U.S. Catholic bishops holding a national conference/training on how to properly conduct exorcisms!

[Better Believe It]

Catholic bishops: More exorcists needed
By RACHEL ZOLL
The Associated Press
November 12, 2010

NEW YORK — Citing a shortage of priests who can perform the rite, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops are holding a conference on how to conduct exorcisms.

The two-day training, which ends Saturday in Baltimore, is to outline the scriptural basis of evil, instruct clergy on evaluating whether a person is truly possessed, and review the prayers and rituals that comprise an exorcism. Among the speakers will be Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Texas, and a priest-assistant to New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

"Learning the liturgical rite is not difficult," DiNardo said in a phone interview before the conference, which is open to clergy only. "The problem is the discernment that the exorcist needs before he would ever attempt the rite."

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., who organized the conference, said only a tiny number of U.S. priests have enough training and knowledge to perform an exorcism. Dioceses nationwide have been relying solely on these clergy, who have been overwhelmed with requests to evaluate claims. The Rev. James LeBar, who was the official exorcist of the Archdiocese of New York under the late Cardinal John O'Connor, had faced a similar level of demand, traveling the country in response to the many requests for his expertise.

Signs of demonic possession accepted by the church include violent reaction to holy water or anything holy, speaking in a language the possessed person doesn't know and abnormal displays of strength. (mmmmmm .... could it be steroids? BBI)

Read the full article at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40151974/ns/us_news/?gt1=43001

[Brickbat]

1. They can start by exorcising priests who prey on children. That would be a good start.

FFS.

[alanquatermass]

7. Fuckin' A, right!!! These people are WORSE THAN RADICAL MUSLIMS!

There. I said it. Now sue me.

To repeat: Are they AS BAD as Muslim Extremists?

No. They are WORSE.

Far worse.

That is all.

[vixengrl]

2. That's very needful and timely, but I'm also concerned about

whether there are enough Ghostbusters, because since the 80's, there's only been, like--four. and there has to be a hellalots of ghosts when you considered all the people who died since forever, right? Also--vampire hunters? Anyone? Can anyone name anybody but Van Helsing?--No, probably not. I think Buffy and them are a t.v. show, so....I'm just saying, we aren't dealing with vampires like they are real, and vampires have never been more popular, except in the 80's with the Anne Rice and maybe that Dracula movie with Winona Ryder and Gary Oldham as Dracula....I think we lack the politial will these days to stake an Edward. Even though he is totes stalkery and skeevish. In the olden days, we would have had more nerve. We'd also have put a silver bullet in Jacob and probably Benicio Del Toro, too. The actor, not just because of his character as a wolfman, but because he was really sort of convincing as one-- Hey, if you're going to believe in scary weird curses, you can't be too sure!*

Also anyone who might make a Frankenstein monster because they know science is very suspect. This would involve--all people who might know random things about science--either stop knowing them--or maybe submit to signing a pledge not to make a Frankenstein monster. Because that would alarm the villagers no end, and then Home Depot would have a run on pitchforks, and all kinds of crazy economic stuff could happen from there--so don't do it, science people...Grrr. Stick to peaceful, Asimovian robots, because that will be better than a guy made of dead guys. Obviously.

Also, I think the US gov't should open up about how they are fixing to deal with zombies, who, as I understand it, feed on the neurons of living human brains to sustain their extra-necrotic existence.

*No Benicio Del Toros were harmed in this post--because I actually think he's a good actor, and most probably not a Wolfman in real life, although I don't actuall know.

[LongTomH]

3. Candidates for exorcism?

Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rep. Alan West and his new chief-of-staff Joyce Kaufmann, Sharon Angle.

How many can you add? :evilgrin:

[somone]

4. Maybe the one who is not a witch

[somone]

5. Save time and money. Do it yourself

[Better Believe It]

9. Where can I buy a 12 pack of holy water?

[somone]

10. Hmmm. Just order a bunch of these:

[LiberalFighter]

6. Start with the Pope

[Toucano]

8. Is that the explanation for Boener's color?

Maybe he's possessed.

