EXORCIST FROM MADRID DISCUSSES OCCULT, DEMONS, LINKS CLERGY CRISES TO BUREAUCRACY

By Michael H. Brown

Among other things that we discuss at our retreats is the issue of angels and demons. The other night, I spoke with Father Jos Antonio Fortea Cucurull, a well-known exorcist from the iocese of Alcal! de "enares in #pain $%adrid&. "is thesis for a degree from the Camillas 'ontifical (ni)ersit* was entitled Exorcism in the Present Age. "e is also the su+,ect of a +ook, Interview with an Exorcist. And so he is a man to whom one can direct certain -uestions. "ow often does full possession +* demons occur. Who gets possessed. "ow acti)e -- in our present time, in his opinion -- is e)il. /hile, from time to time, demonic influence makes its attempt on us all $and while the Church is not currentl* well-schooled in this aspect, which was such a part of Jesus0 ministr*1 see toda*0s 2ospel reading&, Father Fortea, in answering the first -uestion, said that there are onl* a+out four cases of total possession, where+* a demon has complete control of a +od*, per *ear in #pain $this in a nation of fort*-fi)e million&. 3/e are speaking of something that is rare,3 the priest said. 4ike other exorcists, howe)er, the #panish priest differentiates +etween possession and influence or affliction +* unclean entities $the latter far more fre-uent& and is -uick to point out that there ma* +e cases of possession itself that ne)er come to his attention. Indeed, Father Fortea, pastor of #aint %ar* %agdalene 'arish in Anchuelo, on a)erage sees fi)e to ten people who come to see him each da* in the +elief the* are +eing affected $call this oppression or infestation&.

/hen it is a case of total possession $and not a ps*chological sickness&, the exorcist sa*s the origin is often in the occult -- and that while 5urope is far more seculari6ed than the (.#., America has at least e-ual pro+lems with the demonic +ecause the )er* +elief in the supernatural here $missing in so much of 5urope& often leads people into cultism, mediumship, satanism, esoteric science, paganism, pantheism, wi6ardr*, or the 7ew Age, howe)er we la+el it8 the wrong kind of supernatural experience. In other words, the interest in spiritual matters is often di)erted to dark regions. 3It0s clear that the more people go to witchcraft, the more there will +e cases of demonism,3 sa*s Father Fortea. 3It takes a certain le)el of action. There were less cases in 5urope fort* *ears ago. In the Americas, *ou ha)e such things as #anter9a :an occult practice especiall* pre)alent in the %iami area;. The great difference +etween 5urope and here is that #outh America and 7orth America ha)e more faith. 5urope is more seculari6ed, and there is a demonical influence -- +ut in the Americas e)en good people show a tendenc* to go to ps*chic or witches.3 3That for the moment is the main difference. I can0t sa* there are more cases of exorcism, +ut to put the hands through the +arrier from this world to the other is something that happens more in this countr*8 there is a clear presence of the occult. <et *ou also ha)e more Christianit*. =ecause of their faith, Americans pra* more. #o I do not sa* that here *ou ha)e more cases. I reall* don0t know. 5ach countr* has its defects.3 >ne of the most extreme cases the priest has encountered concerned a woman whose deli)erance lasted nine *ears. 3#he is now normal,3 recalled Father Fortea last week, during a )isit to the (.#. 3It was )er* dramatic +ecause of the screaming. I did not know it was e)en possi+le to scream in such a wa*. There were e)en some mo)ements of the +ed8 impossi+le for a person.3 And the cause.

3I can tell *ou what the demons said. The* said it was witchcraft and a cult. =ut I0m not sure. emons decei)e. There are more cases of demonical influence -- pain, trance, +ut the demon can0t mo)e the +od* with freedom-- ma*+e a trem+le. emonical influences are more common. %an* times )er*, )er* light.3 =ut, *es, sometimes extreme. "ealings ha)e occurred in con,unction with deli)erance and exorcism, sa*s Father Fortea -- noting the 3gra)e case3 of a man who had a large tumor in his li)er that after exorcism disappeared. 3It0s a shame we don0t use healing power more,3 said the exorcist, who had recentl* spoken to priests in the iocese of #t. Augustine in Florida and was on to Al+u-uer-ue, where we caught up with him. "is approach is first to +less a person to see if there is possession. "e has in)oked saints like #aint 2eorge. 3(suall* I pra* in tongues, and reall* it works,3 he sa*s. 3 emons know what *ou are sa*ing.3 Father Fortea has +een called to deli)er homes that seemed infested +* spirits and recommends fre-uent pra*ing of the ?osar* and use of "ol* /ater in such instances. 'urging a +uilding can take time. 3In one case e)en the +ishop went there and it took a while,3 he said. It often takes persistence $see James @8A&. >ne su+,ect rarel* addressed +* the Church concerns spirits of the deceased and whether the* can negati)el* affect the li)ing. Father Fortea descri+ed this as a 3)er* m*sterious3 topic and said there are 3different opinions among exorcists.3 "e preferred not to address it in detail, sa*ing it was a su+,ect that can cause fear, and fear is destructi)e. There can +e a link +etween a+ortion and demonism, +ut he is reluctant to discuss this also $3The a+ortion itself,3 he sa*s, 3is alread* a terri+le traged* for the woman3&. In his mid-forties, Father Fortea sa*s that he does not ha)e a special sensiti)it* to the presence of e)il. "is approach is more intellectual. Asked a+out claims of apparitions, particularl* the =lessed %other, at places such as %ed,ugor,e in "ercego)ina,

which has di)ided at least two 5uropean exorcists, Father Fortea said that currentl* 3I suspend ,udgment.3 "e does ardentl* defend the contro)ersial writings of Italian m*stic %aria Baltorta, who wrote Poem of the Man-Go , and said he was informed in ?ome that she is up for +eatification. 3'eople who ha)e attacked her ma* ha)e a +ig surprise,3 he claims. 3"er cause was accepted in the Congregation of #aints.3 4et us continue to discern. There are so man* m*steriesC For example, how a+out the clerg* a+use crisis -- particularl* in countries such as the (.#.. 3'riests in this countr* are )er* good -- so wh* so man* cases of a+use.3 he responds. 3In #pain we ha)e )er* few cases. I don0t know wh*. 'riests are spending too much time with paper in offices and this is a +ig danger-+ureaucrac*. >ffice work is not pastoral work. To +e in front of a computer is not pastoral. The* ha)e to return to the simplicit*. The* should create a commission to stud* priests in Ital*, #pain, and e)en the >rthodox in 2reece on how to function as poor and simple. In #pain, it0s unthinka+le to close a church +ecause in #pain it is )er* inexpensi)e to operate one1 in fact, we are opening churches in our diocese1 +ut the more *ou grow a +ureaucrac*, the more it eats *ou1 the more *ou +ur* *ourself in an office, the more *ou are going awa* from the ministr* of Jesus.3 The good news8 the num+er of exorcists in the (.#. is increasing, he noted. 3Ten *ears ago, there were no more than thirt* or fort* dioceses that had an official exorcist in the (.#. and now it ma* +e dou+le.3 The +ad news8 man* dioceses remain without one. It is a simple call to act in the unworldl*, non-+ureaucratic wa* of Christ. /hen we do, we see healing. /e see deli)erance. /e see freedom from fear, depression, o+session, oppression, e)en possession $hear the hiss& as well as fear.

It takes close attention to #cripture -- which itself has great power o)er e)il. If one could watch the ministr* of exorcism, sa*s Father Fortea, one would see that 3the pages of the 2ospel are completel* ali)e in our time.3