It may shock some that even a newborn or a young baby can be possessed by a demon, but it is the pure (and terrible) reality with which we exorcists must often deal. Evidently, here, we find ourselves before a blameless cause. It can happen that a spell does damage to the fetus of a pregnant woman, with the possible result that the newborn already presents problems at birth, even if, in all probability, those problems are not manifested consciously until [the child reaches] the age of reason. It also happens that a baby may be consecrated to Satan at a very tender age, often as a condition to participate in a ritual or a black mass.
Regarding this topic I am reminded of the case of Francesco Vaiasuso, whose story was publicized in a fascinating book. 20 This man, who is now over forty years old, was only four — and therefore too young to remember any of it — when he was subjected to a spell by drinking the blood from a black mass. He had been led to the mass by a presumed friend of the family without his mother’s knowledge. This dramatic circumstance was discovered much later when he manifested an extremely strong possession. Francesco worked many years to liberate himself from the twenty-seven legions of demons that possessed him. Thanks to years of exorcism, an extraordinary wife, a life of prayer, and many prayers of deliverance, he made it, and today he has become a witness of these horrendous realities that strike man. What had he done to merit such a misfortune?
I also happened to have a case in which two friends were preparing for a competition together. One of the two knew that his companion was better prepared and probably had a better chance of success. So, evidently out of jealousy, he had a witch prepare an evil spell so that his friend would fail and he would succeed. Things went exactly like that: paradoxically the competition was won by the one who was less prepared, while the other, besides losing, found himself with an ugly possession. It is, unfortunately, a common occurrence.
As I have already outlined, other cases involve the world of sentiments: the use of the evil eye to break up a marriage and rob a person of his or her legitimate spouse or, on the contrary, the use of magic potions to create sentimental ties that result in a marriage. To this last proposal the victim is always unaware and is thus dominated by the wife or the husband, who will then sever the victim’s ties with the family of origin. Evidently, in this case, the marriage is null — although certainly difficult to demonstrate — because it was obtained through subterfuge. What can be done to repair such a situation? Above all, the person must open his eyes before some of the clamorous facts of his family life, perhaps with the help of friends and priests. Only then can he begin the path to liberation, which always begins with personal prayer.
Another question regards the sex and the age of those who most often turn to exorcists — in my experience, women and young people. For the young people, the response is easy: their curiosity often pushes them to go beyond the limits of prudence, and they end up in the myriad tentacles of occultism. For the women, it seems more complex: among the causes I would indicate, they have, unlike the majority of men, a greater propensity to turn to the Church in cases of need. Certainly it can also be the awareness on the part of the demon that the women are the more delicious bite, because, once the woman is conquered, he often has the entire family in his hands. Did not the ancient serpent do the same with Eve?
The Daily Life of the Possessed Person
What is the daily life of a demoniac like? The cases are very diverse. As I was saying, normally the state of possession — the strange behavior stirred up by a crisis — can be manifested by a simple change of tone or by the evident aversion to the sacred that is evidenced by cursing and blaspheming — but these situations do not last the entire day. Often demoniacs behave normally; many of them go to work, where their colleagues are oblivious of their situation. At times, however, these persons, even when they do not fall into an evident state of possession, are subjected to interior assaults by the Evil One that are difficult to control. I am speaking of legs that tremble or become immobilized, of abdominal pains, headaches, sudden mood changes, and other various ailments. Thus, they learn to develop various strategies of behavior that help them to overcome the various crises without attracting too much attention; for example, going into a restroom until everything becomes normal again. There are, however, more serious cases, in which a person is impeded from having any type of professional or social life.
What triggers a crisis? Often the awareness of a problem is caused by an aversion to the sacred, such as contact with the Eucharist, even just visual, or an exorcistical prayer or simply entering a church or a sanctuary. In other cases, an easily decipherable cause does not exist. When an evil spell has been provoked by the culpable behavior of the person struck, however, the crises are usually more serious. Often these persons have collateral consequences throughout their lives, even after they have experienced liberation. Therefore, it is necessary to put people, especially young people, on guard against giving themselves over to occultism. As verified each day, the consequences are very serious.
The persons who are prey to spiritual evils are not necessarily impeded from going to Mass or from praying. Each case is different. Some participate at the Eucharistic celebration without particular problems. Others manifest evident signs of a malaise that is reaching the state of possession. I do not say anything new if I confirm that there are priests who suffer from spiritual evils and that, in spite of it, they celebrate the Mass every day (although with difficulty). Regarding this last circumstance, there is nothing to marvel at. I follow young priests who, having just entered the seminary, were subjected to satanic rites on the part of persons opposed to their choice of the consecrated life; some are their own family members and, in one case, the deluded ex-fiancée. Some [of these men] renounce their vocation. Those who, to the contrary, hold firm exercise their ministry with difficulty but also with great efficacy. Their cases almost never involve a true and proper possession; usually it is a vexation or an obsession.
