There were many Catholic issues in the media this weekend, some of which I needed to comment on.
One story caught my eye on Sunday “Exorcism conference aims to meet rising demand”, Detroit Free Press. The catch phrases here are “Exorcism Conference” and “Rising Demand”.
I knew that Pope Benedict was taking the Church backwards but I did not know the extent of his actions. The Second Vatican Council downplayed the Rite of Exorcism in its move to modernize the Church but Benedict believes that the “supernatural” aspects of the Church may have been lost in the changes implemented by the Second Vatican Council and he wants to bring them back.
In other words, he wants to bring back the “mystical” aura that is now lacking since the Church went modern and transparent.
I loved the book and movie “The Exorcist” and both scared the hell out of me. I love scary movies especially when the devil is involved and I love all the scary music that goes along with Satanic themes BUT it is fiction and the idea of the devil is fiction and for the Vatican to bring back the devil as a reality may be the height of absurdity…for the rationalist that is, but what about the non-rationalists out there that need something supernatural to make sense of their world and their life?
Maybe Benedict is playing to an audience that I cannot see or don’t want to see. I remember the religion and church of my childhood where a strange language was used to recite incantations by candlelight while holy smoke (incense) spewed around and holy water was flung at people and objects …. Many people still prefer all that ritual in that aerie dark atmosphere…they felt they were in the presence of a spirit or something…and they liked it…Benedict may take them back to those good old days they long for so much.
The conference in Baltimore
I can’t help but smile at the thought of all those supposedly educated men in their varied costumes, some with pointed hats I presume, learning the incantations of the exorcism ritual. Makes me thing of a Harry Potter movie but alas, it is all true and in all seriousness even thought the Church cautioned that “all must be done to avoid the perception that exorcism is magic or superstition” – good luck in that!
The fact that there is a growing demand for exorcism is a bit interesting. The Church does allow examination by professionals in the mental health field before they do their thing, which is a good thing
The signs of demonic possession (according to the Church) are straight out of the movies: violent reaction to holy water, speaking in a strange tongue and abnormal strength. The exorcist invokes the Holy Spirit, blows in the face of the possessed, traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of the possessed and then commands the devil to leave (be gone)!
I love this stuff but I am a little concerned the Church and Catholics are taking this all too seriously. The devil is a religious invention in response to the quagmire caused by making their God an all powerful, all caring, all loving God who would never allow bad things to happen to good people…but they do…all the time…and so a devil is needed to counter this dilemma…and how does it do that? Well, that is another topic…
At this Baltimore conference of Catholic Bishops, in a surprise move, the bishops elected Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York as president, passing over Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson
Dolan also does not countenance any deviation from the bishop’s position on all issues as some nuns, priests and monks dared do in the recent past…we will burn them all…gather wood!
This does not bode well for the future of the Catholic Church in America
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