exorcist from madrid discusses occult

8/13/2019 Exorcist From Madrid Discusses Occult

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EXORCIST FROM MADRID

DISCUSSES OCCULT, DEMONS,

LINKS CLERGY CRISES TOBUREAUCRACY

By Michael H. Brown

Among other things that we discuss at our retreats is the issueof angels and demons. The other night, I spoke with Father JosAntonio Fortea Cucurull, a well-known exorcist from theiocese of Alcal! de "enares in #pain $%adrid&. "is thesis for adegree from the Camillas 'ontifical (ni)ersit* was entitledExorcism in the Present Age. "e is also the su+ect of a +ook,Interview with an Exorcist. And so he is a man to whom onecan direct certain uestions.

"ow often does full possession +* demons occur Whogetspossessed "ow acti)e -- in our present time, in his opinion -- is

e)il

/hile, from time to time, demonic influence makes its attempton us all $and while the Church is not currentl* well-schooled inthis aspect, which was such a part of Jesus0 ministr*1 see toda*0s2ospel reading&, Father Fortea, in answering the first uestion,said that there are onl* a+out four cases of total possession,where+* a demon has complete control of a +od*, per *ear in

#pain $this in a nation of fort*-fi)e million&. 3/e are speaking ofsomething that is rare,3 the priest said. 4ike other exorcists,howe)er, the #panish priest differentiates +etween possessionand influence or affliction +* unclean entities $the latter farmore freuent& and is uick to point out that there ma* +e casesof possession itself that ne)er come to his attention. Indeed,Father Fortea, pastor of #aint %ar* %agdalene 'arish inAnchuelo, on a)erage sees fi)e to ten people who come to seehim each da* in the +elief the* are +eing affected $call thisoppression or infestation&.
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/hen it is a case of total possession $and not a ps*chologicalsickness&, the exorcist sa*s the origin is often in the occult -- andthat while 5urope is far more seculari6ed than the (.#., Americahas at least eual pro+lems with the demonic +ecause the )er*

+elief in the supernatural here $missing in so much of 5urope&often leads people into cultism, mediumship, satanism, esotericscience, paganism, pantheism, wi6ardr*, or the 7ew Age,howe)er we la+el it8 the wrong kind of supernatural experience.In other words, the interest in spiritual matters is often di)ertedto dark regions.

3It0s clear that the more people go to witchcraft, the more there

will +e cases of demonism,3 sa*s Father Fortea. 3It takes acertain le)el of action. There were less cases in 5urope fort**ears ago. In the Americas, *ou ha)e such things as #anter9a :anoccult practice especiall* pre)alent in the %iami area;. Thegreat difference +etween 5urope and here is that #outh Americaand 7orth America ha)e more faith. 5urope is moreseculari6ed, and there is a demonical influence -- +ut in theAmericas e)en good people show a tendenc* to go to ps*chic or

witches.3

3That for the moment is the main difference. I can0t sa* thereare more cases of exorcism, +ut to put the hands through the+arrier from this world to the other is something that happensmore in this countr*8 there is a clear presence of the occult. ne of the most extreme cases the priest has encounteredconcerned a woman whose deli)erance lasted nine *ears. 3#he isnow normal,3 recalled Father Fortea last week, during a )isit tothe (.#. 3It was )er* dramatic +ecause of the screaming. I didnot know it was e)en possi+le to scream in such a wa*. Therewere e)en some mo)ements of the +ed8 impossi+le for aperson.3

And the cause


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3I can tell *ou what the demons said. The* said it was witchcraftand a cult. =ut I0m not sure. emons decei)e. There are morecases of demonical influence -- pain, trance, +ut the demoncan0t mo)e the +od* with freedom-- ma*+e a trem+le.

emonical influences are more common. %an* times )er*, )er*light.3

=ut, *es, sometimes extreme.

"ealings ha)e occurred in conunction with deli)erance andexorcism, sa*s Father Fortea -- noting the 3gra)e case3 of a manwho had a large tumor in his li)er that after exorcism

disappeared. 3It0s a shame we don0t use healing power more,3said the exorcist, who had recentl* spoken to priests in theiocese of #t. Augustine in Florida and was on to Al+uuerue,where we caught up with him. "is approach is first to +less aperson to see if there is possession. "e has in)oked saints like#aint 2eorge. 3(suall* I pra* in tongues, and reall* it works,3 hesa*s. 3emons know what *ou are sa*ing.3

Father Fortea has +een called to deli)er homes that seemed

infested +* spirits and recommends freuent pra*ing of the?osar* and use of "ol* /ater in such instances. 'urging a+uilding can take time.3In one case e)en the +ishop went thereand it took a while,3 he said. It often takes persistence $seeJames @8&. >ne su+ect rarel* addressed +* the Churchconcerns spirits of the deceased and whether the* cannegati)el* affect the li)ing. Father Fortea descri+ed this as a3)er* m*sterious3 topic and said there are 3different opinions

among exorcists.3 "e preferred not to address it in detail, sa*ingit was a su+ect that can cause fear, and fear is destructi)e.There can +e a link +etween a+ortion and demonism, +ut he isreluctant to discuss this also $3The a+ortion itself,3 he sa*s, 3isalread* a terri+le traged* for the woman3&.

In his mid-forties, Father Fortea sa*s that he does not ha)e aspecial sensiti)it* to the presence of e)il. "is approach is more

intellectual. Asked a+out claims of apparitions, particularl* the=lessed %other, at places such as %edugore in "ercego)ina,
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which has di)ided at least two 5uropean exorcists, FatherFortea said that currentl* 3I suspend udgment.3 "e doesardentl* defend the contro)ersial writings of Italian m*stic%aria Baltorta, who wrotePoem of the Man-Go, and said he

was informed in ?ome that she is up for +eatification. 3'eoplewho ha)e attacked her ma* ha)e a +ig surprise,3 he claims. 3"ercause was accepted in the Congregation of #aints.3

4et us continue to discern. There are so man* m*steries Forexample, how a+out the clerg* a+use crisis -- particularl* incountries such as the (.#. 3'riests in this countr* are )er* good-- so wh* so man* cases of a+use3 he responds. 3In #pain we

ha)e )er* few cases. I don0t know wh*. 'riests are spending toomuch time with paper in offices and this is a +ig danger--+ureaucrac*. >ffice work is not pastoral work. To +e in front ofa computer is not pastoral. The* ha)e to return to thesimplicit*. The* should create a commission to stud* priests inItal*, #pain, and e)en the >rthodox in 2reece on how tofunction as poor and simple. In #pain, it0s unthinka+le to close achurch +ecause in #pain it is )er* inexpensi)e to operate one1 in

fact, we are opening churches in our diocese1 +ut the more *ougrow a +ureaucrac*, the more it eats *ou1 the more *ou +ur**ourself in an office, the more *ou are going awa* from theministr* of Jesus.3

The good news8 the num+er of exorcists in the (.#. isincreasing, he noted. 3Ten *ears ago, there were no more thanthirt* or fort* dioceses that had an official exorcist in the (.#.and now it ma* +e dou+le.3 The +ad news8 man* diocesesremain without one.

It is a simple call to act in the unworldl*, non-+ureaucratic wa*of Christ.

/hen we do, we see healing. /e see deli)erance. /e seefreedom from fear, depression, o+session, oppression, e)enpossession $hear the hiss& as well as fear.


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It takes close attention to #cripture -- which itself has greatpower o)er e)il.

If one could watch the ministr* of exorcism, sa*s Father Fortea,

one would see that 3the pages of the 2ospel are completel* ali)ein our time.3

exorcist from madrid discusses occult

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