Pagans need exorcisms?!
Pagans need exorcisms:
by Jason Pitzl-Waters
The Washington Post's Craig Whitlock reports on the recent rise in popularity of Catholic exorcisms. This new trend, which is taking root in predominantly Catholic areas of Europe, has allowed for a large spike in Church-trained practitioners. This new openness towards training exorcists seems to go hand-in-hand with the Catholic Church's recent traditionalist turn, including loosening regulations for the performance of the Tridentine Mass (aka the Latin Rite), and a more strident tone towards non-monotheistic faiths. Which perhaps explains Rev. Wieslaw Jankowski's guidelines for which demographics most need the rite of exorcism.
"Typical cases, he said, include people who turn away from the church and embrace New Age therapies, alternative religions or the occult. Internet addicts and yoga devotees are also at risk, he said."
In other words, Pagans need exorcisms! But don't worry, we will be in good company, since women who want to get a divorce also seem to need some demons ejected. Is this new trend towards exorcisms a way to engage people in the power of the Church? Reframing all urges towards non-Catholic thoughts and practices as a struggle against evil powers, instead of acknowledging that they may be merely disillusioned with what the traditional monotheisms have to offer? It could be that this new vogue for casting out demons is actually a policy of retention, after all, would you want to leave the Church when you're the focal point for spiritual warfare?