Dangers of Deliverance Ministry by Priests

Much evil present in the world today has its source in the spiritual, religious and the natural realms. For example, the sacrament of Baptism and the practice of exorcism, as rituals that brought new life in Christ, developed from the world of sin and evil spirits. The warding off of devils gradually formed part of other sacraments and sacramentals. Exorcism, also known as ‘ghost busting’, and ritual of deliverance, are common practice now in the Churches. Exorcism is practised in many forms to ward off the evil spirit from the ‘possessed’. With diverse rituals and religious practices (piety), the negative power is eliminated and the victim saved. Demons/evil spirits do exert an influence in the evils of this world. But influence and possession are not the same. Possession is when a person has lost control of his/her actions and the power is taken over by an evil spirit, believed to be working in the person. It is often confused with oppression or obsession. Obsession and oppression signify a situation in which one is afflicted to a lesser degree by an evil spirit.

By focusing on demons, demon-possession and evil spirit, and by being preoccupied with casting them off through some rituals and ‘occult practices’, the Church and her priests empower the ‘demons’ themselves, and advocate exorcism and deliverance excessively. Priests should focus on glorifying God, and exhorting all to resist the evil in their lives as the Scriptures exhort. A baptized Christian believer, living in the light brought by Christ, cannot be demon-possessed unless he allows it: “All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness” (1 Thes 5:6). He can only be influenced by evils existing around.  Therefore, being alert and awake, we ought to worship God and concentrate on him, and not be chasing after demons.

Occult practices distract persons from true religious piety, from seeking after God. They are often deceived by their own gurus or spirit guides, leading to the extent that they despair of knowing whom to trust or what to believe, and are lost and left insecure. Consequently, these persons become dependent out of despair, and without rationality surrender blindly to the occult practitioners and do as they direct. Occult activity rejects God’s will for men and women. God forbids it as an “abomination” to Him (Deut 18:9-12).  

A right “relationship with and faith in God”, a personal experience of God is more important than casting out demons. Otherwise, there is the danger of becoming animists within post-modernity. One is prone to practice Christian magic: purifying objects, casting out demons in every turn and looking for signs of hidden demons or satanic symbols, rituals or curses.

Many Christians are dabbling with occult practices because they are dissatisfied with their lives and look out for supernatural avenues to find fulfilment. Some priests take advantage of such situations. Going to a priest-fortune-teller for any type of divine guidance means one is placing this person before God. He can have only partial knowledge about you. No human has the supernatural ability to know what is going to happen to you now and in the future, if they have never met you before. When nothing seems to help the afflicted, it need not necessarily be caused by a demon. It may be the person is not letting go of his desires (M. Bubeck, The Adversary, 25-44). Blaming the demons for the person’s problems takes away his/her responsibility concerning sin and victimizes more the already troubled. 

Some of the dangers inherent to this type of healing and ‘future-telling’ process by priests within the Church are as follows: These priests tend to make absolute one’s claims and powers, as signs of being ´true´ Christian; tend to close oneself off, i.e. follow one’s own spiritual and pastoral plans and methods to carry out one’s own apostolic activities, refusing to collaborate with other Church organizations or the community; and there is tendency to cut themselves off from the local Church/community, making reference in their apostolic activity more to their own achievements, methods and practices. This can create tension between the self-proclaimed ‘healing practice’ and the common Church pastoral ministry.

Ways to Deliverance Ministry

Deliverance ministry that has become quite common, happens in Catholic churches and during retreats and charismatic conventions. It can be offered to Christians or others who seek help against demonic affliction. Some priests teach that believers could become free from family curses and demonic bondages and affliction. It can be offered by lay people as well as priests.

Human beings with physical and spiritual nature and as ‘persons’ are inseparable from their history, cultures, geography and society.  Within such reality, deliverance and healing have to be placed in the context of a particular culture and people’s belief system in the reality and activity of spirits.  Broadly speaking, evil spirits are not regarded to be widely active in the West, and most definitely not in the lives of believers except those who have recourse to occult practices.

People often believe that sickness, a failure of a crop or financial hardship are due to the influence of the evil spirits. They go to doctors and modern medicines, but they also have recourse to witchcraft and occult practitioners who have the power to ward off such spirits. In such situation priests need to support a person reporting affliction by evil spirits, those who suffer from demonic oppression or ‘possession’. Priest has to have a love for the person, and listen attentively, enter into the pain of the other. At least a religious ritual, non-judgmental and empathic response will be curative pastoral healing (Derald Sue, Counselling the Culturally Diverse, 216). With sympathy, prayer and counselling, and through recourse to prayer, to the sacraments, and to other forms of devotion, the priest guides the person into the practice of these spiritual remedies, Spiritual direction or spiritual counselling. For, much suffering in a person’s life is rooted in psychological causes and not having right relationship with God.

