Vatican Trains Priests In Exorcism

The Catholic Church still authorizes exorcisms for Christians it believes are victims of demonic possession. Canon law permits only an ordained priest or higher prelate to perform a solemn exorcism, and the local bishop must grant permission after a thorough medical examination rules out mental illness or personality disorders. The Vatican also offers an exorcism course, which opened to members of other Christian denominations for the first time in 2019. Priests follow procedures from the Roman Ritual, which the Vatican revised in 1999, using prayers, a cross, and holy water.

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