Life after Liberation from the Demon
Thanks be to God, there are many persons who have been liberated from the devil. Regarding this, the Ritual of Exorcism counsels: “It is advised that the faithful, once liberated, either alone or with family members, give thanks to God for the peace they have obtained. May it stay with them as long as they persevere in prayer, read the Sacred Scripture, receive the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, and practice a Christian life rich in charity, good works and fraternal love.” The tasks of the ministry of liberation are not met solely with the loosening of ties to Satan. It is necessary that the Christian community, with the proper discretion, help the liberated brother or sister to proceed on his Christian journey; and the liberated person, on his part, is called to undertake joyously such a path through a life of sanctity, animated by charity.
In my experience, once a person is released — at times, after years of exorcism and prayers and not a few moments of discomfort — he usually does not have any permanent effects: he returns to his daily life, his relationships, and his work in a normal way. Indeed, he often understands that his new situation is a true and proper gift from God, asked for with insistence and at the end obtained. After this experience he develops a sense of gratitude toward Jesus, toward our Lady, and toward the saints; and his faith is stronger than ever.
Often such persons are given the grace to help those who find themselves still immersed in the effects of demonic attacks. Thus, they become apostles in the true sense of the word, giving testimony to what they have lived, in prayer groups, in their parishes, or in any other occasions that may arise spontaneously. The most impressive case, already mentioned, is that of Francesco Vaiasuso. Today, along with the commercial activity that he manages in his town in Sicily, he tours Italy giving his testimony, exercising his ministry of liberation, and holding well-attended conferences.
To Whom Does One Turn in Case of Doubt?
When signs appear that could be considered the results of an evil spell, my first advice, always, is to addre
ss the concerns to a psychiatrist. When one is ill, the first thought should be of natural causes that can be treated with traditional medicine. In fact, only rarely does an illness have a diabolical origin. Normally, one should have recourse to an exorcist only as a second response. I say this for the benefit of persons who are very impressionable. I myself do not accept anyone — except in clear cases — if I do not first have a psychiatric diagnosis.
What do I mean by clear cases? For example, a long time ago, a father, very religious and practicing, came to see me. His eighteen-year-old son had come home one day and, to everyone’s surprise, began to curse and to destroy all the sacred images that he found around the home. The youth no longer went to church, and he would interrupt the prayer before meals with unheard-of verbal violence. Everyone was stunned by this change. Opposition to the sacred is one of the clearest signs of evil spells, and there is no need to have a medical opinion in order to begin treatment immediately.
Returning to the norm: after the person has gone to a psychiatrist, if the treatment turns out to be useless and if medical doctors are not able to make a diagnosis because they are convinced that they are before an unknown illness — in fact, many of them cannot even imagine the existence of evil spirits— then one can turn to a priest for advice. I recall the case of Mark, a boy whom I exorcized for a long time, who was struck by an extremely strong possession. The poor boy underwent heavy psychiatric treatment, including electric shock and a treatment for insomnia (he never slept): for an entire week he was given enough sleep medication to sedate an elephant, but he never slept, day or night. It was only after a long spiritual cure that he was liberated from his evil.
The opposite case happened to me with a woman who came to me for a blessing. She suffered from a pathology that had been treated by a neurologist for many years (and also some exorcists), but to no advantage. After questioning her, I realized that I could proceed with an exorcism. At the beginning, she had some strong reactions, and then she fell down and lost consciousness. When she revived, she insisted that she wanted a true exorcism, one that began with the words “I exorcise you” (evidently she had already heard them during an exorcism that was done to her). After she calmed down, she complained that just touching her made her eyes hurt. These are not attitudes typical of the possessed. When she returned for the next appointment she did not know if the exorcism had had any effect. Before dismissing her case, because I still had some doubts, I brought her to Father Candido. After putting his hand on her head, he understood that there was nothing there that concerned demons; it was a psychiatric problem.
Where do you turn when you have suspicions of a demonic influence? You turn to your pastor or religious, who have some awareness of this type of reality. In fact, it often happens that persons who experience and suffer from evil spells are treated with little patience because they are considered crazy. Before judging them, priests should simply recite a prayer or give them a blessing and see what happens. At times, such a person will immediately give obvious signs of malaise. These reactions indicate that the person must turn to an exorcist.
There are also dubious cases in which the nature of the illness is not clear. Here it is opportune for psychiatrists and exorcists to work together. Indeed, a psychiatrist may work cooperatively with an exorcist even if he is not a believer; all that is necessary is that he recognize, at least in theory, that science, at times, can do nothing. In this way a fruitful collaboration can be established that is helpful to the person who is suffering; in practice, however, this is very rare.
Let us consider one last observation about the distinction between a psychiatric illness and the extraordinary influence of the demon. St. Pio of Pietrelcina was convinced that many persons who were admitted to psychiatric hospitals and who remained there during their entire natural life, were, in reality, possessed by the demon, and an exorcism would have been enough to cure them. This is also confirmed by the great apostle of psychiatric illnesses, the Spanish Carmelite Francis Palau. In the hospital in which he worked, he exorcised all the patients, curing many of them. This tells us something interesting: psychiatric symptoms and diabolical symptoms assume very similar forms. Therefore, knowing how to discern the true nature of evil is decisive in resolving the problem.
