TheCatholic Church authorizes the use ofexorcism for Christians who are believed to be the victims ofdemonic possession.^[1] In Catholicism, exorcism is asacramental^[2][3] but not asacrament, unlikebaptism orconfession. Unlike a sacrament, exorcism's "integrity and efficacy do not depend [...] on the rigid use of an unchanging formula or on the ordered sequence of prescribed actions. Its efficacy depends on two elements: authorization from valid and licit Church authorities, and the faith of the exorcist."^[4] TheCatechism of the Catholic Church states: "When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism."^[3]

Initial guidelines, such as the manual of exorcismOf Exorcisms and Certain Supplications (Latin:De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam), were issued in 1614.^[1][5] The Catholic Church revised theRite of Exorcism in January 1999.^[1] The traditional Rite of Exorcism inEcclesiastical Latin remains as an option.^[1] Solemn exorcisms, according to theCanon law of the Church, can be exercised only by anordainedpriest (or higherprelate), with the express permission of the localbishop, and only after a carefulmedical examination to exclude the possibility ofmental illness andpersonality disorders.^[6][7]

TheCatholic Encyclopedia (1908) enjoined: "Superstition ought not to be confounded withreligion, however much their history may be interwoven, normagic, however white it may be, with a legitimate religious rite."^[8] Things listed in theRoman Ritual (Latin:Rituale Romanum) as being indicators of possibledemonic possession include:speaking foreign and/or ancient languages of which the possessedhas no prior knowledge;^[9]supernatural abilities and strength; knowledge of hidden or remote things which the possessed has no way of knowing; an aversion to anythingholy; and profuseblasphemy and/orsacrilege.^[6]

According tothe Vatican's guidelines issued in 1999, "the person who claims to be possessed must be evaluated by doctors to rule out a mental or physical illness".^[10] Most reported cases are not seen as requiring an exorcism because twentieth-century Catholic officials regarded genuine demonic possession as an extremely rare phenomenon that is easily confused withmental illness. Demand for exorcisms increased in the early twenty-first century and the number of trained exorcists increased.^{[citation needed]} Prior to the late twentieth century, exorcists were mainly anonymous, and the performance of exorcisms remained a secret. Some exorcists^[who?] attributed the rise in demand of exorcisms to a rise in drug abuse and violence, leading to the suggestion that the two were related. The Church point of view is that some people need only spiritual or medical help, especially if drugs or other addictions are present, and not exorcism. The Church view is that trained priest and medical professionals can work together to help a patient, and to be able to determine if the patient is suffering from an illness or not. Spiritual needs are dealt with byprayers, thelaying on of hands or a counselling session. Particularsacramentals, such as the wearing of across necklace or usage ofblessed salt, are believed by the Church to offer protection against Satan when used with faith.

What the Church views as signs of demonic invasion vary depending on the type of demon and its purpose, including:^[11]

• Using languages unknown to the person or people around them.
• Having extraordinary strength or resistance to physical restraint.
• Knowledge of events or people that the person could not have possibly known.
• An aversion to holy objects or places, such as holy water or churches.
• Self-harming and displaying violent or aggressive behaviour.
• Ailments or conditions that cannot be diagnosed or treated medically.
• Having hallucinations or hearing voices.
• An abrupt change in behaviour or personality.
• Sudden spiritual dryness.^{[clarification needed]}
• Expelling of objects or animals through the mouth.

The person subjected to exorcism may be restrained so that, in the view of the Church, they do not harm themselves or any person present. The exorcist then prays and commands the demons possessing the subject to retreat. The Catholic priest recites certain prayers – theLord's Prayer,Hail Mary, and theAthanasian Creed. Exorcists use a cross and holy water and follow procedures listed in theRoman Ritual of the exorcism revised by the Vatican in 1999. Seasoned exorcists use theRituale Romanum as a starting point, not always following the prescribed formula exactly.^[12] The official practice of exorcism is governed by the Vatican documentDe Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam. The Vatican offers a course on exorcism, which in 2019 for the first time was opened to members of other Christian denominations.^[13][14] According toBrad Steiger, after the exorcism has been finished, the person possessed feels a "kind of release of guilt and feels reborn and freed of sin."^[15]

Samuel J. Aquila views the recital of theLord's Prayer as a small-scale exorcism procedure, as the ending contains the words "deliver us from evil".^[16] In the 15th century, Catholicexorcists were both priestly andlay, since every Christian was considered as having the power to command demons and drive them out in the name of Christ. These exorcists used theOrder of Saint Benedict's formula "Vade retro satana" ("Step back, Satan") around this time (this prayer is inscribed on theSaint Benedict Medal sacramental).

