Why some exorcism prayers are only to be said by clergy?

[fabio_rocha]

Both faithful and clergy are baptized and Jesus told his followers that they can cast out devils. So how come only the clergy can say exorcism prayers and not the laity? It’s not like there’s a sacrament being performed…

 

[spiderweb]

I believe the simple answer is that some of the exorcism prayers invoke the authority of the Church which the Priest/Bishop received by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders.

A lay person doesn’t speak with the Church’s authority in the same manner.

However there are many exorcism prayers that a lay person can say such as the prayer to St. Michael.

 

[brittrossiter]

I may know a bit about wiring and electronics, but if the situation ever called for a need to diffuse a bomb, I would call in the experts.

 

[Micosil]

Both faithful and clergy are baptized and Jesus told his followers that they can cast out devils. So how come only the clergy can say exorcism prayers and not the laity? It’s not like there’s a sacrament being performed…

This is an excellent question, and one I was happening to be researching yesterday.

Fr. José Antonio Fortea of Spain has this to say about it in * Interview With An Exorcist: An Insider’s Look At The Devil, Demonic Possession, and the Path to Deliverance*.

87. Why does a priest need permission from the bishop to proceed with an exorcism?

In the early Church, a priest did not need the permission of his bishop to exorcise. The ministry was exercised whenever it seemed opportune. By the fifth century, though, an ecclesiastical norm was established that no one could perform an exorcism without the authorization of the bishop. In the year 416, Pope Innocent I wrote a letter to Bishop Gabby stating:

“You should have a charitable attitude to those baptised, whom after baptism are possessed by the devil, because of some vice or sin. For this reason, a priest or deacon can be designated. To perform [the exorcism] is not licit without the order from the bishop. [De his vero baptizatis, qui postea a demonic] vitio aliquo aut peccato interveniente arripiuntur, set sollicita dilectio tau si a presbitero vel diacono possint aut debeant designari. Quod hoc nisi episcopus praeceperit non licet.]” (PL XX, 557- 558)

Why did the Church impose this requirement? Because it came to see that this field requires a special prudence. Also, the issue is delicate enough that an imprudent act of a clergyman could especially harm the supposedly possessed person and cause harm to the prestige of the Church in general. For this reason, the Church opted to establish a special vigilance in this ministry. It is interesting to note that in the East this ministry was exercised as a charismatic activity, which did not need the expressed permission of the bishop.

I have underlined the relevant parts; it is indeed an interesting question.

As far as Christians in general, and not necessarily ordained clergymen, being able to perform exorcisms, Fr. Fortea does grant some credence to such a claim. In question, “92. Are there exorcisms outside of the Catholic Church?”, his answer is:

92. Are there exorcisms outside of the Catholic Church?

Yes. True and effective exorcisms are performed in the different Christian confessions. On the one hand, the Eastern Orthodox churches maintain apostolic succession, in which their bishops and priests are validly ordained and, as such, possess a true sacramental power. On the other hand, the various Protestant churches, though they do not possess a valid ministerial priesthood, profess faith in Christ and in the power of His name. With just such weapons, the devil can be expelled. God, in His wisdom, has not desired to place too many conditions on the most essential Christian practices for them to be valid. For example, baptism, by which one enters into the Christian faith, is normally considered valid in all Christian traditions (provided that the Trinitarian formula given by Jesus is followed: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”). Likewise, Jesus knew the great suffering demonic possession would cause to those afflicted by it, and He did not want to establish strict conditions to be followed to make exorcisms effective.

In Orthodox Christianity, exorcisms are performed in a manner very similar to those of the Roman Catholic ritual. In the Pentecostal churches of Protestantism, exorcisms normally consist of a group of faithful who get together to praise God, and, in the midst of these praises, order the demon again and again to leave the person in the name of Jesus. The faith of those present and the power of Jesus’ name are sufficient to cause the demons to leave.

Aside from the Pentecostal tradition, the major “mainline” Protestant churches (e.g., Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian) no longer emphasize the reality of demonic possession and no longer practice exorcism. It seems strange that these followers of Christ do not know how to deal with cases of oppression from the Evil One. Once a tradition cuts itself off from centuries of Christian belief and practice, new methods for dealing with the devil cannot be invented from scratch.

That being said, as the answer to question 87 says, it requires due diligence and while non-priests who go about exorcising demons surely mean well and their exorcisms sometimes work, I think it is extremely dangerous, both for the exorcist and the possessed person.

 

[multitude]

Why would you, as laity, even want to, anyways? Even if you can, the demons will remember you, and will certainly want to see you again. Don’t play with hellfire.

 

[Gorgias]

Both faithful and clergy are baptized and Jesus told his followers that they can cast out devils.

Hmm… I recall Jesus giving the apostles authority to cast out demons, but not His ‘followers’ in general. What passage are you thinking about?

So how come only the clergy can say exorcism prayers and not the laity? It’s not like there’s a sacrament being performed…

Take a look at Acts 19. “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know… but who are you?” comes to mind…

 

[Ad_Orientem]

I think part of it is to protect us. Angelic beings are smarter and stronger than us. God is of course infinitely greater, but the indwelling does not make us invulnerable. We are still subject to temptations and attacks, and we can further expose ourselves to danger through sin or imprudence. Trained exorcists benefit from the collective wisdom of the centuries in dealing with these matters, and as pointed out above, those who are ordained priests have a special share in the authority of Christ.

 

[TK421]

Hmm… I recall Jesus giving the apostles authority to cast out demons, but not His ‘followers’ in general. What passage are you thinking about?

Nuns & brothers have historically exorcised demons before, and we know of (at the bare minimum) one example from Tobit of two laymen doing it as well, following St Raphael’s instruction. Monks performing exorcisms is common in Eastern Catholicism & Orthodoxy.

This doesn’t mean anybody can perform an exorcism and it’s going to be efficacious, but an exorcism isn’t a sacrament. It seems to (often) be the case that the lower & lowest choirs of angels among the damned angels will only respond to those infused with Holy Orders.

 

[HelenRose]

Both faithful and clergy are baptized and Jesus told his followers that they can cast out devils. So how come only the clergy can say exorcism prayers and not the laity? It’s not like there’s a sacrament being performed…

It could be that exorcism involves speaking to or directly addressing an evil spirt. That would be a very dangerous thing to do unless we know exactly what we are doing.

With the prayer to St. Michael we are asking him to fight Satan. We have a powerful protector between us and Satan or his minions.

 

[Bookcat]

Because of both the danger involved as well as the importance of the authority not only of a single Christian…but of the Church.