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An Exorcist Tells His Story
In this powerful book, the renowned exorcist of Rome tells of his many experiences in his ministry as an exorcist doing battle with Satan to relieve the great suffering of people in the grip of evil. The importance of the ministry to "expel demons" is clearly seen in the Gospels, from the actions of the Apostles, and from Church history. Fr. Amorth allows the reader to witness the activities of the exorcist, to experience what an exorcist sees and does. He also reveals how little modern science, psychology, and medicine can do to help those under Satan's influence, and that only the power of Christ can release them from this kind of mental, spiritual or physical suffering.
An Exorcist Tells His Story has been a European best-seller that has gone through numerous printings and editions. No other book today so thoroughly and concisely discusses the topic of exorcism.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1990
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October 15, 2023
The new movie starring Russell Crowe, The Pope’s Exorcist, is based on this book and its sequel. The film is out in theaters now. I haven’t seen it yet. I’m wondering how they will adapt the case histories in the two books. The books are honest but not sensationalist and I hope the movie takes the same approach.
[The movie has received good reviews. As a movie many feel it was well done. But I understand it wasn’t an authentic portrayal of Fr Amorth’s writings and experiences.]
If you are interested in this phenomenon, whether from a psychological, paranormal or religious perspective, these are basically Fr Amorth’s case files from a number of his exorcisms. He simply tells us what he has experienced.
[The movie has received good reviews. As a movie many feel it was well done. But I understand it wasn’t an authentic portrayal of Fr Amorth’s writings and experiences.]
If you are interested in this phenomenon, whether from a psychological, paranormal or religious perspective, these are basically Fr Amorth’s case files from a number of his exorcisms. He simply tells us what he has experienced.
November 20, 2015
This book is NOT:
1) a collection of horror stories. If you want such stories, go see The Exorcist or The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Granted, this book presents an assortment of possession stories, but does not go into great gory details. And if present, the stories mainly serve as illustrations for the theological/pastoral descriptions. If you're expecting a freak show, you'll be disappointed;
2) a recollection of an exorcist's day-to-day life. It's not even a recollection of an exorcist's job!;
3) an anthology of exorcism ritual texts;
4) a detailed explanation on demonology or angelology;
5) a fairytale-natured book aiming to sow the seeds of false optimism and arrogance about human's power over the demons.
What the book IS:
1) Catholic and Christ-centered. Definitely!;
2) an honest (neither exaggerating nor underestimating) description about the nature of demons and demonic activities;
3) an "Exorcism 101".
What I mean by "Exorcism 101" is that Fr. Amorth's book does not place a special emphasis on just a single aspect of exorcism. Rather, it touches on many factors: the nature of Christ, the angels, and the demons; forms and characteristics of diabolic activities; and the basic theories of exorcism---what it is, who can do it, when should it be done, why it should it be done, and how it should be done.
Although not by any means extensive, readers will be pleasantly fulfilled, and believers especially, will likely to have their faith renewed. Fr. Amorth's book is powerful indeed; it serves as a reminder (or warning?) for us that the force of evil very much exists and is very active.
1) a collection of horror stories. If you want such stories, go see The Exorcist or The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Granted, this book presents an assortment of possession stories, but does not go into great gory details. And if present, the stories mainly serve as illustrations for the theological/pastoral descriptions. If you're expecting a freak show, you'll be disappointed;
2) a recollection of an exorcist's day-to-day life. It's not even a recollection of an exorcist's job!;
3) an anthology of exorcism ritual texts;
4) a detailed explanation on demonology or angelology;
5) a fairytale-natured book aiming to sow the seeds of false optimism and arrogance about human's power over the demons.
What the book IS:
1) Catholic and Christ-centered. Definitely!;
2) an honest (neither exaggerating nor underestimating) description about the nature of demons and demonic activities;
3) an "Exorcism 101".
What I mean by "Exorcism 101" is that Fr. Amorth's book does not place a special emphasis on just a single aspect of exorcism. Rather, it touches on many factors: the nature of Christ, the angels, and the demons; forms and characteristics of diabolic activities; and the basic theories of exorcism---what it is, who can do it, when should it be done, why it should it be done, and how it should be done.
Although not by any means extensive, readers will be pleasantly fulfilled, and believers especially, will likely to have their faith renewed. Fr. Amorth's book is powerful indeed; it serves as a reminder (or warning?) for us that the force of evil very much exists and is very active.
December 2, 2021
Fr. Amorth is an extremely talented, holy and humble priest. He’s not a writer first, but this is still an unforgettable and important book, one that more people would do well to read and take seriously. It was first published in 1990—over 30 years ago—and things have not improved since.
An Exorcist Tells His Story was the perfect length for a seven-hour (approximately) car trip my husband and I took yesterday including pauses for discussion. We were held captive by the book from start to finish.
