'Pope Francis effect' leads to exorcism boom - Telegraph

It is no wonder that the Satanic Panic is re-emerging.  Did it ever really go away?  It is back to the Dark Ages where we blame personal and social problems on the supernatural instead of effectively dealing with harsh reality.

A return to superstition and Scriptures aren’t helpful in a time where we need reason, human compassion and science-based treatments that actually work in the long run. It isn’t as easy to fix social problems and psychological issues so we blame the devil? Thanks, Pope Frank!

The “Pope Francis effect” has been credited with encouraging a resurgence in faith among rank-and-file Catholics but it has also had a more unexpected consequence – a boom in the demand for exorcisms.

The Argentinian pontiff’s fire-and-brimstone language and frequent references to the Devil have helped propel belief in Beelzebub back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, where once it was an embarrassment.

Dioceses in the UK, Italy, Spain and elsewhere have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people claiming to be possessed and have responded by training more priests in the dark arts of how to perform exorcisms.

A week-long exorcism conference, held this week at the Pontifical University of Regina Apostolorum in Rome and endorsed by the Vatican, is being attended by around 160 Catholic priests from around the world, who insist that demonic possession is very real.

"Pope Francis talks about the Devil all the time and that has certainly raised awareness about exorcisms," said Father Cesare Truqui, a Mexican priest trained as an exorcist. "But all Latin Americans have this sensibility – for them, the existence of the Devil is part of their faith."

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During the week-long course, there will be lectures by Catholic prelates on subjects such as “Occultism, black magic and Satanism”, “Angels and demons in Holy Scripture” and “Criminal Aspects of Satanism”.

Addressing the first day of the conference, Monsignor Luigi Neri, the archbishop of Ferrara in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, attributed the growing demand for exorcisms to atheism and consumerism.

Gesticulating and jabbing with his finger, the white-haired cleric said prayer was central to the fight against the Devil.

"Evil exists and poisons the human experience. It is a challenge and a provocation."

 'Pope Francis effect' leads to exorcism boom - Telegraph