His work indemonology andCatholic exorcism gained him international recognition. Over the course of his career, Amorth claimed to have performed tens of thousands of exorcisms, at least 60,000, and became one of the most prominent and controversial figures in theCatholic Church in the modern era.[3]
Amorth was born inModena,Emilia-Romagna,Italy on 1 May 1925 into a family deeply attached to Catholicism and Catholic Action.[4] Both Amorth's father and grandfather were lawyers.[5] His contributions duringWorld War II as a valiant fighter for theItalian resistance movement were followed by his pursuit of legal studies. Additionally, Amorth served as a deputy toGiulio Andreotti, a prominent figure in Italian politics who would later become Prime Minister, within the influential political organization of the Young Christian Democrats.[6]
In October 2000, it was reported he had performed over 50,000 exorcisms (which ranged from "a few minutes" to "several hours" in length).[9] In March 2010, he said the number had increased to 70,000. By May 2013, he said he had performed 160,000 exorcisms in the course of his ministry.[10] According to Amorth, each exorcism does not represent a victim of possession, but rather each exorcism is counted as a prayer or ritual alone; some possessed victims required hundreds of exorcisms.[11][12]
Edward Peters, a professor of canon law, finds Amorth's claim to have personally performed 30,000 exorcisms over nine years "astounding". Even accepting Amorth's claim that only 94 of his 30,000 exorcisms represented full-blown possession, that would have required roughly one case a month to be thoroughly examined and processed over nine years with hardly a break.[13]
To account for the high number, Amorth purported that a person might be possessed by more than one demon at once, sometimes numbering in the thousands. He also attributed the number of exorcisms performed to his opinion that "People have lost the Faith, and superstition, magic,Satanism, orouija boards have taken its place, which then open all the doors to the presence of demons."[14]
When asked whether the devil can strike inside the Vatican City, Amorth stated, "He has tried already. He did it in 1981 by attackingJohn Paul II by working with those who armedAli Ağca."[15]
According to Amorth, theCatholic 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."[16]
Amorth offered the following guidelines to those exercising thecharism of exorcism. Any such person must be highly regarded for their prayer life, faith, acts of charity, and judgement. In addition, he must rely solely on the "Word of God" and traditional prayer, be completely detached from monetary concerns, be profoundly humble, and treasure obscurity.[17][18]
Amorth wrote two memoirs of his time as an exorcist -An Exorcist Tells His Story andAn Exorcist: More Stories. The books include references to the officialRoman Catholic teachings ondemonology while the main emphasis is on Amorth's experience as an exorcist. Both include references to the diagnosis and treatment of spiritual problems. The books briefly cover the topics of demonic contraction and curses.[17] He states, "A curse can originate from such things as maledictions by close relatives, a habit ofblaspheming, membership inFreemasonry, spiritic or magic practices, and so on."[21]
Amorth wrote more than thirty books in Italian, many of which have been translated into other languages. The following are his books in English:
An Exorcist Tells His Story - published on March 1, 1999, by Ignatius Press (translated by Nicoletta V. MacKenzie, and originally published asUn esorcista racconta, Roma, Dehoniane, 1990).
An Exorcist: More Stories - published on February 1, 2002, by Ignatius Press (translated by Nicoletta V. MacKenzie, and originally published asNuovi racconti di un esorcista, Roma, Dehoniane, 1992).
An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels - published on October 20, 2016, by Sophia Press
The Devil is Afraid of Me: The Life and Work of the World's Most Famous Exorcist, with Marcello Stanzione - published 2019, by Sophia Institute Press. Translated by Charlotte J. Fasi (originally published asIl Diavolo Ha Paura di Me, Tavagnacco: Edizioni Segno, 2016.[22]
Amorth: My Battle Against Satan, interviewed by Elisabetta Fezzi, translated by Charlotte J. Fasi - published on November 15, 2018 by Sophia Institute Press (originally published asPadre Amorth: La mia battaglia con Dio contro Satana, Milan: Edizioni San Paolo, September 2017.[23][24]
Father Gabriele Amorth: The Official Biography of the Pope's Exorcist (Fr. Gabriele Amorth: Rome's Exorcist, The Official Biography), by Domenico Agasso, Gastonia: TAN Books, 2023. Translated by Bret Thoman, OFS (Originally published asDon Amorth continua: La biografia ufficiale, Milan: Edizioni San Paolo, August 2021. 240 pages.)[25][26]
The Pope's Exorcist: 101 Questions about Fr. Gabriele Amorth, Manchester: Sophia Institute Press, 2022. 112 pages.[27]
Amorth was also interviewed for the second episode ofTrue Horror with Anthony Head, presented byAnthony Head. He explained he would never perform an exorcism based solely on someone's claims of possession; he always directs people to psychiatrists and doctors first, and that when he sees someone is not possessed, but the person still insists, he replies: "You have no devil. If you have a problem, talk to a good vet."
At a film festival inUmbria (where he was invited to introduce the 2011 film about Exorcism calledThe Rite), he is quoted as saying thatyoga is satanic because it leads to the practice ofHinduism and "all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation" and "practicing yoga is satanic, it leads to evil just like readingHarry Potter."[30][31]
Amorth claimed thatEmanuela Orlandi, a Vatican City schoolgirl who went missing in Rome in 1983, was kidnapped for a sex party by a gang involving Vatican police and foreign diplomats. He said that she was later murdered and her body disposed of. Amorth claimed that girls were recruited at the Vatican for parties, adding that her death "was a crime with a sexual motive."[32]
As of 2026, Emanuela Orlandi's disappearance remains unsolved.
^Amorth, Gabriele (2006).Exorcisté a psychiatři. Kostelní Vydří: Karmelitánské nakladatelství.ISBN80-7192-981-6.OCLC85548700.
^Amorth, Gabriele (2003).Pater Pio Lebensgeschichte eines Heiligen (1. Aufl ed.). Stein am Rhein.ISBN978-3-7171-1108-5.OCLC76529978.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Amorth, Gabriele (2006).Dietro un sorriso : Beata Alexandrina Maria Da Costa. Leumann [Rivoli!]: [Elledici].ISBN88-01-03477-6.OCLC955992744.
^Amorth, Gabriele (2010).Memorie di un esorcista : la mia vita in lotta contro Satana. Marco Tosatti, Cles, tipografo trentino Mondadori. Milano: Piemme.ISBN978-88-566-0942-4.OCLC799745365.
^Amorth, Gabriele (2016).An exorcist explains the demonic : the antics of Satan and his army of fallen angels. Stefano Stimamiglio, Charlotte J. Fasi. Manchester, New Hampshire.ISBN978-1-62282-345-1.OCLC945745738.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
