Free Republic

LA VERRIERE, France - Eleven people jumped out of a second-floor window Saturday after apparently thinking they had seen the devil, French authorities said. Police told Sky News the incident took place in the early hours in La Verriere, west of Paris. Some of the injured were children, including a 4-month-old baby, who was in a serious condition in a Paris hospital. "Thirteen people were in an apartment on the second floor when, at around 3 a.m., one of the occupants heard his child crying," Odile Faivre, deputy prosecutor in Versailles, told Sky News. "The man in question, of African...

Devils 555. Are we to suppose an eternal devil as well as an eternal God? Or did God create the devil? We cannot suppose an eternal uncreated devil. Yet God did not create the devil as a devil. In other words, God did not create any evil spiritual being as evil. He created all things other than Himself, including angels. The angels as created by God were beings of a spiritual nature, endowed with intelligence and free will; and as the terminus of God's creative action they were entirely good. But some angels misused their freedom of will, and rendered...

Spanish exorcist Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea Cucurull Bogotá, Colombia, Sep 20, 2010 / 10:03 pm (CNA).- Spanish exorcist Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea Cucurull stated in an interview last week that though Satan does indeed exist, he does not have “horns, wings or a tail.” The priest recommended that the faithful seek the counsel of a priest if they suspect someone is possessed.Fr. Fortea is a priest and theologian who specializes in demonology and is now studying for his doctorate of theology in RomeIn an interview with the newspaper El Tiempo during his recent visit to Colombia, Fr. Fortea said,...

A TERRIFIED family fear their toilet has been possessed by the DEVIL after an image of Satan appeared overnight — in a bath tile. Laszlo Csrefko spent a fortune renovating the room at his family home in Bekasmegyer, Budapest, with a new bath, shower and tiles. But after taking her first shower, horrified wife Andrea, 47, fled from the bathroom when she spotted the horned head of the devil in one of the tiles. She said: "I was naked coming out of the shower and I could suddenly see his eyes staring into me. I just screamed and ran." Laszlo,...

In the 1973 film "The Exorcist" Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) prays over the possessed child Regan (Linda Blair) Recently, a young Catholic scientist was talking to a nun who was a school principal at a Catholic elementary school about the scientist’s son going to her school. During the conversation the subject of “hell” came up and the school principal assured the father that his son would not be tormented by such a notion because “hell does not exist,” she said.Somewhat stunned by the nun’s comment, the scientist, who had actually read and assimilated the Bible with a scientific...

Glitzy Fundraisers, Posh Vacations, And Celebrity Concerts Show Obama’s Elitist Disconnect From The American People “President Obama is coming to New York on July 28 for Democratic National Committee fundraising, but apparently he has two events planned on the day - including one at the home of Vogue editrix Anna Wintour.” (Maggie Haberman, “Obama And Anna Wintour, For One Night Only,” Politico, 7/14/10) TONIGHT’S FESTIVITIES JUST THE LATEST IN LONG LINE OF RITZY FUNDRAISERS Calvin Klein, Harvey Weinstein And Several “Former Clinton Boosters” Are Expected To Shell Out Over $30,000 To Attend Tonight’s Events. “The price for the evening is...

On June16, 1970, a hiker stumbled upon a shallow grave off a highway near El Cariso, in southern California. It held the body of Florence Nancy Brown, 29, a schoolteacher from El Toro who worked with handicapped children. Thirteen days earlier, Brown told her husband she was going to a PTA meeting, got into her car and vanished.  About a month later, July 11, 1970, a man fishing on the Yellowstone River in Montana cast his line into the rushing waters and, instead of a trout, snagged a corpse. It was the remains of James Schlosser, 22, a social worker...

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Republican Sharron Angle says her campaign to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada is "a calling" from God and that her faith is helping her endure a fiercely competitive race in which Democrats have depicted her as a conservative extremist. "When you have God in your life ... he directs your path," Angle told the Christian Broadcasting Network in an interview posted on its website Wednesday.

