Vatican OKs Exorcist Group

Formally recognizes International Association of Exorcists
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 2, 2014 1:18 PM CDT
Vatican OKs Exorcist Group
Pope Francis lays his hands on a young man on Sunday, May 19, 2013. The man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, convulsed and shook, and then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him.   (AP Photo/APTN)

Exorcists now have a legal weapon at their disposal. The Vatican has formally recognized the International Association of Exorcists, a group of 250 priests in 30 countries who liberate the faithful from demons. The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported yesterday that the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy had approved the organization's statutes and recognized the group under canon law.

More than his predecessors, Pope Francis speaks frequently about the devil, and last year was seen placing his hands on the head of a man purportedly possessed by four demons in what exorcists said was a prayer of liberation from Satan. The head of the association, the Rev. Francesco Bamonte, said the Vatican approval was cause for joy. "Exorcism is a form of charity that benefits those who suffer," he told L'Osservatore. (More Pope Francis stories.)

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