The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Matt Baglio Page B
Authors: Matt Baglio
Tags: Religión, General, Biography & Autobiography, Biography, Religious, Christian Theology, Christianity, Angelology & Demonology, Clergy, exorcism, Catholic, Matt, Baglio
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of the finer points of the day's lecture with Father Daniel. Perhaps as a result of his experiences as an embalmer, or the fact that he had survived a near-death hiking accident in 1997, he wasn't worried about being physically attacked by a demon. If he feared anything, it was performing an exorcism on someone who didn't need it. And while the course had taught him a lot, he realized that the only way to put his fears to rest would be to actually participate in an exorcism.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SEARCHING FOR AN EXORCIST
An exorcist works all his life between being admired and thanked by some and bitterly despised and persecuted by others … God desires that this ministry always be done from the cross. If a priest is not willing to bear this burden, he should not accept this ministry.
— Father José Antonio Fortea , Interview with an Exorcist
O n a typical Tuesday morning, a small crowd gathers outside the Scala Santa by 8:30, even though the large wooden doors won't open for another half an hour. Most are women, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to late sixties, their outfits running the gamut from shawls and brooches to hip-hugging jeans and leather jackets. Milling around, some people pass the time chatting, others avoid eye contact. In addition to the normal purses and backpacks, several carry large plastic grocery sacks filled with various items, such as religious candles and plastic water bottles.
The Scala Santa or Church of the Holy Staircase has always held a unique place among the churches of Rome, drawing countless pilgrims over the years to its venerated sanctum sanctorum (Holy of Holies), the personal chapel of the popes, which the devout reach by climbing a special staircase, thought to be the very stairs from Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem that Christ climbed on the day of his death (brought back to Rome by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century). Pilgrims climb the twenty-eight steps on their knees, pausing at each one to say a prayer. Encased now in protective wood, the original steps can still be glimpsed through small glass windows that supposedly reveal actual drops of Christ's blood.
And yet, beyond the chapel and the stairs, among Romans, the church has a long association with exorcism. For thirty-six years, the Passionist priest Father Candido Amantini performed exorcisms there until he died in 1992. Long thought of as a holy man, even among exorcists, Father Candido had an open-door policy toward exorcism, never turning anybody away. It was rumored that he saw around sixty people every day, and while not everybody needed an exorcism, he tried to at least give them a simple blessing or even just a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
When Father Tommaso took over, this open-door policy was maintained. Even as the church continues to be a major attraction for tourists and pilgrims, exorcisms and blessings are performed around the clock, screams and all.
For half an hour, most of the women wait patiently outside the church; as more show up, the ones closest to the door begin jockeying for position. A few minutes later, they hear the telltale jingle of keys from behind the door followed by the click of the lock, and even before the sour-faced custodian has time to swing the door all the way open, the women begin filing through. Hurrying past him, they sidestep the historic steps and proceed instead toward one of the two side staircases. Climbing, they move in a rush past the sanctum sanctorum, through the Saint Lawrence Chapel, until they reach the door to the sacristy. One half expects to see a red ribbon stretched across the corridor.
Instead, everyone takes a place, as if settling into a favorite chair. One woman bends onto a small wooden kneeler right outside the door while others slide into a ten-foot wooden pew that runs the length of the wall. More branch off to a nearby chapel, where they kneel in front of a life-sized representation of Christ on the cross. A
CHAPTER SEVEN
SEARCHING FOR AN EXORCIST
An exorcist works all his life between being admired and thanked by some and bitterly despised and persecuted by others … God desires that this ministry always be done from the cross. If a priest is not willing to bear this burden, he should not accept this ministry.
— Father José Antonio Fortea , Interview with an Exorcist
O n a typical Tuesday morning, a small crowd gathers outside the Scala Santa by 8:30, even though the large wooden doors won't open for another half an hour. Most are women, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to late sixties, their outfits running the gamut from shawls and brooches to hip-hugging jeans and leather jackets. Milling around, some people pass the time chatting, others avoid eye contact. In addition to the normal purses and backpacks, several carry large plastic grocery sacks filled with various items, such as religious candles and plastic water bottles.
The Scala Santa or Church of the Holy Staircase has always held a unique place among the churches of Rome, drawing countless pilgrims over the years to its venerated sanctum sanctorum (Holy of Holies), the personal chapel of the popes, which the devout reach by climbing a special staircase, thought to be the very stairs from Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem that Christ climbed on the day of his death (brought back to Rome by Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century). Pilgrims climb the twenty-eight steps on their knees, pausing at each one to say a prayer. Encased now in protective wood, the original steps can still be glimpsed through small glass windows that supposedly reveal actual drops of Christ's blood.
And yet, beyond the chapel and the stairs, among Romans, the church has a long association with exorcism. For thirty-six years, the Passionist priest Father Candido Amantini performed exorcisms there until he died in 1992. Long thought of as a holy man, even among exorcists, Father Candido had an open-door policy toward exorcism, never turning anybody away. It was rumored that he saw around sixty people every day, and while not everybody needed an exorcism, he tried to at least give them a simple blessing or even just a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
When Father Tommaso took over, this open-door policy was maintained. Even as the church continues to be a major attraction for tourists and pilgrims, exorcisms and blessings are performed around the clock, screams and all.
For half an hour, most of the women wait patiently outside the church; as more show up, the ones closest to the door begin jockeying for position. A few minutes later, they hear the telltale jingle of keys from behind the door followed by the click of the lock, and even before the sour-faced custodian has time to swing the door all the way open, the women begin filing through. Hurrying past him, they sidestep the historic steps and proceed instead toward one of the two side staircases. Climbing, they move in a rush past the sanctum sanctorum, through the Saint Lawrence Chapel, until they reach the door to the sacristy. One half expects to see a red ribbon stretched across the corridor.
Instead, everyone takes a place, as if settling into a favorite chair. One woman bends onto a small wooden kneeler right outside the door while others slide into a ten-foot wooden pew that runs the length of the wall. More branch off to a nearby chapel, where they kneel in front of a life-sized representation of Christ on the cross. A
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