Smartphones are being used for long distance exorcisms

The smartphone has changed the way people do things. In this day and age, it isn't unusual to see people looking down at the screen in their hands, everywhere. So it might not come as a surprise that wanna-be exorcists are being trained to cast out the devil with the use of connected handsets. Why, it's enough to make Linda Blair's head spin around. A report published today reveals how technology is one of the tools used by 200 aspiring exorcists attending a week-long course on the subject.

Part of the training includes teaching those attending the program how to tell the difference between demonic possession and mental illness. But one of the most popular topics in the first session was the use of smartphones in exorcists. One person familiar with this is Cardinal Ernest Simoni of Albania, 89-years old. While most people his age stay away from modern technology, Simoni was the one explaining to Reuters how he performs long-distance exorcisms over the phone. "They call me and we speak and that’s how I do it," he said. The Cardinal says that when he has a request to perform an exorcism over the phone, he reads the appropriate prayers in Latin over his handset just as if he were there in person.

Using smartphones to perform exorcists makes sense since the number of requests for exorcisms are on the rise, according to the Catholic Church. Professor Giuseppe Ferrari, who organized the "Course on Exorcism and the Prayer of Liberation" at the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University in Rome, says, "The number of exorcisms has definitely increased over the years, as the requests to carry out exorcisms has increased." But Cardinal Simoni says that exorcisms should only be attempted after doctors can't come up with a medical reason for a person's apparent demonic behavior.

Those attending the exorcism course will receive a certificate, although they won't be able to chase away devils. To perform an official exorcism, one must be a priest and receive permission from their bishop.

source: Reuters