It is not meant to scare or titillate, but to inform from Father Amorth’s extensive experience as an exorcist. Fr. Amorth credits his great teacher and mentor, Father Candido Amantini, a Passionist priest, with bringing him into this ministry which he was totally unprepared for and learned as he went along.
It gave me many insights into the devil—satan—and his minions and the various ways they work to ensnare human beings, hang on to them once they have been trapped, continue to haunt them even after they have been exorcised and all the damage they can do if an exorcism is not done properly.
One thing I was surprised to learn was how much demons suffer during exorcisms and yet, not so much as they will in hell.
As it was an audio book, I am not sure I completely understood everything. I either need to listen to it again, read-read it or read another/more by Fr. Amorth.
Father Amorth stressed many times that bishops need to take this problem seriously and appoint and train more priests as exorcists. I could not agree with him more. I happen to know a young woman who has twice now dabbled in the occult, at 15 and 17 years of age. The first time, we thought she had left it behind, but it seems not. She comes from a good Catholic family too. If it can happen in a family like that, it can happen anywhere.
Highly recommend this book.
An Exorcist Tells His Story was the perfect length for a seven-hour (approximately) car trip my husband and I took yesterday including pauses for discussion. We were held captive by the book from start to finish.
It is not meant to scare or titillate, but to inform from Father Amorth’s extensive experience as an exorcist. Fr. Amorth credits his great teacher and mentor, Father Candido Amantini, a Passionist priest, with bringing him into this ministry which he was totally unprepared for and learned as he went along.
It gave me many insights into the devil—satan—and his minions and the various ways they work to ensnare human beings, hang on to them once they have been trapped, continue to haunt them even after they have been exorcised and all the damage they can do if an exorcism is not done properly.
One thing I was surprised to learn was how much demons suffer during exorcisms and yet, not so much as they will in hell.
As it was an audio book, I am not sure I completely understood everything. I either need to listen to it again, read-read it or read another/more by Fr. Amorth.
Father Amorth stressed many times that bishops need to take this problem seriously and appoint and train more priests as exorcists. I could not agree with him more. I happen to know a young woman who has twice now dabbled in the occult, at 15 and 17 years of age. The first time, we thought she had left it behind, but it seems not. She comes from a good Catholic family too. If it can happen in a family like that, it can happen anywhere.
Highly recommend this book.
May 12, 2018
I find this book to be mostly fear mongering. It contains major contradictions and inconsistencies, so I'm baffled how it's popular even among believers. However, I was pleased to find out there are catholics who agree with me.
The author talks about signs to recognize demonic possession, yet says you cannot be certain until exorcism is attempted and you can't tell for sure even after one of two sessions. Some signs of demonic possession are simply ridiculous. I am in a period of long unemployment, which is apparently a symptom of potential demonic influence in my life. If one of your ex's has suddenly dumped you with no explanation it could have been due to a curse, yo. One of his clients suffered from 'all imaginable misfortunes' such as poor health, problems with his kids and a broken car. And here I thought this would be a serious book, yet I am reminded of a Jerome Jerome novel where the main character read a list of medical illnesses and concluded he suffers from them all.
At first the author talks how years are needed to exorcise a demon, yet later says possession is a gradual process, it can't immediately be made distinct from demonic oppression and other demonic influences. But you can also be instantly possessed via a spell/hex/etc. And you can't really tell for yourself if you are, because apparently losing control over your body and being trapped inside your head is one of the most extreme signs of possession, some sort of a final stage and not the norm or even the beginning.
To me the chapter from a viewpoint of a formerly possessed person was absolutely indistinguishable from a PoV of a mental health patient. To the credit of the author he does point out psychologists are needed and often work together with an exorcist. He simply states how a health problem caused by the supernatural cannot be healed by modern medicine. Newsflash - mental problems take years to heal and some never do despite having nothing supernatural about them.
He bashes psychologists for not considering spiritual problems after years of little success in patient treatment, however when he as an exorcist needs years to free a possessed person this criteria doesn't apply. But simultaneously the benefits of exorcism should be visible after a few days. R.I.P. logic.
I frankly think despite the author's claims the book contains many exaggerations. Here I include his claims of performing over 30 000 exorcisms during the course of nine years, which means over 9 per day every day without rest. Yet less than a 100 turned out to be cases of actual demonic possession.
The author states how important is to submit to the authority of the Church, yet admits to performing thousands of unauthorized exorcisms. Obviously as seen above most of those were completely unnecessary. And he performed them in spite of disobeying the Church and his own admission that people with mental health issues might suffer from the wrong belief they are possessed reinforced by needlessly receiving an exorcism. Great job, father.