The Decisive Contribution of the Person Possessed
At times I am asked if a person without faith can be liberated from a demon solely with the prayers of others. Surely a Christian community, family members, and friends can open the path toward the cure, beseeching God for the grace of conversion for that person. But the liberation cannot ever occur against the will of the person possessed and without his effective contribution, that is, without the support of the sacraments and prayer.
How can a person without faith ask the Most High to liberate him from the influence of the devil? God does not force anyone to accept His gifts. In order to liberate oneself, it is necessary to live in the grace of God, to pardon the one who has done evil, to eradicate vices, and to break those human ties that keep him close to the Evil One. It is a great but absolutely necessary commitment: exorcists, like the prayers of deliverance, do not have any effect on a person who does not live in God’s grace. In fact, I am convinced that a good confession, which is a very powerful sacrament, is much more efficacious than an exorcism, which, as we shall see, is only a sacramental.
A person also may not wish to be exorcized or receive a prayer. Obviously, one cannot force the person physically, but it is necessary to remember that it is often the evil spirit that is suggesting it, at times invincibly. It may happen that the person comes to the exorcism accompanied by relatives or with his pastor and that the spirit makes him fall into a trance before the prayer, perhaps solely at the sight of the undersigned as they are about to enter my study. In this case, the person is escorted with sweet firmness and subjected to the exorcism, since when he was conscious he had agreed to receive it. Often at the end of the rite he appears nearly defogged, and once again in possession of his volitional faculties. This is a confirmation that the prayer has obtained its effects; these effects, however, may be temporary, in the sense that the definitive liberation has not yet occurred and from here, for some time yet, he may go back to his listless state or to his aversion toward the sacred. But this defogging is a good sign: the person has reentered into himself, sensing that the path has been laid out and that it is only necessary to walk it.
Another great risk, perceived by those who suffer from evil spells, is that of remaining alone, isolated, and without support. Those who live the extraordinary demonic action often find themselves isolated and stigmatized by those who should be close and welcoming: relatives, acquaintances, and, as I have said often, even the ministers of Christ. Therefore, the spiritually ill often find themselves in a condition akin to the lepers of the Bible, estranged and marginalized. But Jesus, before the leper who prostrates himself and asks Jesus to purify him, extends His hand, touches him, and says to him: “I will; be clean” (Matt. 8:2–3). Just as the leper’s wounds are evident in the body, the spiritual evils are manifested at a psychophysical level. In such a situation, the one who is spiritually wounded often has an aversion to the sacred that prevents him from finding comfort in moments of prayer or living the Mass in a composed manner. The truly spiritually ill are often convinced that they are crazy, and this thought is shared by many others, including family members, friends, and priests. As a result, the sick person is always being distanced from ordinary situations and lives constantly in the extraordinary, punctuated by exorcisms, prayers of deliverance, and searches for charismatics.This spiritual overexposure is in itself a danger because it encloses the person in a ghetto and isolates him.
The greatest challenge is normalizing the abnormal and making the extraordinary ordinary. How is it done? By following the sequence taught by Jesus with the lepers, by actively offering attention, compassion, and acceptance to the person suffering tribulation; surrounding him with both laymen and priests who are ca
pable of competent and empathetic listening; and suffering with the victim. It is also necessary to provide places for social gatherings and moments of acceptance, where they can pray together, laugh, and learn how to share, to suffer, and also to be joyful. Finally, it is necessary to help the one who is suffering to put a personal action plan into motion so that he can take control of his illness and of the Evil One, so that the Evil One does not have the final word.
In Italy an association that has formed recently and that seems very promising is the Family of the Light with Camilla,21 which promotes the acceptance of persons who suffer from spiritual evils and offers courses in sensitization and awareness. It is open to the clergy and the laity, and many have found its assistance valuable.
When the Family Is Attacked by a Demon
We conclude this chapter by focusing on the actions of Satan on families. Today families are among the most targeted by the ordinary action of Satan, through the chilling of relationships as well as betrayals and divisions. Unfortunately families are not exempt from the extraordinary action of Satan, even if it is only a single member who has been struck by an evil spell. It may happen that there is more than one victim; in these cases, the spell has been repeated or in some way extended to affect others. Most often, the hatred of the one who commissioned the spell is aimed at all the family members in order to strike a single component. In such cases, it is indispensable that each member, even the one who seems exempt or less likely to be struck, frequent the sacraments and apply himself with greater engagement in prayer. It is also opportune to receive benedictions and to address them not only to the persons being struck but also to their homes. Another practice is to make use of sacramentals, such as making the Sign of the Cross with blessed water before going to bed or right after getting up. It is also a good rule to keep sacred images on one’s person or to display them in the house. Statues of the Holy Family or saints inspire us to imitate their virtue and remind us to ask for protection in prayer. If one is able to have a Mass celebrated in the home and to recite prayers of deliverance, this can only help. Obviously, in the most serious cases, it is necessary to see an exorcist. I also believe that, on the strength of the efficacy that is derived from the sacrament of marriage, each spouse can implement repeated prayers of deliverance on the other spouse and on the children.
An Exorcist Explains the Demonic Page 8