EXORCISM: Theology, History, and the Practice of Deliverance

The devil is real. The Church knows it. And she has a ministry to fight him.For two thousand years, Catholic priests have practiced exorcism - a codified rite, regulated by canon law, exercised by the bishop's mandate. Not medieval folklore. Not Hollywood spectacle. A ministry of the Church.This book opens the file. Complete. Serious. Pastoral.What you will learn- The doctrine on the devil - who he is, what he can do, what he cannot, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, the Catechism, and the Magisterium- The four signs of possession from the Rituale Romanum: xenoglossy, hidden knowledge, disproportionate strength, aversion to the sacred- Medical discernment with a DSM-5-TR grid: schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy, Tourette syndrome, borderline personality disorder- Canon law, the bishop's mandate, the qualities of an exorcist priest (Canon 1172)- The Major Exorcism step by step: preparation, team, liturgical objects, sequence- The history: Jesus at Capernaum, the Fathers of the Church, the Rituale of 1614, the 1999 reform, Fr. Amorth- Ten documented historical cases: Nicole Aubrey (1566), Loudun (1634), Anneliese Michel (1976), the Julia case (Gallagher 2020)- Twelve analytical case studies for training in discernment- Safety protocols: DO NOT DO, immediate stops, mandatory medical referrals- Operational checklists: before, during, after, follow-up at 7/30/90 daysFor whom?Practicing Catholics, seminarians, priests in formation, catechists, laypeople involved in deliverance ministry. Serious readers interested in Catholic demonology.Neither sensationalism nor skepticism. The doctrine of the Church, the wisdom of exorcists, the facts."The best protection against the devil is not exorcism. It is the Christian life." - Fr. Gabriele Amorth364 pages. 5 parts. 6 appendices. The complete English-language reference on Catholic exorcism.