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27th Jan 2018

Irish priest calls for urgent help to address our growing exorcism problem

Dave Hanratty

The Exorcist

Yes, this is a real story.

Ireland’s most prominent exorcist has put pressure on the Catholic Church to assist with an issue that is sweeping the nation.

Father Pat Collins says that he has been overwhelmed by “an inordinate number of calls from people, and emails” requesting exorcisms.

Collins has penned an open letter urging Irish bishops to train up priests in order to meet demand, in which he pointed to “increasing evidence of the malicious activity of the evil one.”

Speaking to the Irish Catholic, Collins noted that, “It’s only in recent years that the demand has risen exponentially,” adding that he is “baffled” by the lack of demonic education in the priesthood.

Perhaps wary of raised eyebrows, Fr. Collins stated that anyone who dismisses the need for exorcists is “out of touch with reality.”

Each diocese in Ireland is required to have a trained exorcist who has the ability to recognise whether a case of possession is real or the result of mental or psychological illness.

In 2014, the International Association of Exorcists – made up of 400 Catholic leaders and priests – revealed that the level of global demonic activity had resulted in a “pastoral emergency.”

It might sound like something only found in Hollywood, but the demand is there – an exorcism hotline was set up in Milan in 2012, while 2016 documentary Hostage to the Devil tells the story of Fr. Malachi Martin; a priest from Kerry who dedicated his life to battling evil.

And now, for no reason at all, here’s the trailer for late ’90s horror End of Days, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on Gabriel Byrne as the Devil himself:

Clip via YouTube Movies

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