José Antonio Fortea Cucurull (born in
Barbastro
Barbastro (Latin: ''Barbastrum'' or ''Civitas Barbastrensis'', Aragonese: ''Balbastro'') is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain. The city (also known originally as Barbastra or Bergiduna) is at the junction of the rivers C ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, October 11, 1968) also known as Father Fortea is a Spanish
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
, and a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
of the
diocese of Alcalá de Henares (
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
). He was appointed an
exorcist
In some religions, an exorcist (from the Greek „ἐξορκιστής“) is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or performs the ridding of demons or other supernatural beings who are alleged to have possessed a person ...
in the past, but is no longer in office.
Life
His father was a businessman and did not expect him to become a priest, but to take charge of the family business since he was his only son. Father Fortea acknowledges that up until his adolescence, religion lacked importance for him and that the concept of
sin
In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...
seemed to be an
anachronism
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
. He valued
the Church on the same level of
Greek Mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
. During that period of time, he had in mind to pursue studies in Law School. However, when he turned 15 years old, his perspective had a radical change and, in his own words, he understood that “he was a sinner and that the Church was the truth.” He attributed this change to a grace from God. The same year, he finds himself considering the possibility of
becoming a priest. After looking for guidance into this new path, he took the advice of a priest who told him to join the
seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
, just to rule out any doubt. Upon entering the seminary, he clearly understood that the priesthood was his calling.
He then got a bachelor's degree in Theology at the
University of Navarra
The University of Navarra is a private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of '' Opus Dei'', as a corporat ...
and his master's degree in the
University of Comillas. Even though his specialty in Theology was on
History of the Church, his licentiate thesis was about the topic of
exorcism
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be do ...
, hence the title “Exorcism in the Present Age.” The result of those investigations was published under the titled “Daemoniacum.” That publication made him known for the first time in Spain.
Years later, and with a greater scope of knowledge in the topic, ''Summa Daemoniaca'' was published. This book was followed by a supplemental publication called ''Exorcística'' which provides new theoretical resources and practical cases.
In 2011, he travelled to Europe and South America with Norwegian documentary filmmaker Fredrik Horn Akselsen to make ''Eksoristen i det 21. århundre'' (The Exorcist in the 21st Century)secolo), a documentary that shows Fortea grappling with exorcisms, first aired on
NRK
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company.
The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
TV in 2012.
The Exorcist in the 21st Century
/ref>
Publications
Father Fortea’s most famous publication is ''Summa Daemoniaca''. That book is a treatise of demonology
Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief and myth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies within theology, religious doctrine, or occultism. In many faiths, it concerns the study of a hierarchy of demons. Demons may be n ...
and an exorcist’s manual. The book analyzes the world of demons
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 including
fiction, comics, film, t ...
, the final damnation
Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth.
In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens woul ...
state of the soul, the inter-relationship of the fallen angel
Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...
s among themselves and with respect to angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s, human beings and God. The book’s second part deals with the different related demonic phenomena: how to discern if someone’s possessed, how to conduct an exorcism, the poltergeist phenomenon in haunted houses, as well as some other strange and unusual phenomena. That book ends with an analysis about evil itself. The “reflections” at the end of the book constitute the most philosophical part of the treaty.
The book ''Exorcistica'' is a supplemental publication of ''Summa Daemoniaca''. It is as extensive as the book it supplements: this second treaty embraces with a deeper understanding the topics discussed in the first book. The book, titled ''Anneliese Michel
Anna Elisabeth "Anneliese" Michel (21 September 1952 – 1 July 1976) was a Germans, German woman who underwent 67 Exorcism in the Catholic Church, Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death. She died of malnutrition, for which her ...
, a Case of Possession'', analyzes the case of a German girl who died in 1976 after undergoing a number of exorcisms. In A Mysterious God, the question about charismatic gifts is analyzed as well.
Fr. Fortea has been prolific in regards to exploring the literature field. In fact, he wrote a novel series regarding the book of Apocalipse called “Decalogia or Saga of Apocalipse” which is a cycle of ten novels about the end of the world, explained over and over again from a series of different perspectives.
