The International Association of Exorcists has expressed its concern about some erroneous practices, even carried out by priests, that confuse the faithful who seek help due to the possibility of being victims of an extraordinary action of the devil.
The association, which brings together some 900 exorcists around the world, issued this warning in a note published on January 6 on its website, in order to “offer the necessary clarifications to be able to operate well in the provision of divine mercy through the Ministry of Exorcism.”
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This is because “some pastoral practices have been detected which, instead of providing a service to the wounded body of Christ, increase its suffering and cause disorientation.” In that sense, he asks Catholics to take these observations into account “to avoid attitudes and methods that do not correspond to the authentic work of the Lord Christ.”
The text also points out that in recent years the number of people who seek exorcists has increased due to doubt or conviction of “being victims of an extraordinary action of the devil”, be it vexation, obsession, possession or infestation.
However, he warns that there are cases in which this belief—which requires confirmation with a rigorous examination—is usually held “by people who, without having any specific training in the matter and without a mandate from the competent ordinary, act inappropriately, causing confusion among the people of God.”
In this sense, the International Association of Exorcists warns about the following nine erroneous pastoral practices that disorient people who seek to free themselves from the extraordinary action of the Evil One:
1. Improvisation and sensationalism
The association begins by criticizing the attitude of some priests, consecrated and lay people who, without adequate training and without an episcopal mandate, “instead of referring cases of possible extraordinary action of the Evil One” to an exorcist, carry out “paths of arbitrary release” that are not authorized by the bishop.
“Even more serious is when they discourage the faithful from turning to the official exorcist of their diocese, suggesting that they look for other figures of exorcists considered ‘more powerful’ or supporting the idea of an alleged extraordinary demonic action detected by them.”
2. Focusing attention on the work of the devil and not on the Gospel
The association points out that “it is deplorable that some, instead of announcing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that frees man from the slavery of evil and sin, focus their attention exclusively on the presence and work of the devil,” making them believe that “liberation It depends only on a compulsive repetition of prayers and blessings”, when the peace of Christ “can only be obtained through a life of charity, nourished by the Word of God, from prayer, from frequenting the sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession and from an authentic devotion to the Immaculate Virgin.”
3. Negligent discernment
The note regrets that some priests, even exorcists, neglect “the serious and rigorous discernment prescribed by the Praenotanda del Rito de los Exorcismos” and use “criteria foreign to the Catholic faith, validating concepts of esoteric or new age”. He warns that this is an approach “unacceptable and contrary to the faith and doctrine of the Church.”
4. Superstitious practices
The association also criticizes those who use superstitious procedures, such as requesting “photographs or clothing to recognize possible evils,” as well as touching “certain points on the body of the faithful to ‘diagnose the presence of evil entities’ or to ‘expel negativity.’ ‘, or suggesting an improper use” of sacramentals such as water, salt or blessed oil “which some call ‘exorcised'”.
The note warns that “they are incorrect attitudes that feed superstitious mentality and practice, damage the dignity of the body, temple of the Holy Spirit, and induce magical use of blessed objects.”
5. The involvement of inappropriate figures
The note states that “it is unacceptable that some priests or pastoral agents collaborate with the so-called ‘psychics’ or alleged charismatics” by sending them the suffering faithful, instead of putting them in contact with the exorcists appointed by the bishops.
“Even worse, when it is the diocesan exorcist himself who delegates to these figures the task that the Church has entrusted to him, that is, that of the authorized discernment of a truly extraordinary demonic action.”
The association reminds that the exorcist must take responsibility for these sufferings of others and “not omit the time of personal discernment (…) to verify the possible extraordinary action of the demon” and thus accompany his victims.
6. Exclude medical and psychological sciences
The note explains that the exorcist not only follows the traditional criteria to discern if a person is suffering from an extraordinary action of the devil, but also relies on the experience of established exorcists and, in some cases, “the advice of people who are experts in medicine and psychiatry”.
Therefore, he emphasizes that one cannot “exclude a priori the consultation of psychological and psychiatric sciences, and other positive disciplines, which in some cases can help to understand the origin of evils that are not necessarily of preternatural origin.
“This attitude is not only misleading, but it exposes people to useless risks, ignoring the contribution, sometimes decisive, of modern medical and psychological disciplines.”
7. Reckless and harmful statements
The association calls not to fall into “the desire of wanting at all costs to identify an extraordinary demonic action as the triggering cause of a situation of suffering,” especially without having made serious discernment. Warns that this practice is useless and harmful.
8. About curses
In its note, the association indicates that although the practice of hexes has spread, we should not fall into “the phobic attitude” of seeing in these the origin of all the evils and misfortunes that can befall a person.
He points out that “common sense and experience teach, furthermore, that when an evil could have really been caused by a curse, concentrating on its identification” and assuring people who have been victims is useless and irrelevant to their liberation, as well as harmful, as they begin to pour out “feelings of hatred” towards the alleged authors of the curse.
On the contrary, it is important to focus the person’s attention “on the remedies of grace that the Church offers and on the Christian path to follow”, teaching the certainty that “God does not abandon his creature who is in trial, but in some way he suffers with her and at the same time sustains her and comforts her with his grace.”
Likewise, teach “the conviction that all suffering, caused by any evil that may hit us in life, if accepted with love and offering to God, turns evil into good.”
9. Intergenerational healing (family tree healing)
The association also warns about the error of so-called “intergenerational healing.” For this reason, he regrets that “some priests and even some exorcists” carry out this practice “as a condition sine qua nonwithout which there can be no healing or liberation, without realizing the damage it brings to their faith and that of other people, as well as the consequences that the latter can suffer on an existential level.”
“Several local ordinaries and episcopal conferences have already intervened in this area, giving doctrinal reasons that demonstrate how this practice does not have biblical and theological foundations.” The association gives as an example the doctrinal note of the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
banish fear
Apart from the above practices, the Association’s note also recalls that exorcists are called to allow themselves to be inhabited by the peace of Christ, rejecting all forms of fear, because “whatever the reason that causes it, when it is cultivated it leads to weakening.” of faith and the loss of trust in God.”
The devil uses fear “to reduce man to slavery”, therefore, a priest who feared the devil “in the exercise of his Ministry or in his daily life could not exercise the Ministry of the exorcist without exposing himself to serious dangers for his life.” spiritual life, especially if, instead of cultivating trust and total abandonment of oneself in the merciful hands of God, one sought to confront it with more or less superstitious practices.”
“In the Bible, God’s invitation to not be afraid resonates at least 365 times,” he highlights.
Exorcism is an experience of God and joy
The association’s note points out that certain films have contributed to creating “a dark, disturbing and terrifying idea of the sacramental of exorcism”, as well as fueling “an unhealthy curiosity towards the supernatural.”
However, he assures that experience shows that this Ministry “is impregnated with a deep joy”, since its members are witnesses of “the powerful action of the Risen Christ” and the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin, of the saints and blessed, and of the angels, “faithful servants of the Most High.”
“The main task of every exorcist will, therefore, be to give peace and hope, avoiding any gesture or behavior that causes confusion and feeds fear, following the Apostle’s invitation: ‘Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ’” says the International Association of Exorcists.
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Prensa I have been sent to cover Pope Francis’ trips to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synodality Synod in the Vatican in 2023.