Posted on 12/09/2004 12:37:10 PM PST by Kennesaw
Pontifical University to Take on the Devil Thu Dec 9, 2004 12:54 PM ET
By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - Forget the new "Exorcist" film, the Vatican is offering the real thing.
A Vatican university said on Thursday it will hold a special "theoretical and practical" course for Roman Catholic priests on Satanism and exorcism in response to what the Church says is a worrying interest in the occult, particularly among the young.
This year, Italy was gripped by the story of two teenage members of a heavy metal rock band called the "Beasts of Satan" who were killed by other band members in a human sacrifice.
The deaths horrified Catholic Italy, with pages of newspapers given over to descriptions of the black candles and goats' skulls decorating one victim's bedroom and witness statements of sexual violence.
The Regina Apostolorum, one of Rome's most prestigious pontifical universities, said in a statement that such episodes should be seen as an "alarm bell to take seriously a problem which is still far too underestimated."
"In the last few years there has been a lot of interest in Satanism and it develops because of the media. It's not that the devil is in the media, rock and roll or the Internet but the media can be damaging when it is used the wrong way," Carlo Climati, one of the professors of the course, told Reuters.
"For young people, interest in Satanism can start with a CD, move onto the Internet. From there, it sometimes develops into home-grown, seemingly harmless things like going to cemeteries but sometimes can lead to murders, as we have seen."
The two-month course, which begins in February and will be limited to priests and advanced students of theology, will include themes such as Satanism, diabolic possession and "prayers of liberation."
Satanism, the statement said, aimed to sow confusion among the young and promote a world without moral rules.
According to some estimates, as many as 5,000 people are thought to be members of Satanic cults in Italy with 17- to 25-year-olds making up three quarters of them.
Interest in the devil and the occult has been boosted by films such as "The Exorcist" in 1973 and this year's "Exorcist: The Beginning."
In 1999, the Vatican issued its first updated ritual for exorcism since 1614 and warned that the devil is still at work.
The official Roman Catholic exorcism starts with prayers, a blessing and sprinkling of holy water, the laying on of hands on the possessed, and the making of the sign of the cross.
It ends with an "imperative formula" in which the devil is ordered to leave the possessed.
The formula begins: "I order you, Satan..." It goes on to denounce Satan as "prince of the world" and "enemy of human salvation." It ends: "Go back, Satan." although he has kept a low
I can think of an ex-President and his mate who would be great guest lecturers.
"A low what?"
That was the last word in the article. More may be coming...
SO what have they been doing for past 2500 years, avoiding the Devil?
I guess they call it regrouping.
Ops4 God BLess America!
He has his own office at the NEA.
profile?
Bamboozled and confused into thinking that modern psychoanalysis had the answer to fallen humanity and that the arms race and the environment were more pressing problems, they ceased to take seriously the very real and powerful source of the evil which surrounds us.
For the young, the main danger comes from so-called "heavy metal", "thrash metal" or "death metal" bands. Many of the individuals involved in these groups, such as those described in the article, are themselves heavily immersed in the occult and their "music"-I use the term loosely"- is a recruiting tool.
In short, they are satanic evangelists and the infernal racket which they produce is nothing more than a hymn to Satan. The spiritually dumbed down are easy prey, raised as they have been, in an atmosphere of priestly silence, to think that it's all just one big Halloween party.
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was proving to the world that he didn't exist."
Thanks for the ping,NYer!
ping
Dabbling in the occult can also lead to demonic oppression, which is less overt than demonic possession, but equally damaging.
Demonic possession is a continuing state or presence of an evil entity that is not "of the person." That external entity is capable of direct control of the person and/or taking over of the person’s body. Demonic oppression is a continuing state of severe assault by an external evil entity, but the person retains control of behavior and of the body.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.