When A Priest Hates His PriesthoodA priest, recently accused of stealing funds from his parish and of using it to pay for certain vices, is quoted in the news as having said that he had come "to hate his priesthood." This statement was, to my mind, more disturbing and painful than anything else in the reports of the media. How does a priest arrive at a point in his life where he hates his priesthood? Into DespairThe priest who hates his priesthood, hates his very self, his truest self, his sacred identity. The priesthood is not a profession that one...

Allure of "Twilight" sparks new trend. Teens bite one another to show ...

Exorcisms and AbusesOne of the three commands that Jesus gave to the disciples was to "drive out demons" (Mk 16:17) in His Name. "Heal the sick" and "preach the good news" (Lk 10:9) are regular ministries of the Church, but the ministry of exorcising demons has received less attention. It is my view that the next decade will force the Church - and priests in particular - to embrace this ministry of casting out demons with professionalism and zeal as we will have to deal with the nuclear fallout of the pervasive occultism in our society now. In order to...

LIBERA NOS A MALO The Demon of Child Sacrifice & the Valley of Slaughter June 2010By Thomas J. Euteneuer The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer is president of Virginia-based Human Life International, which has affiliates and partners in 87 countries around the world. A trained exorcist, Fr. Euteneuer has been authorized to perform the ancient rite in several dioceses in the U.S. Those who are uncomfortable with the thought and talk of demons have a decision to make: Remain in the dark and ignore a basic teaching of the Church regarding spiritual warfare or open your eyes and join the rest...

Vatican City, 17 June (AKI) - The Catholic Church's most famous exorcist says more should be done to fight the devil. Father Gabriele Amorth has conducted 70,000 exorcisms for the church during his lengthy career. In an interview with Italian daily, Corriere Della Sera, the 85-year-old priest said it would be worth extending the practice of exorcism. "It would not be a bad idea," he told the daily. "In Italy moral decay is evident. Families are often breaking down. "Do you know what I would do if I was the Pope for a moment?" he asked. "I would provide every...

Below is the Introduction to Exorcism and the Church Militant, a new book authored by Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International. ------- Introduction to Exorcism and the Church Militant:Draw your strength from the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist...

Dear President Obama, Every citizen with a modicum of insight into public affairs would say that America is now at a crossroads of decision about what kind of future we want for our nation - and, by extension, for the rest of the world. Whether we like it or not, you are the one who is designated by a vote of the electorate to lead us in that decision-making process. You have asked for the job, and you have proposed yourself as being competent for it. History will judge your Administration on its own merits when your term is complete,...

Dear President Obama, Every citizen with a modicum of insight into public affairs would say that America is now at a crossroads of decision about what kind of future we want for our nation-and, by extension, for the rest of the world. Whether we like it or not, you are the one who is designated by a vote of the electorate to lead us in that decision-making process. You have asked for the job, and you have proposed yourself as being competent for it. History will judge your Administration on its own merits when your term is complete, but we,...

The astonishing success of the Twilight series of vampire novels written by Stephenie Meyer ranks second only to the Harry Potter series in publishing history, and the two films released to date also repeat this pattern. Meyer’s series builds upon the foundation of older novels and cult films, themselves based on the European legends of vampires. The legends predate even these, for there is a long tradition in ancient religions of supernatural beings who are predators on humans, consuming the blood or flesh of the living, tales that can be found in Babylonian, Greek, Persian, Hindu, and Hebrew lore, as...

Governor Deval Patrick, even as he decried partisanship in Washington, said today that Republican opposition to President Obama’s agenda has become so obstinate that it “is almost at the level of sedition.” The Democratic governor, who is close to the president, made the comments at a forum at Suffolk Law School's Rappaport Center, where he was asked by an audience member about partisan battling in Congress.

Preface to Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture, by Michael D. O'Brien This book grew out of a series of articles which were written over a ten-year period for various Christian periodicals. At first, I had no interest in reading the Harry Potter novels, and indeed felt that I had already expended considerable time researching the field of fantasy literature when writing a book on the subject in the mid-1990’s. Moreover, the constant reviews of the Potter series had given me a general sense about the stories and the popular opinions. Oceans of spilled ink and electronic text seemed...

1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church....