2009/7/17 Carvalho <[email protected]>: > It is unfortunate that Fr Ivo a man of letters and reading > has condoned the practice of exorcism....
I don't think it's fair to condemn or criticise someone for their religious beliefs, however bizarre these seem to us, specially when they don't affect us! Is this a latter day version of the White Man's burden? Or the Scientific Man's burden? FN The Catholic Church revised the Rite of Exorcism in January 1999, though the traditional Rite of Exorcism in Latin is allowed as an option. The act of exorcism is considered to be an incredibly dangerous spiritual task. The ritual assumes that possessed persons retain their free will, though the demon may hold control over their physical body, and involves prayers, blessings, and invocations with the use of the document Of Exorcisms and Certain Supplications. Other formulas may have been used in the past, such as the Benedictine Vade retro satana. In the modern era, Catholic bishops rarely authorize exorcisms, approaching would-be cases with the presumption that mental or physical illness is more likely. In mild cases the Chaplet of Saint Michael could be used. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exorcism PS: There's more interesting background here to understand how this came about, from where, and what are current-day attitudes to it...
