— Pope Francis has told a convention of exorcists from around the world that they are doing sterling service in combating “the Devil’s works”, as the Catholic Church warned of a rise in Satanism and the occult.
The Pope, who frequently cites the fight against Satan in his sermons, said that exorcists needed to show “the love and welcome of the Church for those possessed by evil”. By treating people who were possessed, priests could demonstrate that “the Church welcomes those suffering from the Devil’s works,” he said in a message to a conference organised in Rome by the International Association of Exorcists.
The organisation, which brings together Catholic clergy and psychiatrists, was founded in 1990 by two Catholic priests and was given formal recognition by the Vatican in June.
At the conference, 300 priests and experts from around 30 countries discussed the perils of the occult and Satanism, which many in the Catholic Church believe is on the increase.
“The struggle against evil and the Devil is becoming more and more of an emergency,” Walter Cascioli, a psychiatrist and the spokesman for the association, told Vatican Radio. Read more
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There were only 88 tickets available for the ceremony scheduled for September 21st at the Oklahoma City civic center, but organizers say they are all gone.
One of the group’s leaders, Adam Daniels, confirmed the black mass will be altered to meet state standards.
However, Daniels told ABC News it wouldn’t change the message to “not only educate the members but to educate the public, and to debunk the Hollywood-projected image of our beliefs.”
Among the actions taking place will be deacons and priests spitting and stomping on an unconsecrated host.
The group also plans a satanic exorcism. That means they will attempt to force the Holy Spirit to leave the body of a believer. Read more
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If a man in Florida has his way, praying to Satan will be allowed at the next town council session in Deerfield Beach. Or, if not there, then perhaps the next session of the Florida State Senate in Tallahassee. Just days after the Supreme Court ruled that sectarian legislative prayer was constitutional, the Broward Palm Beach New Times reported May 9 that political activist Chaz Stevens requested equal billing for his “Dude in Charge” at opening prayers at political meetings of the Deerfield Beach town council.
Given the Supreme Court ruling in Greece v. Galloway on May 5, a decision that prompted Harry Bruinius at the Christian Science Monitor (via Yahoo News) to ask if it okayed Satanists giving invocations, there does not seem to be any way to constitutionally deny Stevens his request. Just as long as he does not “denigrate nonbelievers or religious minorities, threaten damnation, or preach conversion,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority, which might infringe upon others’ constitutional rights.
The 5-to-4 ruling stipulated that judges could not disallow prayers in government meetings.
“I just want equal billing,” Stevens, an avowed Satanist, told the New Times. Read more
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