What does the Church teach about exorcism?

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Timi_Celcer

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‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
 
Um… Well, I’ll try to answer anyway.

Exorcism is a formal rite of the Church by which a priest or bishop, and only a priest or bishop, uses the authority of the Church to expel demons from persons and/or things being afflicted by extraordinary demonic activity.

Extraordinary demonic activity comes in several flavors:

Possession, the rarest and most severe
Obsession
Infestation

All extraordinary demonic activity is rare, but many well-known exorcists have asserted that it is becoming more common, relatively speaking.

Ordinary demonic activity, on the other hand, is something which we all suffer. It is commonly experienced as temptation, by which demonic entities try to get us to sin. This does not mean that every time we sin, it is because a demon has tempted us. We can sin regardless, but demonic temptation compounds the matter.
 
The Church teaching:

CCC 1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing. In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.

Have you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It contains a summary of Church teachings.
You can access it online free:

scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
 
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