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| | | Matt Baglio, Author of the Rite |
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The Rite (Doubleday Religion, 2009) is a fascinating look at one writer’s journey to understand modern day Catholic exorcism and the truth versus the myth of this often misunderstood Catholic rite. Author Matt Baglio follows Catholic Priest, Father Gary Thomas, as he trains to become an exorcist and subsequently apprentices himself to a seasoned exorcist. Join us for an interview with Author and Journalist Matt Baglio as we discuss the writing of the Rite and follow Baglio's own journey of understanding in this often misunderstood and seemingly terrifying topic of the demonic.
Matt, why did you write this book?
This book really came about when I heard about a Vatican-sponsored course to train exorcists being taught at a university in Rome. The journalist in me became instantly curious. Did the Church still believe in exorcism? How would you train an exorcist? Even though I had been raised Catholic, neither of these questions had ever occurred to me. I went down to the school and had many of my preconceptions reversed. Not only did I find the lectures interesting—on the nature of angels and demons and how exorcists are supposed to go about discerning the presence of an evil spirit—but the setting was fascinating as well. The classes were taught at this ultra modern university with computer power point presentations and video conferencing, and the exorcists were far from bumbling “fundamentalists” who see the devil behind every corner.
It was at the course that I met Father Gary Thomas, a priest from San Jose, California, who would go on to become the protagonist of my book. He explained how he’d been asked by his bishop to be an exorcist but that he had no idea what he would have to do. That instantly got me thinking. If priests don’t know much about the reality of exorcism then what about the general public? At that point he hadn’t seen an exorcism and told me he was in the process of trying to find a mentor who could train him. The writer in me realized that if I could follow Fr. Gary’s journey then I could provide a unique window into a world that not that many people had ever had access to before.
Most of what the public knows about the rite of exorcism is Hollywood based. Why are these perceptions faulty and what's the biggest misconception?
Well movies are really there to entertain and so it only makes sense that they would overplay certain aspects of exorcism, especially the sensational side of it. Most people think of the original film The Exorcist—the head spinning and projectile vomit—and I was no different. In reality exorcisms can be quite mild and it’s very rare for the person to speak, let alone show signs of paranormal ability. Most people react by coughing or even belching, and will typically close their eyes. On rare occasions the person will speak in a gruff and guttural voice that sounds a lot like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. I heard this on a few occasions myself and the voice is truly uncanny, and seems hard to fake. There is a certain quality to it, a tone, which is almost animal like. The reason it’s rare for the person to speak, say exorcists, is that the demon always wants to stay hidden. It won’t come out unless it is forced out and essentially this is what the prayer of exorcism does, it weakens the demon’s ability to hide and forces it out, where the exorcist (and more importantly the person) can then begin to get rid of it.
I also think Hollywood tends to frame exorcism as won-and-done battle in which the exorcist almost has “magical” powers. It’s natural to see the exorcist as the protagonist, but in the real world, much more importance is placed on the individual being prayed over. The rite of exorcism is a prayer that weakens the power that the demon has over the person, which then allows the person to get their life back on track, to begin living a moral life and to return to having a connection with God.
What was your knowledge on the subject matter before your research process began?
I think like most people my initial understanding of exorcism came from a few movies I’d seen. In other words, I came at this project without really knowing anything. It wasn’t necessarily by design, but it certainly helped me in the long run. Being a very curious person by nature I wanted to know what the Catholic Church actually taught about exorcism. I had a lot of my preconceptions reversed. Forget the silly images of the creatures with horns or fangs, the reality is very different. I was also surprised to learn that there are numerous psychiatrists who believe in demonic possession and who have seen things (which I document in the book) that defy explanation.
What was the most intriguing experience of the research process?
Beyond the strange things I saw when I participated in exorcisms, one of the most surprising things was the relative normalcy of the people before they underwent an exorcism. Most of the exorcists in Rome have waiting rooms outside their offices because they see so many people. For the exorcist I followed it was common to have eight people sitting around waiting to be called in. Many people assume that if a person is possessed by a demon they should show some outward signs, and this is not necessarily the case. It is only when the exorcist begins the prayer that the demon manifests.
As far as physically going into this world to conduct my interviews one experience certainly stands out. It happened to me when I was speaking to a woman that claimed to be possessed. The interview had been set up by an exorcist who was going to perform an exorcism as soon as we finished. Beforehand he told me that the demon might manifest while we were talking, and sure enough, when I asked her to describe what it felt like when the demon was attacking her, she went into a trance state and began screaming and shouting. She had been so sweet and timid throughout the interview that the transformation was quite striking.