Demand for exorcisms was globally rising in 2018.^[17] This increase was described as a "pastoral emergency" by theInternational Association of Exorcists.^[17] According to Dr Richard Gallagher, a psychiatrist who works with exorcists, the rise is caused by both an increase of people believing they are possessed when they are not and a trend away from mainstream religions towards theoccult.^[18] Professor of religious studies, Andrew Chesnut, sees the rise being caused by a rise incharismatic Christianity.^[19] Chesnut says that a disproportionate number of exorcists belong to theCatholic Charismatic Renewal movement.^[19] According to exorcistFr Vincent Lampert, about 1 in 5000 people who believe they are possessed, are indeed.^[18]

On this subject, there is the book byjournalist Matt Baglio^[20] calledThe Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, first edited in 2009 and then in 2010, which inspired the 2011 filmThe Rite^{[21][22][23][24]} and which mentions Psychiatrist Dr. Richard E. Gallagher, who has also written a book on the subject, published in 2020 byHarperCollins, calledDemonic Foes, A Psychiatrist Investigates Demonic Possession in the Modern United States.^[25][26]

An Exorcist Tells His Story (published on March 1, 1999),^[27]An Exorcist: More Stories (published on February 1, 2002),^[28] An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels (published on October 20, 2016),^[29]Father Amorth: My Battle Against Satan (published on November 15, 2018)^[30] andThe Devil is Afraid of Me: The Life and Work of the World's Most Popular Exorcist (published on January 19, 2020)^[31] were some of the books written byFather Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist of theVatican from 1986 until his death in 2016 (aged 91) which describes his experiences as an exorcist, which inspired the 2023 filmThe Pope's Exorcist.

One prominent example of a German exorcism is the 1976 death ofAnneliese Michel, for which two priests were convicted of negligent homicide.^[32]

In 2008, the Catholic Church approved plans to establish an exorcism centre inPoczernin.^[32] In 2018, Poland had 150 exorcists. Their role was seen as fighting the "demons ofhomosexuality" and the "demons of esotericism."^[33]

Piotr Glas is a Polish exorcist. As of December 2017^[update], according to a Polish Church official fromPłock, Glas was disqualified from exorcism and from using techniques that are forbidden under the Church's rules of exorcism.^[34] Other Polish Church officials stated in 2017 that their informal opinion was that Glas was "not an exorcist" as he was affiliated with the Diocese of Portsmouth, not with a Polish diocese.^[35]

In 2004, CardinalNorberto Rivera Carrera, the archbishop ofMexico City, held the first National Meeting of Exorcists with the intention of combatingSatanism.^[36] In 2013, exorcists in Mexico City said that there was "unprecedented demand for their services."^[37] One exorcist attributed the rise in need for exorcisms to the rise in the number of followers ofSanta Muerte and thedecriminalization of abortion.^[37]

• A book written by Father Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist of the Vatican from 1986 until he died in 2016 (aged 91), describes his experiences as an exorcist. The filmThe Pope's Exorcist was inspired by Amorth's works.^[38]
• 1928 — Emma Schmidt (pseudonymAnna Ecklund) underwent a 14-day exorcism in Earling, Iowa, performed by a Catholic priest. This is the most well-documented case of alleged demonic possession in history and a minor inspiration forThe Exorcist. The priest who led this exorcism wasFr. Theophilus Riesinger.
• 1949 —Roland Doe was allegedly possessed and underwent an exorcism. The events later inspired the novel and filmThe Exorcist.
• 1975–1976 —Anneliese Michel was a woman from Germany who underwent 67 exorcisms, which inspired the filmsThe Exorcism of Emily Rose andRequiem. In a conference several years later, German bishops retracted the claim that she had been possessed.^[32]
• 1979 — Reports of an exorcism in the Catholic village of Zhangpuqiapo, near the pilgrimage site ofSheshan, resulted in tensions between theCatholic Church in China and the government.^{[39]: 45–48} According to the accounts, a woman was demonically possessed and a married priest who was a member of theChinese Catholic Patriotic Association failed to exorcise it using the older Latin formulas for expelling demons.^[39]: 46 Attempts by villagers to take the woman to Sheshan failed (attributed to the woman's supernatural strength) and initial attempts by three women Catholic teachers said to be proficient in expelling demons failed.^[39]: 46 An account of the exorcism describes one of the women returning with the Eucharist and expelling the demon, which announced that Jesus Christ commanded Chinese Catholics to visit Sheshan the next March.^[39]: 47 Another account attributed the exorcism to a priest.^[39]: 37 AJesuit named Shen Baishun distributed a pamphlet describing the events, stating that the possessed woman had announced that "doomsday will come in the year 2000" and the "Virgin Mary will shine and make an appearance" the next March in Sheshan.^[39]: 47 The Chinese government contended that this narrative was spread for counterrevolutionary purposes and prosecuted Shen.^{[39]: 48, 103–104}

• Aspergillum
• Exorcism in Christianity
• Faith: The Unholy Trinity, a video game about Catholic exorcisms, amongst other themes.
• Minor exorcism in the Catholic Church
• Saint Michael's Prayer against Satan and the Rebellious Angels
• Spiritual warfare

Wikimedia Commons has media related toExorcism in the Catholic Church.

• Frequently Asked Questions About Exorcism—U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."Exorcism" .Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• The Catholic Prayer of Exorcism in Latin .Prof Wladimir Di Giorgio.
• What is an exorcism?

• Exorcism in the Catholic Church
• Sacramentals

• CS1 Polish-language sources (pl)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from July 2025
• All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases
• Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from January 2024
• Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2025
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2017
• All articles containing potentially dated statements
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference