Pope Leo XIV held a private meeting this month with the leadership of the International Association of Exorcists (AIE), a Rome-based Catholic organization that counts more than a thousand members across 58 countries. The group came with a warning and a request: the Church is facing a growing crisis of occult activity, and it needs more trained exorcists to respond.
The exorcists presented the Pope with a detailed report on what they described as a significant rise in cases linked to occult practice and its spiritual consequences.
Their primary goal? That every Catholic diocese worldwide be staffed with at least one properly trained exorcist priest.
"The spread of occultism in its various forms, and of Satanism, unfortunately opens doors and windows to the extraordinary action of the devil," Father Francesco Bamonte told a Catholic news outlet. Without properly trained clergy at the diocesan level, he warned, the faithful who suffer are left without adequate support – and may turn to practitioners who make things worse.
Exorcists Get Papal Approval
The meeting is the latest in a series of signals from the Vatican that it takes this ministry seriously. Just last September, more than 300 exorcists gathered in Rome for a formal conference.
Pope Leo XIV, though not present in person, sent a written message framing the exorcist's role as one of "liberation and consolation."
The International Association of Exorcists was founded in 1994 by Father Gabriele Amorth, an Italian priest who for decades served as one of the most recognized exorcists in the Church. Pope Leo told the March delegation he had personally known and admired Amorth – whose ministry inspired the 2023 Russell Crowe film The Pope's Exorcist.
The association now holds formal Vatican recognition and recently published Guidelines for the Ministry of Exorcism, a document reviewed by several Vatican offices. A copy was reportedly presented to the Pope at the meeting, along with a metal image of Saint Michael the Archangel. Leo sent the visitors off with a rosary.
How Common Is Exorcism?
If every diocese needs a trained exorcist, the logical follow up question is: how common is this ritual, actually?
The answers are murky. No official exorcism figures are published by the Church, and most estimates come directly from priests who perform them.
One fact does seem undisputed, though: exorcism requests are on the rise.
Father Vincent Lampert, the designated exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, says he receives around 2,000 requests a year – and he is one of more than 100 approved Catholic exorcists in the U.S. alone (up from just 12 when he was appointed to the role in 2005).
Father Amorth, the AIE founder, claimed to have performed at least 60,000 exorcisms over the course of his ministry before his death in 2016.
What are the Dangers of Exorcism?
The Church insists that suspected cases of possession be carefully examined alongside medical professionals – including psychiatrists and psychologists – before an exorcism can be considered.
There's good reason for this. Critics of exorcism have long argued that the practice pathologizes mental illness, attributing symptoms of known medical conditions like schizophrenia or epilepsy to demonic influence, rather than referring people to qualified care.
In the most serious cases, misdiagnosis has turned fatal: an 8-year-old autistic boy was killed during a church exorcism in 2003, and a 14-year-old in England died in a similar incident in 2010. Such cases have fueled lasting skepticism about whether the rite can ever be performed without risk to vulnerable people.
What Comes Next?
Only time will tell the impact more exorcists may have on the Catholic church and its members.
For skeptics, the entire premise raises questions about whether the Church is addressing a genuine spiritual crisis or conflating mental illness and spiritual curiosity with something more sinister. For believers, the Vatican's response is long overdue.
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