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"If you haven't found something strange during the
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
PROVIDING SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTARY ON THE
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
More Exorcisms Not a Good Idea For Vatican PR
When you see a headline like "Pope's exorcist squads will wage
war on Satan," you have to wonder who, if anybody, is running
the PR department down at the Vatican.
Granted, this particular headline, which appeared in Britain's
Daily Mail, is a wee bit sensational, but that's what the Brit
broadsheets tend to do when red meat is served up on a silver
platter. And one of the many forms of journalistic red meat is
anything that makes religious people look like superstitious
primitives.
On the other hand, in this particular case, if the shoe fits . . .
Reportedly, each of the Pope's bishops have been told to have in
his diocese a number of priests who are trained to fight
demonic possession. This so-called "exorcist squad" initiative
was revealed by 82-year-old Father Gabriele Amorth -- widely
considered an exorcism "expert" -- to the online Catholic news
service Petrus.
"Thanks be to God, we have a Pope who has decided to fight the
Devil head-on," the feisty father said. "Too many bishops are
not taking this seriously and are not delegating their priests in
the fight against the Devil. You have to hunt high and low for a
properly trained exorcist."
Yep, I'm sure a "properly trained exorcist" is as hard to find
these days as a good alchemist or catapult repairman, which
must be rather disheartening to old school demon casters-out
like Father Amorth.
Look, I'm no Catholic basher. And when it comes to the
question of whether or not demons really exist, far be it from
me to presume that I can provide the definitive answer. Let's
just say I maintain a healthy skepticism on the subject, even
though surprisingly, at least to me, recent Gallup polls
consistently show that some 70% of the population believe in
the devil. But does that automatically convert to a 70% belief
in the legitimacy of exorcisms? I have trouble believing that it
does.
In any case, my intuition tells me that headlines involving
"exorcist squads" are to be considered mini-PR disasters by the
Vatican. And as if to confirm my intuition, the day after the
story first appeared, the Vatican was already denying it.
Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press
office, flatly stated: "Pope Benedict XVI has no intention of
ordering local bishops to bring in garrisons of exorcists to fight
demonic possession."
Huh. So which holy father are we to believe, this one or the
other one? Maybe it was just a case of ecclesiastical
miscommunications. Or maybe it was an extreme case of
wishful thinking on the part of Father Amorth, an old-school
devil fighter, who misinterpreted some lesser edict like, say, a
call for a few remedial courses on the basics of demonic
possession.
Whatever it is, the last thing the Vatican needs these days,
especially after the pedophile priests scandals of recent years,
is headlines which place the church squarely back in the Dark
Ages. How about a headline instead that says something
positive, sensible and jet-age contemporary, like "Vatican
drops senseless ban on contraception and joins the 20th
century."
Joining the 21st will be a bit more of a chore.
When you see a headline like "Pope's exorcist squads will wage
war on Satan," you have to wonder who, if anybody, is running
the PR department down at the Vatican.
Granted, this particular headline, which appeared in Britain's
Daily Mail, is a wee bit sensational, but that's what the Brit
broadsheets tend to do when red meat is served up on a silver
platter. And one of the many forms of journalistic red meat is
anything that makes religious people look like superstitious
primitives.
On the other hand, in this particular case, if the shoe fits . . .
Reportedly, each of the Pope's bishops have been told to have in
his diocese a number of priests who are trained to fight
demonic possession. This so-called "exorcist squad" initiative
was revealed by 82-year-old Father Gabriele Amorth -- widely
considered an exorcism "expert" -- to the online Catholic news
service Petrus.
"Thanks be to God, we have a Pope who has decided to fight the
Devil head-on," the feisty father said. "Too many bishops are
not taking this seriously and are not delegating their priests in
the fight against the Devil. You have to hunt high and low for a
properly trained exorcist."
Yep, I'm sure a "properly trained exorcist" is as hard to find
these days as a good alchemist or catapult repairman, which
must be rather disheartening to old school demon casters-out
like Father Amorth.
Look, I'm no Catholic basher. And when it comes to the
question of whether or not demons really exist, far be it from
me to presume that I can provide the definitive answer. Let's
just say I maintain a healthy skepticism on the subject, even
though surprisingly, at least to me, recent Gallup polls
consistently show that some 70% of the population believe in
the devil. But does that automatically convert to a 70% belief
in the legitimacy of exorcisms? I have trouble believing that it
does.
In any case, my intuition tells me that headlines involving
"exorcist squads" are to be considered mini-PR disasters by the
Vatican. And as if to confirm my intuition, the day after the
story first appeared, the Vatican was already denying it.
Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press
office, flatly stated: "Pope Benedict XVI has no intention of
ordering local bishops to bring in garrisons of exorcists to fight
demonic possession."
Huh. So which holy father are we to believe, this one or the
other one? Maybe it was just a case of ecclesiastical
miscommunications. Or maybe it was an extreme case of
wishful thinking on the part of Father Amorth, an old-school
devil fighter, who misinterpreted some lesser edict like, say, a
call for a few remedial courses on the basics of demonic
possession.
Whatever it is, the last thing the Vatican needs these days,
especially after the pedophile priests scandals of recent years,
is headlines which place the church squarely back in the Dark
Ages. How about a headline instead that says something
positive, sensible and jet-age contemporary, like "Vatican
drops senseless ban on contraception and joins the 20th
century."
Joining the 21st will be a bit more of a chore.