Canon law is explicit in its regulations about the Rite of Exorcism, but not so much for deliverance ministry. In the Vatican documents, “there are very few explicit recognitions that demons can influence human beings in ways which fall short of full possession” (G. Leyshon, Exorcism and Prayers for Deliverance, 17) Exorcism is reserved to a priest with explicit permission by the local bishop (Code of Canon Law, 1172).

Priests must focus on God, his mission, and his people. Jesus is our best model. Priests need not rely on experience, tactics and tools, special gifting or spiritual calling. They have the authority to use the power of the Holy Spirit. They should not encourage demons to manifest themselves, nor to search for hidden ones. They must distance themselves from magical, occult and animistic practices and return to the Gospel of truth, that truly sets people free.

It must be acknowledged that mental illness and demonic affliction/possession present with the same symptoms and evil spirits can exert influence over a person through their damaged minds or wounded emotions (an evil spirit may co-exist with a pathological state).  In these cases, some psychological/psychiatric techniques can be used along with spiritual responses. Priest may give further counselling and suggest spiritual practices, personal prayer and communal worship by the help of a supportive Christian community. One must keep in mind that deliverance is not a single act of casting off an evil spirit, but part of the ongoing process of building the right relationship with God and towards living a full Christian life of psychological, physical and social well-being.

Conclusion

What must be done then? We need to be observant about what is happening in our parishes, in retreat centres, prayer groups and even within our own homes. That would be a great start in protecting ourselves from these dangers.

In the Catholic fold, the sacraments are the spiritual weapons. Besides, sacramentals (novenas, rosaries, statues, holy water, scapulars, gestures: standing, sitting, kneeling, bowing, etc.) which are symbolic words or actions, can be of great help.  A priest cannot stand still! He has a moral obligation to help a person afflicted by evil spirits/illness with understanding and empathy, and suggest ways to free the person from such affliction. People who go through inner pain, try to share the spiritual aspects of their illness but doctors and psychiatrists are often unwilling to address their needs in their own religious/spiritual terms. Those who seek counselling or therapy often seek out a religious/priest. Church is the place for healing for those suffering from mental/spiritual illness. The priest with his character, manner and profession has the power and a life changing role to play in someone’s life. If people become empowered and connected to their own spirit and with the Spirit of God, and see themselves as a temple of the Holy Spirit, they don’t need exorcism or deliverance.

Occult Practices, Possession and the Priest

With widespread forms of occult practices, the spirit-world is gaining attention today. Practice of exorcism/deliverance - rituals, prayers, incantations, and other methods used in the expulsion of evil spirits - is prevalent today. While bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, God condemned the use of all sorts of occult practices (Ex 22:18; Lev 19:26,31; 20:6,27).  But the same old pagan practices that brought curses upon Israel were still prevalent at the time of Jesus, and they are still alive in this time of neo-paganism and postmodernism. Some priests indulge in such acts, and advocate spiritualistic techniques. They are abominations.

Many theologians hold that existence of ‘evil spirit’ is a myth and a superstition; that demons are non-personal “mental and emotional disorders”. Satan is seen as a parabolic - rather than diabolic - character; an evil personified. According to Arturo Sosa SJ, the devil is a symbol, not a person. The devil, “exists as the personification of evil in different structures, but not in persons … It is a way of evil to be present in human life.” (Tempi, 21^st August 2019). According to most psychologists and theologians evil spirits are said to be mere mind’s imagination, and “demon possession” as mental illness. Whatever it be, all forms of the occult, whether one believes in the devil or not, reject God. The realities of today’s trendy occult include a lot of con-men, and priest-exorcists who ward off the evil spirits. An Exorcist himself, Gabriele Amorth says, many are “charlatans.” How does a Catholic fight against this trend and prevent people/priests from getting caught up in the demonic, supernatural, or occult?

Possession and Deliverance

Healing or deliverance ministry today is considered as one of many therapies available to help one overcome one’s personal limitations. For example, self-help books became the new best sellers. Many use the expertise of psychotherapists to achieve his/her full potential and be always well, successful and fulfilled. Person may seek deliverance, but the clergy need to take into account the psychotherapeutic and social cultures of the person. Often enough, it is believed to have a demon for almost every shortcoming and bad habit in any person, and therefore, pseudo deliverance ministry offers a readymade quick solution to them.

Some priests claim to have not only curative powers, but they also can identify the source of the problem. For example, in one case of a priest, people from villages and towns admired him as ‘ghost deliverer’. The priest claimed that he could even predict who actually have taken possession of a person, with description including his/her sex, and where one came from.
Priests use various means - holy water, bell, incense, rod, rosary or pendulum - and claim to have received the power of divining from God.

