In a recent interview with the Irish Catholic, Fr. Pat Collins has called upon Irish bishops to train more priests to perform exorcisms.
Fr. Collins, who is himself an exorcist, claims that "the demand has risen exponentially" in recent years, and has said that he's "baffled" that more priests haven't been trained in Ireland for exorcism.
"What I’m finding out desperately, is people who in their own minds believe – rightly or wrongly – that they’re afflicted by an evil spirit," explained Fr. Collins. He went on, saying that "there has been increasing evidence of the malicious activity of the evil one," and that anyone who doesn't see the need for more exorcists in Ireland is "out of touch with reality."
Ah-huh. Sure.
In a statement sent to the Irish Catholic, the bishops' conference in Maynooth say that the practice of exorcism in Ireland is "very rare," and that they are unaware of any reported exorcisms in recent years.
However, the Catholic Church requires that each diocese in the country have a trained exorcist who's supposed to be able to determine the difference between psychological illness and what they'd consider to be actual demonic possession.
Right so.
This isn't the first time that Fr. Collins has spoken up on the issue of exorcisms either. In 2017, Fr. Collins took part in an RTE documentary where he discussed the failings of Irish bishops to address these problems, stating that it was appalling "that we have no safeguarding from the evil spirits."
OK then.
Via CNA / Irish Catholic
