Note to the New Archbishop of Port of Spain - Please appoint an Exorcist

When I was in Toronto in 2008 the news there was about the appointment of 2 Exorcists in Ottowa (the Capital of Canada). They were appointed by the Bishop.

A News report By The Ottawa Citizen, April 5, 2008 stated:

The archdiocese doesn't receive any more than seven or eight calls a year. Nor are the callers any more likely to be possessed -- in the past 15 years, Ottawa clergy say they have had only one case of demonic possession.

But exorcism has always been part of the Catholic ministry, even if it has fallen by the wayside in the last generation.

Under Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor, John Paul II, talk of Satan and his minions has made a comeback. In the past two decades, Italy alone has increased the ranks of its exorcists from 20 to 350. Just before Christmas, Rome's chief exorcist, Gabriel Amorth, indicated the Pope wanted an exorcist in every diocese in the world.

The Vatican press office later toned down Father Amorth's statement, saying the Pope had no intention of "ordering local bishops to bring in garrisons of exorcists."

But the Pope clearly supports their work, and an Ash Wednesday homily from Vatican City reminded the faithful that Satan still stalks our world, whatever modern rationalism may say.

So Archbishop Gilbert of Port of Spain did not himself appoint an official Exorcist, even if we have a priest or two in the Archdiocese who conducts exorcisms. I hope that the new Archbishop will appoint one.

The church cannot tell me to believe the bible that mentions demons and hell and tell me about the battle against principalities, powers and dominions and not have a chief priest to fight these creatures.

There is a theology in the church that negates the devil. Some people call it superstition. Please Father Joe. Let us have an official exorcist.