Maybe a demon ate McConnell's chin.

[struggle4progress]

11. ... The purpose is not necessarily to revive the practice, the organizers say, but to help Catholic

clergy members learn how to distinguish who really needs an exorcism from who really needs a psychiatrist, or perhaps some pastoral care. “Not everyone who thinks they need an exorcism actually does need one,” said Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., who organized the conference ...
For Catholics, Interest in Exorcism Is Revived
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: November 12, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/us/13exorcism.html?_r=1

... Thomas is pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga, Calif., and the official exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose. According to Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., who is helping to organize the Baltimore conference, Thomas is one of only five or six active exorcists in the U.S. Last year, Thomas wrote to 121 Catholic bishops and 41 seminary rectors, urging them to train more priests in exorcism ... So, why haven't more bishops appointed exorcists? "Because they do not believe in them," Thomas answered ...
American exorcist plies his lonely trade
DANIEL BURKE • Religion News Services
Posted: Saturday, November 13, 2010 12:00 am
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/article_24031ead-9f29-5cfe-aac6-092e1e44b8ce.html

[laconicsax]

12. Since there's no such thing as demonic possession, no one *really* needs an exorcism.

Of course, if the Church started paying attention to reality, they'd have to admit that the transubstantiation is bullshit, they're overrun by pedophiles, and...oh, wait...what was it...oh yeah!

Their god is a fiction.

[struggle4progress]

14. "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"

Apparently, a number of people seek exorcism for their own spiritual distress or the spiritual distress of others important to them. And apparently the Catholics prefer to regard the majority of these cases as psychological/psychiatric in nature. They do a handful of exorcisms each year for the remaining cases in the US

I fail to see the harm of Catholics praying over someone if known psychological/psychiatric methods don't work -- even an alleged scientific expert such as yourself should perhaps take the view that the forms of human distress can be complicated and that pure placebos can sometimes have real effects. Or perhaps you are simply unable to think clearly about the matter, since this seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with the doctrine of transubstantiation or the pedophilia scandals of past years

[darkstar3]

15. You fail to see the harm?

How about the fact that people can die?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/specials/1512_exorcism/page5.shtml

As for your placebo claim, that effect has never been shown to work on people who are otherwise unresponsive to treatment. In fact, the placebo effect doesn't come close to working on everyone.

[struggle4progress]

16. I think you're confusing different phenomena. As far as I know, the Catholic Church does not

offer exorcism as a service to save businesses or cure cancers.

[darkstar3]

17. I'm sure that's the official line,

but of course, I was talking more about the dangers inherent in the process itself. Not that a defender of the faith would care...and I see you completely dropped your attempt at claiming "placebo." Good for you.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. These people must belong to some obscure sect, rather than being the Serious Theologians

who, we are frequently told, represent modern mainstream Christian thought. Serious Theologians spend their time describing God as "that which allows everything to exist" or beyond our ability to comprehend. So, anyone who spends their time sprinkling holy water on people because they think a devil has possessed someone clearly follows some obscure backwater version of Christianity that is stuck in the Middle Ages.

These people must be unaware of the past several centuries' worth of mainline Protestant and Catholic theology which has dismissed the caricature that secular intellectuals paint of Christian doctrine. Hang on - that word 'Catholic' was mentioned somewhere in the article, wasn't it? Better just check ... oh. Well, 'bishops' must just be some gullible followers, mustn't they? ... Oh, they are the literal hierarchy of the church. Oh well, I'm sure it's only a weird belief in the US part of the Roman Catholic church ... Ahem, it seems parts of Europe take exorcism even more seriously. OK ... well, the head of the church can't believe in all this malarkey, can he? ... Ahh, the last one performed an exorcism himself :blush: well, that's all in the past, isn't it? The new Pope must want to modernise ... He thinks that the supernatural aspect of the church was lost in the 1960s reforms? :banghead: