Gabriele Amorth

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Lore & Background

Gabriele Amorth was born in Modena, Italy on 1 May 1925 into a family deeply attached to Catholicism and Catholic Action. Both his father and grandfather were lawyers. He served as a deputy to Giulio Andreotti within the Young Christian Democrats. Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1954, he was appointed an exorcist of the Diocese of Rome in June 1986 under the tutelage of Candido Amantini. In October 2000, it was reported he had performed over 50,000 exorcisms; by May 2013, he said he had performed 160,000. Amorth explained that each exorcism does not represent a victim of possession—some possessed victims required hundreds of exorcisms. He attributed the high number to his opinion that 'People have lost the Faith, and superstition, magic, Satanism, or ouija boards have taken its place, which then open all the doors to the presence of demons.'

In Their Own Story

When asked whether the devil can strike inside the Vatican City, Amorth stated, 'He has tried already. He did it in 1981 by attacking John Paul II by working with those who armed Ali Ağca.' According to Amorth, the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases were the result of the work of demons on some priests, who 'were not possessed, but rather tempted by the devil.' He offered guidelines to those exercising the charism of exorcism: they must be highly regarded for prayer life, faith, acts of charity, and judgment, rely solely on the 'Word of God' and traditional prayer, be completely detached from monetary concerns, be profoundly humble, and treasure obscurity. He always directed people to psychiatrists and doctors first, and when he saw someone was not possessed but the person still insisted, he replied: 'You have no devil. If you have a problem, talk to a good vet.'

Reader's Guide

Amorth wrote two memoirs of his time as an exorcist—An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories—which include references to official Roman Catholic teachings on demonology while the main emphasis is on his experience as an exorcist. Both cover the diagnosis and treatment of spiritual problems, including demonic contraction and curses. He stated, 'A curse can originate from such things as maledictions by close relatives, a habit of blaspheming, membership in Freemasonry, spiritic or magic practices, and so on.' At a film festival in Umbria, he said that yoga is satanic because it leads to the practice of Hinduism, Buddhism and 'all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation' and 'practicing yoga is satanic, it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter.' He claimed that Emanuela Orlandi was kidnapped for a sex party by a gang involving Vatican police and foreign diplomats, and that she was later murdered and her body disposed of.

Did You Know?

• Amorth claimed to have performed 160,000 exorcisms by May 2013, but each exorcism counted as a prayer or ritual alone—some possessed victims required hundreds of exorcisms.
• He was a deputy to Giulio Andreotti, who later became Prime Minister of Italy, within the Young Christian Democrats.
• Amorth said that yoga is satanic because it leads to the practice of Hinduism and Buddhism, which he called 'based on a false belief in reincarnation.'
• He claimed that Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican City schoolgirl who disappeared in 1983, was kidnapped for a sex party by a gang involving Vatican police and foreign diplomats.
• Amorth always directed people to psychiatrists and doctors first, and told those who insisted they were possessed: 'You have no devil. If you have a problem, talk to a good vet.'