Exorcism

Heard in the wild

The longer version

What it means

Exorcism is the church's formal response to what it judges to be demonic possession: a rite of prayers, scripture readings, and commands in Jesus' name, performed by an authorized minister, to drive an evil spirit out. In the Catholic Church a "major exorcism" may be performed only by a priest appointed by the bishop, only after medical and psychiatric explanations have been considered, and only in cases showing the traditional signs. It's rare. A "minor exorcism" is something else entirely — the brief renunciation of Satan built into every baptism — and every baptized Catholic has received one.

Orthodox churches have their own exorcism prayers, attributed to St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom, used in baptism and in cases of possession. Pentecostal and charismatic churches practice something similar but less formal, usually called deliverance.

Why people say it

Christians who practice exorcism believe that Jesus cast out demons, told His followers to do the same, and that the need hasn't gone away. The formality — the training, the bishop's permission, the requirement to rule out illness — exists because the church knows the practice can be abused and wants it done carefully. The rite's authority rests on Christ, not the priest; exorcists are emphatic about that.

How to respond

You will probably never encounter one. If the topic comes up, the useful thing to know is that the church's version is far more cautious and less dramatic than the movies, and that the people involved take it seriously as a rescue. If a friend believes they or a family member needs an exorcism, the right first steps are the same ones the church requires: a doctor, a mental-health professional, and a trusted pastor or priest, together.

If you hear it in different churches

Catholic and Orthodox churches have formal rites and trained ministers. Anglicans have a similar provision, with bishop's oversight. Pentecostal and charismatic churches practice deliverance, which overlaps but is informal and much more common. Most evangelical, Baptist, Reformed, and mainline churches don't practice exorcism and would refer such cases elsewhere. Missionaries in many parts of the world report that confronting evil spirits remains a regular part of Christian ministry there.

Where does “Exorcism” come from?

Jesus' exorcisms are among the most frequent miracles in the Gospels, and He gave His disciples authority over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7). Acts 19 records a failed exorcism by the sons of Sceva, a warning that the authority isn't a magic formula. By the third century "exorcist" was a formal minor order in the church. The Catholic Rituale Romanum of 1614 set the classic rite, revised in 1999 with stricter safeguards. Pope Francis's era saw the Vatican formally recognize the International Association of Exorcists, founded by Fr. Gabriele Amorth in 1990, and the number of trained exorcists in the United States grew from a handful in the early 2000s to well over a hundred. Public imagination was shaped, and distorted, by William Peter Blatty's novel and the 1973 film.

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Common questions