What Does the Church Say About Exorcisms?

The Catechism’s definition

The Church does not define exorcism as a magical struggle, but as an authoritative prayer offered in the name of Christ. The Catechism is precise:

“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authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1673^[1]

Three expressions govern everything. “Publicly”: this is not a secret rite, but an official act of the Church. “Authoritatively”: the exorcist does not fight by his own strength, but by the authority he has received. “In the name of Jesus Christ”: exorcism has no magical power; it acts only because Christ has conquered Satan. Remove Christ, and nothing remains but an empty incantation—precisely the superstition that the Church unequivocally condemns.^[2]

The word and its meaning

The term comes from the Greek exorkismos, meaning “adjuration”: commanding an evil power, in the name of a higher authority, to withdraw. Exorcism does not “attack” a demon through a technique; it commands the demon to depart in the name of the One to whom “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given” (Mt 28:18).^[3] An exorcism is therefore never a duel between the exorcist and the demon. It is the application, to a particular case, of the victory Christ has already won at Easter.

What an exorcism is not

An honest answer must first clear away the most common misconceptions:

• It is not magic. Magic claims to constrain unseen powers through formulas; exorcism implores God and commands the demon by Christ’s authority, never by human authority.
• It is not a spectacle. The rite is normally discreet, may continue over months, and bears no resemblance to cinematic staging.
• It is not the ordinary answer to evil. Every Christian’s spiritual combat begins with the sacraments, prayer, and conversion—not with the major exorcism, which is reserved for rare, verified cases.
• It is not a judgment on the person. Being afflicted by the devil is neither a sin nor a disgrace: even the greatest saints have endured his assaults.

Many people do not know that the Church practices two very different forms of exorcism, and that the most common one is entirely unspectacular.

The minor exorcism: received by every baptized Christian

The first, called a minor or simple exorcism, forms part of the liturgy of Baptism. Before the baptism, the minister prays that the candidate may be freed from the dominion of sin and the Evil One. It presupposes no possession: it simply expresses that every human person is born under the power of original sin and needs to be rescued from the power of darkness in order to enter the light of Christ.^[4] Prayers of this kind also appear in the blessing of water and in certain sacramentals. Every Christian has therefore already benefited from an exorcism—on the day of his or her baptism.

The major exorcism: over a person believed to be possessed

The second, the solemn or major exorcism, is the form familiar to the popular imagination. It is directed toward a person whom the Church, after investigation, believes to be genuinely subjected to the devil’s extraordinary action. This is the exorcism that is strictly regulated, reserved to a mandated priest, and subject to prior discernment.

The following table summarizes this frequently misunderstood distinction and adds a third act—the prayer for deliverance—which is not an exorcism in the strict sense.

A prayer for deliverance, in which a believer asks God for protection against evil, is permitted and even encouraged. It does not, however, address the demon directly and requires no mandate. Confusing it with the major exorcism is a common error that pastors work to correct.

Jesus casts out demons

Exorcism is not a medieval invention: it goes back to Jesus’s own ministry. From their opening chapters, the Gospels show him casting out demons. In Capernaum, he commands an unclean spirit with a few brief words:

“Jesus rebuked him and said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!’ The unclean spirit convulsed him and, with a loud cry, came out of him.” — Gospel according to Saint Mark 1:25-26^[5]

The most famous of these accounts, the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac, in which a legion of demons is sent into a herd of pigs, has its own article: The Exorcism of the Gerasene Demoniac. For Jesus, casting out demons is a sign of the coming Kingdom: “If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Mt 12:28).^[6]

The mission entrusted to the Church

Most importantly, Jesus did not keep this authority to himself: he passed it on. He sends out the Twelve “with authority over unclean spirits” (Mk 6:7),^[7] and the risen Christ promises that this sign will accompany believers:

“These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons.” — Gospel according to Saint Mark 16:17^[8]

It is from Christ, says the Catechism, that “the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.”^[9] Catholic exorcism is therefore not a tolerated superstition but the exercise of a mission received from Christ himself—which also explains why the Church surrounds it with such great prudence.

Yes, unequivocally. The Catholic faith holds the existence of Satan and the demons to be a truth of Revelation, not merely a symbol of evil. The fallen angels are spiritual creatures who rejected God. Their action against human beings is real, but it is limited and permitted by God, never all-powerful.^[10] This doctrine is treated in detail in What Does the Church Say About Demons? and Angels and Demons in Catholic Doctrine.

Believing in the devil does not require anyone to see possession everywhere—quite the opposite. The Church teaches that the devil’s ordinary action is temptation, to which everyone is exposed, while possession, an extraordinary action, remains rare. Confusing the two leads to opposite errors, both rejected by the Church: denying the devil through rationalism or seeing him everywhere through superstition.

The spiritual tradition distinguishes several degrees of demonic activity, from the most frequent to the rarest. Only the last calls for a major exorcism.

The pastoral lesson is clear: almost all spiritual difficulties—anxieties, temptations, and disturbances—do not call for a major exorcism, but for ordinary sacramental life and, often, human and medical support. These degrees and their criteria are explained more fully in Exorcism in the Catholic Church.