The Catechism says, “All forms of divination are to be rejected” (CCC 2116; cf. Deut 8:10; Jer 29:8).  All occult practices “conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers” (CCC 2116). Often acts of evil and suffering, such a sickness or sudden death, loss of work, accidents and a sudden failure of business are believed to be the work of the evil spirits and for which people seek deliverance from a priest. People and priests risk to misdiagnose all problems and mishaps as having a demonic origin without considering physical/natural causes.

Occult Practices and Mental Illness

The word 'occult' signifies a collection of beliefs and practices - mystical, supernatural, magical powers, phenomena and rituals - based on the premise that humans can tap into the supernatural. Occult is used to allow a person to gain abilities and power to control the nature or other people. Both the Bible and archaeology confirm that occult practices were universal in the ancient world: sorcerers and magicians (Gen 41:8,24; Ex 7:11), diviners (Deut 18:4; 1 Sam 6:2), soothsayers (Is 2:6; Dan 2:27), “familiar spirits” (Lev 19:31); wizards, enchanters and witches (Lev 19:31; 2 Chron 33:6) were common. Biblically, the occult is any practice that tries to gain supernatural power, abilities, or knowledge apart from the creator God: divination, black magic, clairvoyance, incantations etc. The belief that spells, magic, strange gestures, rituals, etc. can alter or manipulate the physical/spiritual world, including the minds of people, and bring healing, prosperity and power, is also of the occult.

“God is infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil” (CCC 385).  Therefore, “Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: ‘The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing’” (CCC 391).  In fact, angels are “spiritual, non-corporeal beings” (CCC 328).

Ancestral worship and various rites of exorcism have emerged from many tribal belief that evil spirits were the hostile spirits of deceased ancestors. There is no automatic safeguard from syncretism. There tends to be a heightened interest in the occult during times of tribulation, loss and despair. In moments of turmoil, fear, major illness and helplessness, people turn to occult. From visiting a con-man, god-man or a psychic, it can compound to mental health problems. Mental illness is distinct from demonic influence. Saint Mathew makes the differences between mental illness and demon possession: “those which were possessed with devils [demons], and those which were lunatic” (Mt 4:24).  Similarly, most unidentified moving objects, strange noises, frightful light in the dark and creaking sounds are not caused by demons. Most mental and emotional illnesses are not brought on by demons. Neither are they cases of demon possession. Again, by assuming that demons are to blame for our sins, physical pain, impatient reactions and violent hostility, we are escaping from spiritual growth and development. The drives and emotions involved in such disturbed persons do not warrant expulsion; they call for priorities, for a disciplined life. One needs to be careful about jumping to conclusions that a person is possessed and therefore needs an exorcist! The psychiatric test by a trained professional or a general assessment is the first course of action one should pursue.

Occult in Catholic Centres

Priests, missionaries, preachers, self-proclaimed god-men, and even evangelists use the rod or pendulum (rosary, chain) for divining (dowsing), and believe they have this ‘magical power’ and a special gift from God. There are number of religious practices taking place at Catholic prayer/ retreat centres. They include energy therapies, Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness training, centering prayer, eco-spirituality, use of religious objects and more. It gives the laity searching for God a false sense of security, and opens them up to false belief systems that are contrary to the Catholic faith. With deep trust put in the Church and its priests, the laity accept what is presented to them and they likely would believe and use them - a mockery and deception that end up in heresies. If meditation/ritual is placed on anything other than Christ, it may open a door to the demonic.

Ordinary simple people fail to see the dangers in participating in these occult practices. People think that wearing a medal, a rosary around their necks or putting on a ring with embossed figures of saints, is going to transmit cosmic energy into them, spiritually enhance their lives and protect them from evil.  These things then turn to be ‘idols’ that take the place of Jesus Christ. It is clear: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3).

We see an increase (a trend in Charismatic Retreat centres of deliverance) in demonic possession because people are dabbling in the occult and involving more people in it. Fear feeds the demons. So does occult threat based on wrong notion. By saying ‘yes’ to the occult,  one turns against God, a deliberate choice from one’s free will and give demons permission to influence. The Catechism states: “God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility” (CCC 2115). Occult practices (seeking hidden information on identity of person who cast evil spell, or who cheated in a land deal or even the location of the land drawn out and shown, etc.) are “gravely contrary to the virtue of religion” (CCC 2117) and is sinful, in violation of the First Commandment.  “All forms of divination [...] and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers” (CCC 2116).  “They contradict the honour, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (CCC 2116).