
The Second Vatican Council, which took place between 1962 and 1965, signaled a strong distancing from exorcism as the Vatican tried to present a face more in line with modernity. In fact, the 1960s and 1970s represented a historical low point in terms of the exorcism ritual.
But the period that followed brought a counteroffensive of Catholic charismatic conservatism, exorcism being one of the spearheads of the new crusade to bring back the Church as an actor with a difficult word to say in the public space.
The efforts of Catholic exorcists such as Father Amorth played an important role in relegitimizing the ritual for a modern congregation. This growing popularity prompted the Vatican to publish in 1998 a new set of rules and guidelines for the practice of exorcism, as more and more priests chose to be trained in the fight against demonic forces.
Although many members of the clergy remained skeptical, exorcism is supported today at all levels of the Catholic Church. And in the last decade the practice has seen an increase in demand worldwide.
The Vatican, the seat of power of the Catholic Church (PHOTO: Robert Harding Productions / robertharding / Profimedia)
And yet, what does an exorcism consist of?
The Catholic Church divides exorcisms into two categories: minor and, not creatively, major. A minor exorcism is the use of sacraments and blessings to deal with “demonic influence.” The priest will usually read a prayer, invocation or litany for the affected person.
Lay people can also pray on behalf of the person concerned. As a rule, minor exorcisms are used for all those baptized in the bosom of the Catholic Church.
A major exorcism is only performed in cases where demonic possession is suspected. Rituals for these situations include the reading of the Psalms and the Gospel, the recitation of specific “exorcism prayers”, holy water, the use of a crucifix and the sign of the holy cross.
The exorcist may also use techniques such as putting hands together or exhaling on the victim’s face (exufflation). In this regard, Hollywood’s sensationalist approach to what constitutes an exorcism at least gets the basics right.
The Catholic Church, however, requires that a thorough medical and psychiatric examination be carried out before resorting to exorcism.
Canon law, the set of laws by which the Church is governed, dictates that exorcisms can only be done with the “explicit permission” of the local hierarch in charge of the parish where the person concerned belongs.
Amorth, however, believed that the need to exorcise demons was so great that he campaigned for all Catholic clergy to be allowed to perform exorcisms without the need to obtain permission. And with regard to his activities as an exorcist, he seems to have had a free hand from the Church leadership.
Father Amorth a few years before he passed away (PHOTO: LD Entertainment / AFP / Profimedia Images)
Exorcisms of Gabriele Amorth
The Catholic priest led a colorful life. As a teenager he was part of the Italian resistance against Nazism and its fascist collaborators. After World War II he studied law and was briefly deputy to future Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti.
In 1946 he was received into the Society of Saint Paul, a congregation of Catholic clergy with the mission of propagating the Christian religion with all modern technological methods available, and worked as a journalist for the Catholic press.
His activities that would bring him fame did not begin until 1986, when he was unexpectedly appointed exorcist of the Diocese of Rome at the age of 61.
He enthusiastically took on his new role, apprenticing under Father Candido Amantini, another well-known exorcist at the time.
In the early 1990s Amorth founded the International Association of Exorcists, serving as its honorary president until his death in 2016. The association was officially recognized by the Vatican in 2014 and currently holds two conferences a year on the subject of exorcisms.
In his biographical book “An Exorcist Tells His Story” Amorth clarified that for him an exorcism is an individual prayer or ritual that can last from a few minutes to “many hours”.
Therefore, he could perform dozens of exorcisms in a single day, usually on restless people who crossed his threshold. He also recounted that only 100 of the tens of thousands of exorcisms he performed involved actual demonic possession.
Of course, he also made many controversial claims about the practice, saying for example that “an exorcism that was not necessary never hurt anyone.” He also argued that the ritual was itself a diagnostic procedure.
“Only through the actual exorcism can we determine for sure if there is a satanic influence,” he claimed.
These things basically explain the huge number of exorcisms he claims to have performed throughout his career, although as to that 60,000 figure we should take him at his word, and not all historians are convinced of its accuracy.
Russell Crowe dressed as an exorcist (PHOTO: Landmark Media / Alamy / Profimedia Images)
A film about a centuries-old archetype
As you’ve probably figured out by now, Amorth is an ideal character for a big-screen dramatization. He conveniently embodies the archetype of the “good” Catholic exorcist: a courageous man of faith who rescues troubled souls from the clutches of the devil.
This archetype continues to stand the test of time, even though it represents a traditional form of spiritual authority that we rarely see anymore in modern society.
If an individual has the power to exorcise demons this can be seen as both a validation of people’s faith, the existence of the devil and God. As long as movies like The Pope’s Exorcist continue to perpetuate the Catholic Church’s narrative of its effectiveness in forays against demonic possession, exorcism will continue to exert a powerful pull on the minds of believers.
But by the way, the Russell Crowe film is one with a fictional story, not biographical, and is aimed at the general public, not just believers.
#Gabriele #Amorth #Performed #Exorcisms #Believed #Stalin #Possessed #Devil #Russell #Crowe #Film #Tells #Controversial #Story