I found this to be an excellent book. It is not a book of drama and hype or sensationalism. It is instead a calm, prayerful and sincere warning against the devil and his evil influence in this world, and how it has grown in modern society. It is especially interesting that the forward to the American edition/translation is by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel. For those unfamiliar with him, Fr. Groeschel is a Capuchin Friar, and is a celebrity in the world of Catholicism, known for his insights, intelligence and holiness. Fr. Groeschel is also a psychologist. His forward to the American Edition is not a wholehearted endorsement of the book, but instead begs the reader to exercise discernment whenever attempting to determine if a problem being faced is medical or diabolical.
The caution exercised by Fr. Groeschel in the forward is actually repeated in the text on many occasions. Fr. Amorth, the Exorcist of Rome, instructs in this work that the person who should be most skeptical of claims of possession or demonic interference and influence, is actually the Exorcist himself. This is, of course, solid advice. We do not need to give the devil greater power than he already possesses.
The purpose of the book, however, is to keep the problem of the devil in the discussion. Too many times there are people, including priests and bishops, who deny the actual existence of the devil. If people deny his existence, it is easier for him to do his work, because no one protects against him. This is consistent (as Fr. Amorth himself explains) with the vision granted to Pope Leo XIII. Only a few of the details are set forth in this book, and Fr. Amorth indicates how they were related to him. The vision actually took place on October 13, 1884, when the Pope had a vision of God speaking with Satan. The devil claimed he could destroy the church if given 75 to 100 years, and greater power over those who would surrender to the devil. God said that He would grant the devil such time and power. This vision, naturally parallels the book of Job, with the Church being in the place of Job.
Since that time, the battle with the devil has been fought on many levels. The devil has been granted enlarged power in the world by the manner in which he is ignored and God is denied. I have myself heard a priest preach a homily in which he reflected on the Gospel in which Jesus cast out the legion of demons by saying that "of course, demons don't really exist. We know today that this is just mental illness."
It is true that there are many cases of mental illness. Fr. Amorth cautions against misinterpreting these cases as being cases of possession. Many cases misdiagnosed as mental illness, however, are cured by the Rite of Exorcism, which is spiritual medicine. Most of his "cures" are, therefore, commenced with prayers of blessings.
Fr. Amorth treats his subject very rationally and dispassionately. Because of his many years of experience as the Exorcist of Rome, he has been able to study the issue of demonic influence in a very scientific manner. He breaks the problem down into understandable and manageable divisions, in a way not set forth in the literature previously. He gives the reader categories of demonic influence, which he labels as Possession, Obsession and Oppression. He also cautions against curses and hexes. Most people believe that these too are purely psychological. It is the common belief that a curse cannot be effective unless the person cursed is aware of it, and therefore it impairs him psychologically because of the victim's belief that it should. This is belied, however, by the experiences of Fr. Amorth.
Fr. Amorth's stated purpose in writing this book is to let people know that the devil is real, and the battle against him is ongoing. He hopes that bishops and other priests will again take seriously the difficult task of the exorcist and work to defeat the devil. He also reminds the general public of the reality of this problem, and how one may become subject to demonic influences. This includes even what most people think of as totally innocuous, such as the persistent use of foul language.
Finally, it most be noted that most people consider both exorcism and this book, because it discusses exorcism, as a Catholic matter. Obviously the book is written from a Catholic perspective since the author is a Catholic priest holding the office of Exorcist. Even he points out,however, that demonic influence is not limited to Catholics. Nor is the practice of exorcism. There are many protestants who also act as exorcists, and people around the globe have experienced demonic possession, oppression or obsession, without regard to their religion or culture. The devil is no respecter of persons and will use whatever power he has against all members of the human race. The Catholic Church may be a particular target of his, but he takes victims where he finds them.