Catholic Church reportedly seeing increased requests for exorcisms

The Catholic Church in the U.S. has reportedly seen a surge in requests for exorcisms in the past few years, leading to an increased number of priests being trained as exorcists, according to recent reports.

The Catholic Church teaches that demons are real and that they can possess human beings. According to paragraph 1673 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, there are two forms of exorcism: the simple form, which occurs at every baptism, and the solemn or “major” exorcism, which deals with serious cases of demonic possession.

However, though requests for solemn exorcisms have increased, several exorcists have said that the vast majority of those who contact the Church asking for an exorcism are suffering from mental illness rather than demonic possession. According to the Baltimore Sun, the several exorcists they interviewed all agreed that more than 99% had no need of exorcism.

Straight Arrow News reported Jan. 4 that in the last 15 years, the number of Catholic exorcists in the U.S. has risen from 12 to approximately 150.

“The Church doesn’t allow just anyone to perform exorcisms,” said Grant Kaplan, a theology professor at St. Louis University, according to Straight Arrow News. “There’s specific training and an understanding of what’s involved. It’s a dangerous realm, so they’re careful to avoid abuse or misunderstanding.”

Richard Gallagher, an Ivy League-educated psychiatrist who practices in New York, was once skeptical of the idea of demonic possession, but today he has no doubts. Gallagher is the author of Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal, and the book describes some of his many experiences with what he believes to have been cases of demonic possession. 

The first such case was when he worked with a woman who was a self-described Satanist, who was referred to Gallagher by a priest. Over the course of several weeks of observation, Gallagher became convinced that the disturbing actions exhibited by the woman could not be explained by natural means. Eventually, Gallagher attended the woman’s attempted exorcism.

Gallagher has since been present at hundreds of exorcisms and become one of the world’s best-known scientific experts on the topic of demonic possession and exorcism.

Priests interviewed by the Baltimore Sun said they believe demonic possession often begins with practices like the use of tarot cards, astrology, and Ouija boards. The Catholic Church prohibits the use of these items, teaching that using them is gravely sinful. 

Despite the horrors of demonic possession, the priests profiled by the Baltimore Sun emphasized that God’s power is greater than any demons have. Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, an exorcist with more than 20 years of experience, explained that Jesus Christ can set people free from evil forces.

“It’s a great confirmation of the faith and one of the graces of this ministry,” he said.

As CatholicVote previously reported, Pope Leo XIV addressed a group of about 300 exorcists in September of last year, encouraging them to carry out their ministry in charity and care for the afflicted. The Pontiff said that exorcists should live out their calling “both as a ministry of liberation and of consolation, accompanying the faithful truly possessed by the evil one with prayer and the invocation of Christ’s effective presence, so that … the Lord may grant victory over Satan.”