Exorcism and Satanism

ROME, SEPT. 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Interest in Satanism hasn't waned.

That is why the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University and the Socioreligious Research and Information Group are offering a course on "Exorcism and the Prayer of Deliverance," the second of its kind.

To better understand the objectives and reasons for the course, which starts Oct. 13, ZENIT interviewed one of the program's teachers, Carlo Climati, a journalist who has written on youth Satanism.

Read the complete article Why Another Course on Exorcism and Satanism from Zenit News Agency.

As I think I've mentioned before, I've written on exorcism for my degree and it's been an interest of mine. When I first really started reading up on the subject academically, there were no high level courses offered on the subject. It's interesting to see moves to 'professionalize' the occupation of 'exorcist' (as far as that is possible) bearing fruit.

An amusing idea is that of all the Catholic sacraments and rituals, exorcism is probably at once the most well-known and superficially well-understood, but at the same time the most misunderstood. Could the average Catholic today tell you exactly when and how transubstantiation takes place? Could the average Catholic today tell you how Jason Miller and Max von Sydow exorcised the demon in Linda Blair?

Food for thought.