A priest mandated by the bishop

This is where the Church is strictest. The major exorcism is not an act that any priest, much less a layperson, may improvise. The Code of Canon Law establishes two conditions:

“No one can legitimately perform exorcisms over the possessed unless he has obtained special and express permission from the local ordinary. The local ordinary is to give this permission only to a priest who has piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life.” — Code of Canon Law (1983), canon 1172, §§ 1-2^[11]

There are therefore three safeguards: the exorcist must be a priest; he must receive the bishop’s express permission (the bishop is the “local ordinary”); and this permission is granted only to a man of “piety, knowledge, prudence, and integrity of life.” The bishop generally appoints one or several exorcist priests for his diocese. This discipline protects both vulnerable people and the dignity of the ministry.

The Roman Ritual of 1999

The act itself follows a specific liturgical book: the Roman Ritual De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam (Exorcisms and Related Supplications), promulgated in 1999 under Saint John Paul II and amended in 2004.^[12] The ritual insists on prudence, prayer, the use of sacramentals, and—most importantly—the duty to rule out illness first. The exorcist is not a lone operator: he applies an approved rite under the bishop’s authority.

Medicine first

Contrary to the stereotype, a prudent exorcist begins as a methodical skeptic. Before any major exorcism, the Church requires certainty that the case is not an illness. The Catechism says so explicitly:

“It is altogether a different matter with illnesses, especially psychological ones; treating these 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.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1673^[13]

Traditional signs—and the need for prudence

The Ritual and tradition identify several signs that may indicate a genuine demonic presence: speaking or understanding an unknown language, displaying disproportionate strength, knowing hidden things, or showing a violent and inexplicable aversion to sacred realities. The Church nevertheless stresses that no isolated sign is sufficient. A converging body of evidence must be weighed prudently, always after medicine has been consulted. A detailed treatment of these signs appears in Exorcism in the Catholic Church and belongs to the wider practice of discernment of spirits.

Exorcism and psychiatry are not opposed

The Church never asks anyone to choose between faith and medicine. Contemporary exorcists work with physicians and psychiatrists and readily refer for medical care the cases that belong there—which means the great majority. Far from dismissing psychiatry, the Church makes it the first filter: a medically explicable disorder is not possession, and praying an exorcism over a sick person instead of treating that person would be a serious fault. The Catholic faith does not fear science; it uses science to avoid error.

To the anxious question “Am I in danger?”, the Church responds with peace, not fear. The devil is defeated; Christians possess simple and powerful weapons, none of them extraordinary:

• The sacraments, first: Baptism, which rescues from the power of darkness; Confession, which breaks with sin; and the Eucharist, which unites the believer to the victorious Christ.
• Prayer, beginning with the Our Father—“deliver us from evil”—and the Rosary.
• Sacramentals: holy water, the crucifix, the Saint Benedict medal, and sacred images.
• The invocation of Saint Michael the Archangel, whose famous prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.^[14]

“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.” — Prayer to Saint Michael, Leo XIII, 1886^[15]

Ordinary spiritual combat—resisting temptation, receiving the sacraments, and praying—is the real field in which the victory over evil is won for the overwhelming majority of believers. The major exorcism is only its extreme and rare case.

• “The Church performs exorcisms constantly.” — False: the major exorcism is rare, regulated, and preceded by a medical examination.
• “Any priest can perform an exorcism.” — False: the bishop’s express permission is required (canon 1172).
• “Possessions in the Gospels were simply misunderstood mental illnesses.” — The Church carefully distinguishes the two and itself requires illness to be ruled out first. Recognizing psychiatry does not abolish the reality of the devil.
• “Belief in the devil is medieval.” — It is a constant truth of the faith, reaffirmed by modern popes from John Paul II to the present day.

The question “What does the Church say about exorcisms?” can be answered with a few certainties. Exorcism is an authoritative prayer in the name of Christ, not magic. It exists in a minor form, received in Baptism, and a solemn form, the major exorcism over a possessed person. The Church receives this authority from Christ himself, who entrusted it to his apostles. She truly believes in the devil, but considers possession rare and requires that illness be ruled out first. The major exorcism is reserved to a priest of proven virtue mandated by the bishop, who follows the 1999 Ritual prudently and in cooperation with medicine. For every believer, the true weapons remain ordinary: the sacraments, prayer, sacramentals, and trust. For the complete dossier, see Exorcism in the Catholic Church.

• Exorcism in the Catholic Church — the complete dossier: history, demonology, the Rituals of 1614 and 1999, Father Amorth, the International Association of Exorcists, and contemporary objections.
• Angels and Demons in Catholic Doctrine — the identity, nature, and fall of the fallen angels, and the limits of their power.
• What Does the Church Say About Demons? — the FAQ answer about Satan and the demons.
• What Does the Church Say About Guardian Angels? — the luminous side of the angelic world.
• What Is the Discernment of Spirits? — how to recognize the source of an inspiration or disturbance.
• The Exorcism of the Gerasene Demoniac — an explanation of the best-known Gospel exorcism.
• Can a Catholic Believe in Ghosts? — a related question about the afterlife and the supernatural.