With this review I do not want to deny a blatantly stated truth of the Gospel - that demons exists and sometimes influence and even posses people. Yet as the author himself shyly mentions on several occasions, this is extremely rare. The idea that every astrologist, spiritual healer, aura reader and so on can cast a demon at you is not something I subscribe to. It stinks of superstitious. Most of those people are frauds who take the money of naive people. If getting in touch and receiving power from demons was so easy, it would have been a recognized truth of the world, a commonly known fact like the shape of the earth (which some still deny). There's a fine line between careful and paranoid and the author has crossed it in my opinion.
The author talks about signs to recognize demonic possession, yet says you cannot be certain until exorcism is attempted and you can't tell for sure even after one of two sessions. Some signs of demonic possession are simply ridiculous. I am in a period of long unemployment, which is apparently a symptom of potential demonic influence in my life. If one of your ex's has suddenly dumped you with no explanation it could have been due to a curse, yo. One of his clients suffered from 'all imaginable misfortunes' such as poor health, problems with his kids and a broken car. And here I thought this would be a serious book, yet I am reminded of a Jerome Jerome novel where the main character read a list of medical illnesses and concluded he suffers from them all.
At first the author talks how years are needed to exorcise a demon, yet later says possession is a gradual process, it can't immediately be made distinct from demonic oppression and other demonic influences. But you can also be instantly possessed via a spell/hex/etc. And you can't really tell for yourself if you are, because apparently losing control over your body and being trapped inside your head is one of the most extreme signs of possession, some sort of a final stage and not the norm or even the beginning.
To me the chapter from a viewpoint of a formerly possessed person was absolutely indistinguishable from a PoV of a mental health patient. To the credit of the author he does point out psychologists are needed and often work together with an exorcist. He simply states how a health problem caused by the supernatural cannot be healed by modern medicine. Newsflash - mental problems take years to heal and some never do despite having nothing supernatural about them.
He bashes psychologists for not considering spiritual problems after years of little success in patient treatment, however when he as an exorcist needs years to free a possessed person this criteria doesn't apply. But simultaneously the benefits of exorcism should be visible after a few days. R.I.P. logic.
I frankly think despite the author's claims the book contains many exaggerations. Here I include his claims of performing over 30 000 exorcisms during the course of nine years, which means over 9 per day every day without rest. Yet less than a 100 turned out to be cases of actual demonic possession.
The author states how important is to submit to the authority of the Church, yet admits to performing thousands of unauthorized exorcisms. Obviously as seen above most of those were completely unnecessary. And he performed them in spite of disobeying the Church and his own admission that people with mental health issues might suffer from the wrong belief they are possessed reinforced by needlessly receiving an exorcism. Great job, father.
With this review I do not want to deny a blatantly stated truth of the Gospel - that demons exists and sometimes influence and even posses people. Yet as the author himself shyly mentions on several occasions, this is extremely rare. The idea that every astrologist, spiritual healer, aura reader and so on can cast a demon at you is not something I subscribe to. It stinks of superstitious. Most of those people are frauds who take the money of naive people. If getting in touch and receiving power from demons was so easy, it would have been a recognized truth of the world, a commonly known fact like the shape of the earth (which some still deny). There's a fine line between careful and paranoid and the author has crossed it in my opinion.
October 4, 2025
Hay una película basada en este libro, "El exorcista del papa", protagonizada por Russel Crowe, como Gabriele Amorth. Entonces, sí, es una película basada en hechos reales. Pero la película, que no he visto más que su trailer, es sin duda llena de toda esa pirotecnia y sensacionalismo que este libro no tiene, ya que si bien Amorth cuenta varias experiencias que tuvo como exorcista de Roma, en realidad este libro es una especie de petición colectiva para que la idea, la misión y la designación de exorcistas por parte de la Iglesia y los obispos no cese, ya que él por su vivencia de primera mano, los considera necesarios en un tiempo en el que los propios teólogos católicos y muchos sacerdotes niegan la existencia material de satanás y los demonios (porque hay varios, aclara). Para Amorth, es errada la tendencia actual cientificista que pone al diablo como una abstracción simbólica del mal, que teológos y sacerdotes modernos aceptan con las justas para no caer en herejía. Él da testimonio fehaciente de que las cosas podrían no ser así, aunque aclara que son la minoría de los casos los de verdadera posesión diabólica, siendo que primero deben pasar por la medicina, psiquiatría y tratamientos médicos, antes de llegar al exorcismo. También explica las causas de ello y las diferencias entre los niveles de afectación demoníaca, cuyo nivel mas alto sería la posesión. También señala las diferencias entre oración o plegaria de liberación (que puede ser practicada por cualquier laico creyente y que la practican sobre todo los grupos de Renovación carismática) y exorcismo (que sólo puede ser realizada por sacerdotes con permiso del obispo). Esta práctica empezó a caer en desuso y valga la ironía, en "satanización" después de la muerte de una joven en los años 70 durante un exorcismo. La tendencia de la propia Iglesia a desmerecer la figura del diablo y centrarse en la de Cristo únicamente (se supone que Cristo ya venció a Satanás), es contrapuesta por Amorth al señalar varios pasajes de los envangelios en los que Cristo sacaba demonios de personas o sanaba enfermedades causadas por el maligno, y que sabía perfectamente diferenciar cuándo una enfermedad o un mal era de orígenes naturales y cuándo de orígenes demoníacos; ello además, recordando el pasaje evangélico en el que Cristo dio la potestad de expulsar demonios a todo aquel que creyese en él. Finalmente habla de cuestiones más doctrinales y técnicas. Recomendado para quienes se interesen por el tema.