What was the most frightening experience that occurred to you while you began following the American priest on his own training journey?
I have to say, although I have a pretty active imagination, I didn’t have any experiences that scared me while I was writing the book. I did have a few bizarre things happen, such as mysterious power outages that cost me some work or the odd bang of a shutter on a windless day, but most of these I chalk up to coincidence. I think I was much more apprehensive at the beginning. Then when I began to understand the true nature of demonic possession and how theologians say it works I calmed down. According to the Church demonic possession is more of an interior thing, something that a person has to invite in. It’s more about the demon trying to convince you to go against your best interests. If you are a Christian, theologically this makes a lot of sense, since we all have free will and it is up to us to make the right choices. In a way this is also more terrifying, because in this scenario you are the one who is voluntarily turning away from God, which is what the demon wants. Of course that doesn’t mean that strange things don’t happen to people who are possessed, including some downright scary things. I document several such incidents in the book, in which people have seen blood run from their faucets, or mysterious insects appearing on their walls. Every exorcist I talked to had an amazing story to tell. One saw a woman’s jaw unhinge and move over to the side of her face, making her mouth seem nine inches long. Thankfully, nothing like that happened to me though. In fact, quite the opposite, I had a very positive experience involving an overpowering aroma of flowers.
Why do exorcisms and possession fascinate the public so much?
Well everybody loves a good scary story, though I think it goes beyond that. There is something atavistic about demons and spirits and possession that takes us back to our ancestry. It’s also true that most of us have had one or more experience in our own lives that make us scratch our heads and wonder about the existence of some force or entity beyond our understanding. For Christians, the possibility of doing battle with demons puts you right into the fight between good and evil in an almost organic way. For me it’s the “what if” factor. I looked under every rock, and asked as many scientists and doctors I could about demonic possession. What I found out was very striking in that many are open to the idea that there may be another dimension to human existence that they admit we don’t know that much about.
How common are exorcisms in the Catholic church?
More common than people realize. In Italy is said that more than 500,000 people a year undergo an exorcism. However many of these last only 20 minutes or are repeat cases. In Italy, exorcism is run like an outpatient clinic—the person is assigned a weekly or monthly appointment and usually follows a schedule. This is because many of the exorcists are overworked and have other duties as priests, and don’t have time to pray for hours and hours over a person.
In the US exorcisms are much rarer, but the numbers are definitely on the rise as more and more official exorcists are being appointed. Since coming back to the US in 2006, Father Gary has performed roughly 50 exorcisms over 6 individuals.
We know that botched up exorcisms can potentially physically harm an individual and even kill. What is the Church's position on this?
Any exorcism that leads to a person being harmed mentally or physically is not only a horrific tragedy but goes against everything the Church teaches. An exorcism is a prayer, it is not a violent attack on an individual, and anybody who uses it as such deserves society’s scorn. In fact the Ritual even spells out the fact that the exorcist will be held morally and spiritually accountable for any damage he may cause. Most of the botched exorcisms that people read about are performed by people who subscribe to some bogus ideology or superstition.
The job of the exorcist is to relieve suffering, not cause it. In fact all of the exorcists I followed in Rome simply pray the prayers of the ritual in an even-toned voice without getting agitated at all. You almost can’t even hear them. They are not shouting and berating the person or calling them names. And they certainly wouldn’t put the person on a stage and perform the exorcism in front of an audience.
The most famous instance of a person being harmed during a Catholic exorcism was the 1976 case of Anneliese Michel. And I think it was cases like this that really prompted the Church to try and have their exorcists “trained,” so that nothing like that would ever happen again.
Are there any reported cases of death occurring in the Catholic church due to a failed exorcism?
No, but certainly the case of Anneliese Michel would be an example of a person dying thanks to the improper actions of the exorcists. Many people have this idea that exorcism is a one shot deal, that it is a battle to the finish and if the demon isn’t cast out then the exorcism was a failure. As I point out in the book this is really the wrong dynamic. Exorcism is more of a process; it is about the exorcist helping the individual to return to God. As one exorcist put it, it’s a journey of faith. In other words, a person can’t just come in and expect to be “fixed” and go on living their life exactly the same way as before.
Would you tell us about any upcoming work?
At the moment I am developing a few projects that are outside the sphere of the paranormal and exorcism. My interests are incredibly varied and I feel very lucky that my job allows me to constantly explore new terrain and meet so many interesting people.
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Matt!
Thanks for the opportunity!
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