A spokesman for the Irish bishops has rejected claims that they have not appointed any official exorcists, saying there is a requirement for every diocese to have a trained exorcist.
Martin Long of the Catholic Communications Office in Maynooth told the Tablet that exorcisms “are very rare” and that his office has not been made aware of any cases of exorcism in Ireland in recent years. His comments follow a call by an exorcist, Fr Pat Collins, for the bishops to train one or two priests in every diocese in Ireland as ‘ministers of deliverance and of solemn exorcism.’
The Vincentian priest highlighted how, due to what he says is a growing demand for exorcisms many bishops in Italy, Spain, Poland and Britain have increased the number of trained exorcists in their dioceses. Criticising the Irish Church, he said, “I don't think the hierarchy is taking this pastoral need seriously." In a letter to the bishops, seen by the Tablet, Fr Collins described the matter as “urgent”.
“I have been asked by two bishops to handle difficult cases on their behalf. In those cases, I had permission to do whatever I thought was necessary up to the point of solemn exorcism,” he revealed. But Fr Collins suspects that some priests have been authorised to handle exorcism cases on an ad hoc basis. The lack of trained, officially appointed exorcists in Ireland “breaks my heart” he said because “afflicted people” end up feeling “let down and abandoned”.
PICTURE: An exorcism ritual is performed at a house church in Colombia ©PA
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