(LifeSiteNews) — Do you remember the film The Exorcist? Ever wonder how closely that approximates the real thing with exorcism? Get ready to find out. My guest on tonight’s episode of The John-Henry Westen Show is exorcist Father Carlos Martins.
Exorcism is actually in the news right now. In an interview with The New York Times, Nancy Pelosi and her daughter Alexandra spoke of the hammer attack incident with Nancy’s husband Paul and claimed that “over Thanksgiving, she had priests coming, trying to have an exorcism of the house and having prayer services.”
The New York Post, however, seemed to cast doubt on the claim since Pelosi’s pastor told the newspaper, “As far as I know, no exorcism or priest services were performed at her home.”
READ: Nancy Pelosi reportedly had exorcism of her San Francisco home
But exorcism is no joking matter. In fact, demonic activity underlies all of the problems we are facing in the world today. It is tied to abortion, to the LGBT agenda, sexual and drug abuse, and so much more.
A couple of months ago, I had a fascinating guest on this show by the name of Patricia Sandoval, who spoke about dealing with the aftermath of her abortions. But she also told the story of a man in Mexico who was possessed after the legalization of abortion in Mexico. The man is possessed by the very same demons that ruled Mexico before Our Lady of Guadalupe converted the nation and brought an end to the brutal child sacrifice going on there.
WATCH: Exorcism reveals abortion key to Mexican cartel killings
But demonic activity is tied to the other battles in the culture war, too.
I remember a LifeSite article 15 years ago that went viral. It was called “Promiscuity Can Lead to Demonic Possession.” The story was based on a book release by an exorcist in England. A priest of Westminster, the leading diocese of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, wrote that promiscuity, as well as homosexuality and pornography, is a form of sexual perversion and can lead to demonic possession.
Offering what may be an explanation for the explosion of homosexuality in recent years, Father Jeremy Davies said, “Among the causes of homosexuality is a contagious demonic factor.” In his book Exorcism: Understanding Exorcism in Scripture and Practice, Father Davies wrote, “Even heterosexual promiscuity is a perversion; and intercourse, which belongs in the sanctuary of married love, can become a pathway not only for disease but also for evil spirits.”
Even the transgender craze can be linked back to the action of the evil one. One of the best-known modern-day exorcists, the late Father Gabriele Amorth, wrote that disordered ideas about gender, especially in children, can be a sign of torment from the devil. Demonic disturbances that torment individuals, called diabolical obsession, “can lead to confusion about one’s gender,” “particularly in the young,” he wrote in An Exorcist Explains the Demonic: The Antics of Satan and His Army of Fallen Angels.
But the Church is so divided on this question, it seems like it is suffering from multiple personality syndrome.
Back in December, when a priest in Germany praised the benefits of pornography, an American priest and exorcist for 15 years responded by warning that pornography can open souls to demonic activity. Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington and a licensed psychologist, said that “a pornography addiction, like any serious sin, is an opening to the demonic.”
But the schizophrenia gets worse. Last November, Swiss Bishop Joseph Maria Bonnemain of the Diocese of Chur abolished the office of exorcist in his diocese. Bonnemain said in an interview that there would be “normal solutions” for most problems that people have, and that he has “never been confronted with a person” who needed a major exorcism.
According to the report by Swiss Radio and Television SRF, the bishop claims to have received the task from Pope Francis to solve the dispute between “arch-conservative” and “moderate” Catholics in his diocese, and said that not having an exorcist was a step toward “normalization.”
On the opposite side of the spectrum, and in line with traditional Catholic thought, in July 2022 the Archdiocese of Manila in the Philippines began construction of a large exorcism center, as exorcists have revealed they now face 10 cases needing exorcism every day.
In May, Cardinal Jose Advincula and Father Francisco Syquia, director of the Archdiocese of Manila’s Office on Exorcism, led the groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction of Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Makati City. Father Syquia said the center would “minister to those in bondage to the devil who are therefore the poorest of the poor and are usually overlooked.” He added they are now looking to increase the number of exorcists in the country, even though there has already been a “dramatic” growth in exorcists. At that time, there were already 171 exorcists in various diocese in the Philippines.
As I said, exorcism and the demonic is no joke, and Father Carlos Martins is about to reveal that in his new podcast. Have a listen:
Up next on The John-Henry Westen Show is Father Carlos Martins himself. Listen below, or scroll to the top of the article to watch.
The John-Henry Westen Show is available by video on the show’s YouTube channel and right here on my LifeSite blog.
It is also available in audio format on platforms such as Spotify, Soundcloud, and Acast. We are awaiting approval for iTunes and Google Play as well. To subscribe to the audio version on various channels, visit the Acast webpage here.
We’ve created a special email list for the show so that we can notify you every week when we post a new episode. Please sign up now by clicking here. You can also subscribe to the YouTube channel, and you’ll be notified by YouTube when there is new content.
You can send me feedback, or ideas for show topics by emailing [email protected].
