St John Paul II once called Lent a period of “spiritual training” for sharpening people’s ability to recognise “the voice of God and the insidious voice of the evil one.”
But those skills need constant exercise, not just during Lent, exorcists have told reporters over the years. And priests, too, they’ve said, need to be ready with the right training to do battle with the devil and spiritually assist their people.
That need is rising, one exorcist told Vatican News in February. At least half a million people seek help from the church in Italy for suspected demonic influence – a demand that has tripled in recent years, said Franciscan Father Benigno Palilla, an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Palermo.
