In a word: exorcism

I never saw the filmThe Exorcist, because I am a coward. Watching a little girl's head spin 360 degrees or seeing her spewing green vomit just didn't grab me as a happy way to spend an evening.

I hate horror movies and never understood the mentality that drives people to sit in the dark and have the life frightened out of them for entertainment. Not least when they could do so at home by just watching the news, or IS clips on Youtube. I even have issues with thrillers.

I've never really enjoyed a shower since seeing Psycho all those years ago, by accident, and was wary of seagulls after seeing Hitchcock's The Birds on television, long before Senator Ned O'Sullivan advised us to be careful out there. Despite which I've always poo-poohed the idea of a big bad bogeyman in the dark, or vampires. Even the Devil, God help us. Brendan Behan used describe himself as a daylight atheist. It seems light brought confidence into his life but at night the dark plagued him with fears. It is these fears which are exploited by horror movie makers specialising in terror as entertainment.

And by exorcists too, I would have thought. Not that I doubt the sincerity of such men. And within the Catholic tradition, being priests, they are men. In a world that witnesses so much evil, it can seem remarkable but good that the Devil, its traditional personification, has fallen so far beneath the radar.

Old Nick never had it so bad. Until now.

Until the election of Pope Francis in 2013. He brought with him some South America ways, such as belief in the grand old personification of evil Him/Herself. Pope Francis likes to talk about the Devil and this has led to an upsurge of interest in exorcism and exorcists.

So in Rome last month there was, by popular demand, a week-long course on Exorcism and Prayers of Liberation”. It is an annual event sponsored by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy and aimed at boosting the number of priests trained in performing exorcisms. In recent years bishops have been designating more and more priests to conduct exorcisms, such is the demand.

Nick is making a comeback.

"Exorcism" means "a calling up or driving out of evil spirits". From the Latin exorcismus, and Greek exorkismos.

inaword@irishtimes.com