“Now, young blasphemer, you will die.”

Buttle: my jaw dropped immediately upon reading about buildings being exorcised… I imagined that putting things in room/dwelling is limited to primitive religions… Unbelievable… It’s like the belief that demons/vampires are afraid of holy water or cross. Even if they existed, I think only thing you could fight it is strong will (same thing that helps with psychic disorders).

I’m not yet sure about mystic / occult things. most of my nearest relatives are quite keen on spititual/mystic things. As my worldview is materialistic/empirical I am usually skeptic, maybe with exception of psychosomatic illnesses, which are quite credible I think.

And yet there are some people who still pine for the dark ages, or bemoan modern secular society?

I don’t get it. I really, really, don’t get it.

This stuff is so creepy that it makes the Pope’s Doctor Hypnotica look in his eyes seem mild by comparison.

“Lies applied to madness.” Great phrase. I’ll definitely use it.

“What does he do all day to draw his paycheck, anyway?”

exorcisms. no, really. he claimed in several other interviews to have performed some 40 THOUSANDS exorcisms in his life. if you do the math that comes out to something like 10 exorcism per day. what kind of exorcism can you perform in half an hour? and how can you go to so much places in a single day? easy, he performs many of his exorcisms BY PHONE. i’m not joking. but he doesn’t limit himself to exorcism on people, he performs exorcism on BUILDINGS too. for example he puts salt on the four corners of a room to perform an “exorcism” on the room, so the devil will stay out of there… but believe me, this is NOTHING. i have seen this totally crazy old man on the italian national tv (televangelism is pretty bad in the usa, but you should never underestimate italy, i mean, WE made up this stuff…) claiming without any problem that during exorcisms he sometimes puts his hand in front of the mouth of the “possessed”, and there SEVERAL INCHES LONG NAILS suddenly materialize, so he took them away from the “possessed” and fills a dish with them. yes, this is beyond madness, it’s probably lies applied to madness, just to reach their mad goal.

“Maybe he felt neglected during all the years under Pope John Paul II.”

no. this guy was put in his place (he is really at the head of the vatican exorcists) by the former pope, more the 2 decades ago, just when this “back to our medieval roots, ah, good times…” movement started. he was surely not neglected, but probably supported. maybe he was neglected before that point, but john paul II, despite his great popularity in the media, was as “medieval” as this pope. the only difference between them is that this one doesn’t act as good on tv…

“Sounds like the “war” is mostly a figment of the imagination of 82 year-old Father Gabriele Amorth”

i’m used to listen half truths from the vatican press room, it is still possible that several madmans in rome are really doing something similar to that, and that several (secret) “suggestions” were given to the bishops, directed at the most credulous part of the believers, so they won’t go to astrologers or “occultists” outside of the catholic church, but they neglect it in the public discussion because it would be too crazy to accept for the majority of the population. for a possible example look here:
http://www.uaar.it/news/2007/12/29/papa-nessuna-disposizione-esorcisti/#comment-137320
this guy claims that the verona diocese reported on an official paper that the bishop added 10 exorcists for the period 2007-2012.
i can’t check this fact, so take this with a grain of salt.

Imagine him creeping arthritically up and down the office halls of the Vatican, his crucifix and aspergillum in hand, making a pest of himself in other departments:

Father Gianini: “Ahh! Oh it’s you, Father Amorth, you startled me! I’ve asked you please don’t sneak up on me like that.”

Father Amorth: (flicking generous amounts of holy water on Father Gianini’s desk and computer) “I sense a demonic presence in this office, young Gianini. You must be very careful, lest The Beast take root here.”

Father Gianini: “Uh, yeah, Father, I’ll be real careful. Oh please don’t get that holy water all over my keyboard. I had to have it replaced the last time you were in here.”

Father Amorth: “A small price to pay for keeping Satan at bay, young man, I suspect your new-fangled computer is a very likely place to make his home. (whispering) It’s a work of the devil, you know.” (flick flick)

Father Gianini: “Uh, right. Listen Father, why don’t you go down to Interfatih Liaisons and give them the once-over? I’m sure they have lots of need for some exorcising or whatever, what with all the uh, heathens they have to deal with.”

Father Amorth: “Good idea, young Gianini.” (leaves the office)

Father Gianini: “Hello maintenance? Gianini here. Can you bring up some paper towels? And then you’d better head over to Interfaith Liaisons. Father Amorth is on the warpath again.”

Robert said,

December 30, 2007 at 12:25 am

I agree with Mriana – he does look creepy. The staff with the dead corpse hanging from it really finishes the look. Maybe the devil has already won and big hat just hides his horns?

I am so glad I am not the only one who is creeped out by him.