The Most Famous Of The Exorcists Gets A Movie Based On His Work

Gabriele Amorth Waged A Lifelong War Against Demons

Gabriele Amorth was born in Modena, Italy, on May 1st, 1925. His family were believers and devout in their Catholic Faith. According to Amorth’s family history, his father and grandfather were lawyers. After fighting the fascists with the Italian resistance movement in World War II, Amorth studied law.

It wasn’t until August of 1947 that Amorth entered into the Congregation of the Society of St. Paul. Four years later he was ordained as a priest. It wasn’t until much later, in 1986, that Gabriele Amorth began to practice exorcisms and that was after he was appointed as an apprentice under Vatican Exorcist, Rev. Candido Amantini. In 1992 he replaced Amantini after his passing, thus starting his tenure as the Pope’s exorcist.

It was Amorth that co-founded the International Association of Exorcists in 1990 as he wanted to help inspire and train other priests. With its headquarters in Rome, it held its first international gathering in 94. That quickly became a biannual event. In 2014, two years before Amorth passed, the Vatican formally recognized the group.

Father Amorth admitted in his life that 98% of those that he came in contact with needed a psychiatrist, or a doctor, but not an exorcist. In the Pope’s Exorcist, it is a point that Russel Crowe makes to a cardinal who’s questioning him.

“Ah, the other 2% — This is something that has confounded all of science and all of medicine for a very long time.” Russell Crowe paused here, making the scene more dramatic. “I call it evil.”

The Demon From The Pope’s Exorcist

Much like the legends of exorcisms, in The Pope’s Exorcist, Russell Crowe’s character of Gabriele Amorth must ascertain which demon has taken over the body of a young child. Interestingly, the writers of the movie chose to use one of the mythical seven princes of hell, Asmodeus. Who is Admodeus? How about a Prince of Hell?

Asmodeus is one of the seven princes of hell. He also happens to have been revered for his wickedness, which was matched in legends by only his talents. Spreading lust was Asmodeus’s specialty and he chose to prey on more than just common, everyday people.

While early depictions of Asmodeus are of him as an abomination, with three heads, and a two-part animal-to-creature body, some later mythology describes him as a young and attractive man who walked with a pronounced limp. When Asmodeus was caught naked, which for the demon of lust wasn’t hard to do, it was obvious that he had one leg that was that of a rooster’s.

Considered to be one of the seven princes of hell, a position requiring extreme cunning and cruelty, Asmodeus is a powerful demon. Asmodeus’s origin is believed to trace back to the mother of all succubi, Lilith.

Asmodeus continued to appear at different times throughout history and was given numerous pop culture references. He made his last appearances in the 17th century before fading enough that for many years he was unheard of and only studied theologians could tell who he was when at the peak of his obscurity. Before the Pope’s Exorcist, Asmodeus was also used as one of the Princes of Hell in season 12 of the popular television show Supernatural.

How An Exorcism Happens

When someone believes that there is a demon possessing them or someone they love, getting an exorcism done requires many steps to be followed to verify the need for an exorcism.

Exorcisms are conducted under the Catholic Church’s “Rite of Exorcism,” which is a set of guidelines and prayers for the exorcism of a person believed to be possessed by a demonic entity.

The Catholic Church takes the issue of possession very seriously and only authorized priests who have been specially trained in exorcism are allowed to perform the rite. Before an exorcism can be performed, a thorough investigation must be conducted to determine if the person is possessed. This investigation includes medical and psychiatric evaluations to rule out any natural causes for the person’s behavior.

If the investigation determines that the person is truly possessed, and the church authorizes exorcism, the exorcism is performed in a private setting, with only the priest, the possessed person, and a few assistants present. The priest performs a series of prayers and rituals, invoking the name of Jesus Christ and calling upon the power of God to expel the demonic entity from the person’s body.

During exorcism, the possessed person may exhibit violent or erratic behavior, and the process can be physically and emotionally exhausting for both the person and the priest. The exorcism continues until the demon has been expelled or until the priest determines that it is no longer safe to continue.

It’s important to note that exorcisms are not considered a first line of treatment for mental illness or other psychological conditions. The Catholic Church emphasizes the importance of seeking medical and psychiatric help before considering an exorcism.

Rating The Pope’s Exorcist (No Major Spoilers)

As to the movie based on Father Gabriele Amorth, The Pope’s Exorcist is an excellently done, well-paced, and story-driven tale of the sins and tragedies of our history, including those of the distant path. As Father Amorth is called in by the Pope, who orders him to investigate and help “the boy,” Russell Crowe brings his incredible talents to a multi-layered character arc that doesn’t get boring to follow.

The young actor that portrays the victim does an excellent job of portraying the victim of possession. Minus one slightly awkward scene, that only makes sense after hearing the demon’s name, The Pope’s Exorcist will leave believers and followers of history with a chill. The remainder of the crowd will be in for a quality, well-acted, different twist on the exorcist stories that is chaulked full of decent but not overdone special effects.

Takeaways

Whether or not you believe in god, the devil, and the stories of good versus evil that have a more biblical tone to them, the overall idea of hell is a daunting one to consider. Yet, while some don’t believe, nearly everyone in the world believes in the unexplainable and bizarre once they see it firsthand. If you’re one of those that haven’t seen something that makes you believe, you’re lucky.

Exorcisms are intriguing because the possibility of demonic possessions exists in our history, our pop culture, and our imaginations. How would you request one if you are a believer? You’d have to reach out to your local Catholic Diocese or the Archdiocese of Washington.

The most noteworthy thing, at least for some, is the lengths of investigation that go into requesting approval for an exorcism. Long before an exorcism, an investigator, much like in the movie The Pope’s Exorcist, may require proof that medical or psychological treatment isn’t warranted first. Then, the investigators must argue that an exorcism is the next logical step.

Exorcisms are a battle between good and evil. What that evil is, only god and his exorcists know. They are a very real part of the world, with hundreds of thousands of them requested each year.

A good example of an exorcism incantation or prayer looks like the one below, found on a wicca friendly website.

Exorcisms are a battle between good and evil. What that evil is, only god and his exorcists know. They are a very real part of the world, with hundreds of thousands of them requested each year.

Kingdoms on earth, sing unto God your praises, Cernunnos.

Kingdoms on the earth, sing on praises to our goddess Aradia.

God in heaven and God on earth, by the majesty of your glory we humbly implied that all infernal powers be released of their snare.

That all deceit of wickedness which dominates us be taken from us.

We exorcise every spirit that is impure, every power that is satanic,every attack from an adversary from hell.

Every legion, every diabolical sect and every congregation.

Deliver us my Lord from the snares of the devil.

Allowing us to serve the cause of your freedom, this is how we will serve.

We beg that you hear us!

In all his saints, God is wonderful.

That he promises to humble the holy ring´s enemies.

Cernunnos Himself is the one with power over his people, he is the strength of his people.

He and Aradia are there for the people.

Blessed be to God and Glory be to our Father.

Blessing to the Goddess, Mother of all glory!

-Learning Witchcraft, October 2016

Of course, many have heard the following one:

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, adiuramus te…cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare…Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis…Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine…quem inferi tremunt…Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.

-Supernatural, CW Series, first used in "Phantom Traveler"