The devil, you say? Polish priest opens center for exorcism
In a world in which materialism and unbelief have given the devil "an easy time of it," a Roman Catholic priest is opening a center in Poczernin, Poland for the conduct of exorcisms.
The Rev. Andrzej Trojanowski, who has been an exorcist for four years, says that the center will be a "spiritual oasis" in Europe. "This is my task, this is my purpose -- I want to help these people," said Trojanowski, who added that "there is a group of people who cannot get relief through any other practices and who need peace."
What literature I've read on the subject- both Roman Catholic and Protestant- suggests that exorcisms of the demonically possessed require the authorization of one's ecclesiastical superiors in order to be successful. Fr. Trojanowski has not only the endorsement of his local bishop, but that of the Vatican itself.
As far as I know, this is the first time that a center has been established for a practice traditionally treated in Christian history as an unusual and exceptional thing conducted on an ad hoc basis as the need has been seen to arise.
Roman Catholicism, it should be noted, is historically very skeptical about suspected cases of demonic possession, emphaisizing that only five or six of every thousand people thought to be possessed actually are. The rest are said to be suffering from various kinds of mental illness. However, every Catholic diocese in the world has an official exorcist attached to it,
The Roman Ritual, wherein is found the approved Catholic liturgy for exorcism (revised in 1999),requires clear evidence of supernatural involvement, such as the speaking of ancient languages of which the possessed has no prior knowledge, supernatural abilities and strength, knowledge of obsure or hidden things the possessed has no natural way of possessing, in addition to a profound aversion to holy things and profuse blasphemy or sacrilege.
HT: Drudge
The Rev. Andrzej Trojanowski, who has been an exorcist for four years, says that the center will be a "spiritual oasis" in Europe. "This is my task, this is my purpose -- I want to help these people," said Trojanowski, who added that "there is a group of people who cannot get relief through any other practices and who need peace."
What literature I've read on the subject- both Roman Catholic and Protestant- suggests that exorcisms of the demonically possessed require the authorization of one's ecclesiastical superiors in order to be successful. Fr. Trojanowski has not only the endorsement of his local bishop, but that of the Vatican itself.
As far as I know, this is the first time that a center has been established for a practice traditionally treated in Christian history as an unusual and exceptional thing conducted on an ad hoc basis as the need has been seen to arise.
Roman Catholicism, it should be noted, is historically very skeptical about suspected cases of demonic possession, emphaisizing that only five or six of every thousand people thought to be possessed actually are. The rest are said to be suffering from various kinds of mental illness. However, every Catholic diocese in the world has an official exorcist attached to it,
The Roman Ritual, wherein is found the approved Catholic liturgy for exorcism (revised in 1999),requires clear evidence of supernatural involvement, such as the speaking of ancient languages of which the possessed has no prior knowledge, supernatural abilities and strength, knowledge of obsure or hidden things the possessed has no natural way of possessing, in addition to a profound aversion to holy things and profuse blasphemy or sacrilege.
HT: Drudge
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