How an exorcist priest came face-to-face with the devil himself
Exorcism has been picking up lately. Here is a fun read.
In 1997, when a young, slim peasant man was escorted into the small room where Father Gabriele Amorth conducted his exorcisms in Rome, the priest felt immediately confronted by evil.
Amorth said he asked for the help of Jesus, and the young man began to curse and spit, using English instead of his native Italian.
“His curses and threats were aimed solely at the exorcist; then he began spitting at him and preparing to attack him physically,” writes Marcello Stanzione in “The Devil is Afraid Of Me: The Life and Work of the World’s Most Famous Exorcist” (Sophia Institute Press), out now. “Screaming and howling, the demon burst forth and looked straight at him, drooling saliva from the young man’s mouth.”
Amorth said he returned fire with prayers and other ritual recitations, demanding that the demon reveal its name.
“Unclean spirit!” Amorth bellowed. “Whoever you are and all your companions who possess this servant of God … I command you: Tell me your name, the day and the hour of your damnation.”
The man fixed him with a glare and snarled: “I am Lucifer.”
Amorth was shocked.