The Exorcists
While Pope Francis continues his efforts to reposition the Catholic Church in a more caring, progressive light some of his lieutenants in the Vatican still seem to be living in the Middle Ages.
Because just recently a six day seminar was held in Rome with the aim of training 200 Catholic priests from more than 30 countries in how to cast out evil from people who believe they are possessed by the Devil.
More likely, if you ask me, that other people believe these poor souls to be in need of an exorcist rather than medical and psychiatric help, so I would be intrigued to get my hands on a copy of the seminar papers.
Anyway the conference was called "Exorcism and Prayers of Liberation" and apparently attracted a range of professional people including doctors, sociologists and criminologists although the names of the people involved has not been revealed, so far.
A spokesperson for the conference organisers said that there was an ever growing need for priests to be trained to perform exorcisms because of the increasing number of lay people tempted to dabble in black magic, paganism and the occult, before adding:
“We live in a disenchanted society, a secularised world that thought it was being emancipated, but where religion is being thrown out, the window is being opened to superstition and irrationality."
A spokesperson for the conference organisers said that there was an ever growing need for priests to be trained to perform exorcisms because of the increasing number of lay people tempted to dabble in black magic, paganism and the occult, before adding:
“We live in a disenchanted society, a secularised world that thought it was being emancipated, but where religion is being thrown out, the window is being opened to superstition and irrationality."
I look forward to more details emerging about this group's activities, but if you ask me they all ought to be under investigation of exploiting poor and vulnerable people.
I wonder where Pope Francis stands on this religious mumbo jumbo?