The following is a complete list of his publications classified by genres:
Decalogia or Saga of the Apocalipse:
Ciclus Apocalypticus (2005)
Historia de la II Secesión de los Estados Unidos de América (2005)
La Construcción del Jardín del Edén (2005)
Memoirs of the Last Templar Master: Anno Domini 2211 (2005)
The Judgement (2005)
Necronerópolis (2005)
Línea Trocaica (2005)
Goedia (2005)
Book Nine: Abstracts from the Revelation Era (2005)
Book Ten: Abstracts from the Revelation Era (2005)
Edipo Vasco - Libros Libres, 2004.
Obra Férrea - Editorial Dos Latidos, Benasque 2004,
Dogmatic Theology
Daemoniacum: a Demonology Treaty - Belacqua, Barcelona 2002
Summa Daemoniaca - Dos Latidos, S.L.U, 2004
Exorcística. 2007.
Anneliese Michelle, a Case of Possession - Editorial Polwen. Polonia, 2011.
A Mysterious God - Editorial Dos Latidos. Benasque 2010.
Other Works
Eimeric, Nicolau: Manual de Inquisidores - La Esfera de los Libros S.L. Traducción y prólogo de J.A. Fortea.
Memoirs of an Exorcist - Editorial Martínez Roca. 2008.
Novel
* ''Decalogía o Saga del Apocalipsis'':
** ''Cyclus Apocalypticus'' (2005)
** ''Historia de la segunda secesión de los Estados Unidos'' (2005)
** ''La construcción del Jardín del Edén'' (2005)
** ''Memorias del último gran maestre templario. Año del señor 2211'' (2005)
** ''El juicio'' (2005)
** ''Necronerópolis'' (2005)
** ''Línea trocaica'' (2005)
** ''Goedia'' (2005)
** ''Libro noveno. Fragmentos de la época del Apocalipsis'' (2005)
** ''Libro décimo. Fragmentos de la época del Apocalipsis'' (2005)
* ''Edipo Vasco'', Libros Libres, 2004.
* ''Obra Férrea'' Editorial Dos Latidos, Benasque 2004,
Dogmatic Theology
* ''Daemoniacum. Tratado de demonología''. Belacqua, Barcelona 2002
* ''Summa Daemoniaca''. Dos Latidos, S.L.U, 2004
* ''Exorcística. Cuestiones sobre el demonio, la posesión y el exorcismo'', 2007.
* ''Anneliese Michel, un caso de posesión'', Editorial Polwen. Polonia, 2011.
** José Antonio Fortea, Lawrence E.U. LeBlanc, ''Anneliese Michel : a true story of a case of demonic possession : Germany 1976'', self-published, 2012.
* ''Un Dios Misterioso'', Editorial Dos Latidos. Benasque 2010.
Other works
* Eimeric, Nicolau: ''Manual de Inquisidores'' La Esfera de los Libros S.L. Traducción y prólogo de J.A. Fortea.
* ''Memorias de un Exorcista'', Editorial Martínez Roca. 2008.
References
External links
Specialized Catholic web about Possession and Exorcism. Spain Exorcist Father Jose Antonio Fortea
Contact Information & Website, Jose Antonio Fortea
Jose Antonio Fortea Cucurull Facebook
Exorcist on Satan Not Having Last Word
Interview with Father José Antonio Fortea, May 11, 2005, Zenit News Agency
ZENIT is a non-profit news agency that reports on the Catholic Church and matters important to it from the perspective of Catholic doctrine. Its motto is "The world seen from Rome".
Mission
The ZENIT Internet site describes the perspective of th ...
.
Exorcism Makes a Believer of a Journalist
Oct. 6, 2002, Zenit News Agency
ZENIT is a non-profit news agency that reports on the Catholic Church and matters important to it from the perspective of Catholic doctrine. Its motto is "The world seen from Rome".
Mission
The ZENIT Internet site describes the perspective of th ...
.
Book by Spanish exorcist outsells Da Vinci Code in Paraguay
Jun 19, 2006, Catholic News Agency
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) is a news service owned by Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) that provides news related to the Catholic Church to a global Anglophone audience. It was founded in 2004 in Denver, Colorado, United States as the ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortea, Jose Antonio
Catholic theology and doctrine
Demonologists
Catholic exorcists
Living people
1968 births
University of Navarra alumni
Spanish exorcists