Secular Report: Pope Spurs Rise In Exorcists

From the Observer: Under Francis, exorcism and demonic possession have enjoyed a kind of renaissance in modern-day Catholicism. (There is a YouTube video of the pope supposedly performing the trick following a 2013 mass.) More and more Catholics report seeking exorcisms, and as the BBC reported last year, 250 priests from 50 countries traveled to Rome for exorcist training. Francis is encouraging this: in 2017, the Pope told priests that “they must not hesitate” to refer their parishioners to exorcists if they experience “genuine spiritual disturbances.” How much of this should you—or anyone, non-Catholic or otherwise—take seriously? That’s up to you, but it appears that satan and exorcism are now a part of our secular culture wars. In the recent past, examples of demonic possession in everyday life have included yoga, Harry Potter and gay marriage, according to one prominent exorcist.