
In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to
cast out the
devil
A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
or performs the ridding of
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including
f ...
s or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have
possessed a person, or (sometimes) a building or object. An exorcist can be a specially prepared or instructed person including:
priest, a
nun, a
monk, a
witch doctor
A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor), or witchcraft doctor, is a kind of magical healer who treats ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is often misunderstood, and they could more accurately be called "anti-witch doctors ...
(healer), a
shaman, a
psychic or a
geomancer (
Feng shui - Chinese geomancy).
Exorcists in various religions
Christianity
In Christianity,
exorcisms are a rite used to cast out demons from
individuals deemed possessed. In training exorcists,
ecumenical collaboration between Christians of various traditions, such as the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran and the Anglican denominations has occurred, as with a May 2019 exorcists' conference in Rome.
Catholicism
In a Roman Catholic context, ''exorcist'' may refer to a cleric who has been ordained into the
minor order of exorcist, or a priest who has been mandated to perform the rite of
solemn exorcism.
=Minor order of exorcist
=
Since at least the third century, the
Latin Church
The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...
has formally ordained men to the minor order of exorcist. Text previously attributed to a fourth
Council of Carthage (398), now identified as a collection called ''
Statuta Ecclesiæ Antiqua'', prescribes in its seventh canon the rite of ordination of such an exorcist: the bishop is to give him the book containing the formulae of exorcism, saying, "Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on
energumens, whether baptized or
catechumens".
[Toner, Patrick]
"Exorcist"
''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 21 May 2014 .
These exorcists routinely performed ceremonies over adults and infants preparatory to baptism. Authors such as
Eusebius (3rd century) and
Augustine (4th century) provide details of these
minor exorcisms: Eusebius mentions the imposition of hands and prayer. Augustine noted that rites of exorcism by exsufflation (breathing upon the candidate) were also performed for the
baptism of infants.
The office of Exorcist was not a part of the sacrament of
Holy Orders but as a
sacramental was instead first conferred on those who had the special charism to perform its duties and later to those studying for the
priesthood. As a minor order, exorcists wore the
surplice.
In 1972, the minor orders were reformed; men preparing to be ordained as
Catholic priests or
deacons would no longer receive the minor order of exorcist; the minor orders of
lector and
acolyte were retained, but redesignated as ''ministries''. It was left open to the Catholic bishops of individual countries to petition the Vatican to establish a ''ministry of exorcist'' if it seemed useful in that nation.
The rite of conferral continues in societies that use the 1962 (or earlier) form of the
Roman Rite, such as the
Priestly Fraternity of St Peter,
Society of St. Pius X, and also among groups not in communion with the current bishop of Rome, such as the
Society of St Pius V. Some believe that attainment of the position of Acolyte in post-Council practices implies ordination to the minor orders which used to be below it, such as Exorcist and Porter, although this has not been officially defined (although Canon Law section 1009 does specifically state that the only "orders are the episcopate, the priesthood and the diaconate").
The Eastern Churches did not establish a minor order of exorcist, but simply recognised the calling of lay or ordained members of the faithful who had the appropriate
spiritual gifts.
In principle, every Christian has the power to command demons and drive them out in the name of Christ.
=Mandated Exorcists
=
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that: "Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing". The 1917 Code of Canon Law
explicitly stated that the solemn exorcism of a person believed to be
possessed may only be performed with the express authorisation of the local bishop or equivalent; "this permission is only to be given to priests of the highest repute". The revised 1983 Code of Canon Law similarly stated that the bishop is "to give this permission only to a
presbyter who has piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life."
The Catholic Church's
Rite of Exorcism was revised in 1999. Paragraph 13 of its introduction states that a priest can be appointed by the local Bishop either for a single act of exorcism, or to the permanent position of 'exorcist'. The Rite then specifies that whenever it uses the word ''exorcist'' without qualification, it indicates a priest mandated in this way.
Among notable exorcists,
Gabriele Amorth served as chief exorcist of the
Diocese of Rome; he was the founder of the
International Association of Exorcists.
American exorcists whom have been featured on
podcast
A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
s include Fr. Carlos Martins and
Fr. Vincent Lampert. Fr. Carlos Martins stated that “1 confession is more powerful than 1,000 exorcisms” and Fr. Vincent Lampert also stated that only 1 out of every 5,000 inquiries for those seeking an exorcism were an actual case of demonic possession.
Lutheranism
In
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
, exorcists practice the "extensive ministry of casting out evil spirits ... in the name of Christ."
In
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
, where the
Malagasy Lutheran Church has territorial jurisdiction, the demand for
exorcisms is quite high and pastors from sister Lutheran Churches, such as the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
have brought the education they gleaned while training in Madagascar back to the United States.
Anglicanism
In the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
,
mother Church
Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...
of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...
, every diocese has an exorcist.
Hinduism

Beliefs and practices pertaining to the practice of exorcism are prominently connected with the ancient Dravidians in the south. Of the four
Vedas
FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
(holy books of the Hindus), the
Atharva Veda
The Atharvaveda or Atharva Veda (, , from ''wikt:अथर्वन्, अथर्वन्'', "priest" and ''wikt:वेद, वेद'', "knowledge") or is the "knowledge storehouse of ''wikt:अथर्वन्, atharvans'', the proced ...
is said to contain the secrets related to magic and medicine. Many of the rituals described in this book are for casting out demons and evil spirits. These beliefs are particularly strong and practiced in
West Bengal,
Odisha and southern states like
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
.
Vaishnava traditions also employ a recitation of names of Lord
Narasimha
Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...
and reading scriptures (notably
Bhagavata Purana) aloud. According to
Gita Mahatmya of
Padma Purana
The ''Padma Purana'' (, or ) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedic ...
, reading the 3rd, 7th and 8th chapter of
Bhagavad Gita and mentally offering the result to departed persons helps them to get released from their ghostly situation.
Kirtan, continuous playing of mantras, keeping scriptures and holy pictures of the deities (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, Shakti etc. but especially of Narasimha) in the house, burning incense offered during a
puja, sprinkling water from holy rivers, and blowing conches used in ''puja'' are other effective practices.
Main Puranic resource on ghost- and death-related information is
Garuda Purana.
See also
*
Celestial Masters
*
Demon hunter
*
Exorcism
*
Fashi
*
Parapsychology
*''
Fangxiangshi'', a Chinese ritual exorcist
References
Works cited
*
External links
"An Evening with an Exorcist," a talk given by Fr. Thomas J. EuteneuerExorcisms in the Catholic ChurchInternational Association of Exorcists
{{Authority control
Minor orders