Vatican denies Pope Francis
performed a public exorcism
VATICAN CITY, May 21, 2013 (CNS) -- When Pope Francis solemnly laid both hands on the head of a young man in a wheelchair and prayed intently over him for several minutes, he was not performing an exorcism, said the Vatican spokesman.
The young man, who was among dozens of people in wheelchairs greeted by the pope at the end of Mass May 19, appeared somewhat agitated when the pope approached. A priest with him said something to the pope, who then prayed over the man.
"The Holy Father had no intention of performing an exorcism, but -- as he often does with the sick and suffering people presented to him -- he simply intended to pray for the suffering person before him," said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi.
Father Lombardi issued his statement late May 20 after Italian papers began reporting the story, citing TV2000, the satellite television station owned by the Italian bishops' conference.
Promoting an upcoming program on Pope Francis's teaching about the existence of the devil and his influence on people, the station said it had asked several exorcists to watch the video clip from May 20 and they agreed, "It was a prayer of liberation from evil or a real exorcism."
Other theologians and exorcists contacted by Italian media said
a priest -- even the Pope -- would never perform an exorcism on the spur of the moment and without first ascertaining that the suffering person was not afflicted by a physical or mental illness. In addition, exorcism is a rite that includes set prayers, blessings and invocations.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The solemn exorcism, called 'a major exorcism,' can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness."
Fr. Gabriel Amorth, perhaps the world's most publicized exorcist, recounted in a book written by Paolo Rodari a couple of years ago, an even more 'dramatic' incident of a man who appeared to be in full possession of the devil (contortions and screaming and throwing himself to the ground) during one of Benedict XVI's General Audiences, and as dramatic as the person's calming down appeared after Benedict had blsssed him - from afar - the event was not called an 'exorcism'. Nor, I must say, did I make too much of it since Fr. Amorth himself has been quoted to say that the very presence of the Pope drives the devil to frenzy, so one assumes the Pope's blessing would drive him away, as the Cross scares off Dracula, himself a devil-figure.
P.S.[I must apologize for my bad recollection - there were actually two men, but here is how the AFP reported it at the time (February 2012):
Benedict XVI cured two men of demonic possession when he blessed them in St Peter’s Square, a leading exorcist has claimed.
Fr Gabriele Amorth said that when the Pope blessed the men they “flew three meters backwards” and “howled no longer”.
In extracts from a new book, published yesterday by Panorama magazine in Italy, Fr Amorth explained that incident occurred when the men, known only as Giovanni and Marco, attended a general audience [in 2009].
When the Pope appeared, Fr Amorth said, according to AFP: “The two possessed men fell to the floor and banged their heads on the ground. The Swiss guards watched but did nothing; perhaps they have seen how the possessed react when faced by the Pope before?
“The Pope began to wave to the crowd and Giovanni and Marco started to howl, drool, shake and fly into a rage. The possessed were then hit by a wild jolt, their whole bodies were hit. They flew three meters backwards … and howled no longer.” [And all this is said to have happened with B16 merely blessing the men from afar. Just imagine if anything like this had happened with Pope Francis - it would have made headlines around the world for the next few days!]
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi denied that the Pope had performed an exorcism.
“Even if the facts are true, it’s not correct to talk about an exorcism by the Pope, who was not warned or aware of their presence,” he said.
Fr Amorth made a similar claim about Blessed Pope John Paul II. In 2000, he said that the late Pope performed an impromptu exorcism on a a teenage girl at the end of an audience in St Peter’s Square. The Vatican’s press office declined to comment on the claim at the time.
It is most regrettable that the Italian bishops' own TV network initiated such a questionable conclusion about what happened in St. Peter's Square last Sunday. And just to drum up interest in a forthcoming special about Pope Francis and the devil. [P.S. TV2000 executive Dino Boffo has since apologized for the rash call of 'exorcism' used by his reporters about the episode and says anything similar won't happen again. However, Fr. Amorth has gotten into the act to say that what happened on Sunday was a genuine exorcism that did not require any rituals, and that he himself exorcised the same man with the proper rituals the following day. (He claimed the man, a Mexican, was possessed by four demons on account of Mexican bishops failing to fight the legalization of abortion in Mexico. Any my eyebrow just went skyhigh1 Perhaps this is the sort of thing that gives exorcists a bad name.) What a soap opera this has turned out to be!]
It notches up the level and pitch of general media reporting about Pope Francis's public appearances, in which gestures habitually done by his predecessors - because they are customary for modern Popes, such as kissing babies or blessing a handicapped person - are made to appear historic and unusual for a Pope. It will not be long before someone reports the occurrence of a miracle during one of the Pope's appearances. And, God willing, may it be so, but may it be genuine, and not just further unnecessary hype by the media.
Yes, there have been a couple of times when he stopped the Popemobile in order to get off and bless a paraplegic or a handicapped boy - those certainly deserved to be remarked upon. But the media play given to both incidents afterwards implied that he was the first Pope ever to show a gesture of kindness to the disabled or the sick. Going back to Pius XII, it is so easy to bring up online photographs of all the Popes in the modern communications era making equally tender gestures.
At least since the time of Paul VI, who initiated the General Audiences as they are today, the Prefecture for the Pontifical Household has always included sick and handicapped persons who can be brought to the Vatican by their caregivers, in the list of people that the Pope greets individually after the general audience. It provides an opportunity for the Pope, who cannot habitually visit hospitals and similar centers for the sick and disabled, to perform a corporal act of mercy that is not just intended for the persons present but for all who suffer like them. In the same way that the Pope's Angelus and Regina caeli greetings always end with blessings for the sick and disabled, for newlyweds (who will create new Christian families), and for young people.
The novelty of a new Pope - even if he does turn out to be the most exceptional Pope in history as his adulators think - does not excuse a willful abdication of perspective and common sense in those who report and comment on the Papacy.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 23/05/2014 20:38]