Want to read
May 6, 2023Last night, I watched the movie "The Pope's Exorcist" based on this book with Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth. I'm not sure how faithful it was to the book, but it was engaging enough to make me want to give it a chance.
June 22, 2018
There can be no doubt that Fr. Gabriele Amorth was completely sincere in this book. An exorcist in Rome, he claimed to have performed thousands of exorcisms, but this book is mostly laying out his theology. The reader gets a full treatment of the role of God as creator, Jesus and redeemer, and Mary as the mother of God. He talks about angels and demons, but doesn't give much of his own background. The book is an unapologetic appeal to get the Catholic Church to appoint more exorcists.
If you're looking to learn more about demons beyond the standard fallen angel story, you won't find it here. You also won't find accounts of spectacular exorcisms. It is a bit preachy (of course Amorth was a priest, so this could be expected). My main concern with the book is how unquestioningly judgmental it is of lifestyles of which Amorth didn't approve, and also of other religions. There's no question in his mind that African religions are false and open people to demonic possession. He also very clearly believes in curses and magic. Again, this may not be unexpected for a priest, but it would help his case to show just a touch more skepticism.
Clearly Amorth wanted to help people. He performed exorcisms to do so. The result, as he hopes, is for a better Catholic life. Although he admits some Protestants are more inclined to fight demons than Catholics, he's rigid in the way that it can be done. Only a bishop or the bishop's priestly appointee can do an exorcism. Or a Protestant. He doesn't seem bothered by his own inconsistency.
The book is well-enough written, and with good motives. Nevertheless, one would hope for a bit more nuance in a man who had seen so much. One could also hope for a little more of his actual story. We learn little about him, but a great deal about his theology. Since the book deals wholly with religion, I also discuss it on my blog. The post is here (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) if interested.
If you're looking to learn more about demons beyond the standard fallen angel story, you won't find it here. You also won't find accounts of spectacular exorcisms. It is a bit preachy (of course Amorth was a priest, so this could be expected). My main concern with the book is how unquestioningly judgmental it is of lifestyles of which Amorth didn't approve, and also of other religions. There's no question in his mind that African religions are false and open people to demonic possession. He also very clearly believes in curses and magic. Again, this may not be unexpected for a priest, but it would help his case to show just a touch more skepticism.
Clearly Amorth wanted to help people. He performed exorcisms to do so. The result, as he hopes, is for a better Catholic life. Although he admits some Protestants are more inclined to fight demons than Catholics, he's rigid in the way that it can be done. Only a bishop or the bishop's priestly appointee can do an exorcism. Or a Protestant. He doesn't seem bothered by his own inconsistency.
The book is well-enough written, and with good motives. Nevertheless, one would hope for a bit more nuance in a man who had seen so much. One could also hope for a little more of his actual story. We learn little about him, but a great deal about his theology. Since the book deals wholly with religion, I also discuss it on my blog. The post is here (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) if interested.
February 11, 2022
“Confession is stronger than an exorcism” - Father Amorth. This book is truly great. It is great in that anyone could pick this book up, read it, and feel like you have learned all that there is to learn about the subject it pertains to (but you truly have not learned everything it just makes you feel that way). The part of the book that I felt really was the best was the middle to the end of the book. In those two parts of the book Father Amorth explains things about exorcisms that I did not now of until reading this book. The best thing that I got from reading that part of the book specifically is that even the smallest of things having to do with spirituality which goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church and God can lead to the demonic coming into your life and the life of the people around you, even those fortune telling things that you did as a child (which seem innocent) when you were a kid in school could lead to such things. This book opened my eyes to things around me that I had no idea or felt were no big deal, were actually bigger than I had thought and was actually not good for myself.
September 8, 2018
This is a terrifying book - not because it sets out any convincing evidence of demonic activity (it doesn't!), but because it so clearly demonstrates the horrifying logical contortions the human mind is capable of once it has discounted all possibility of its initial premise being wrong.
First of all, you are expected to take it as read that, sometimes, people have problems which are caused by demons. This is a given. You can tell straight away that demons are involved, except when you can't and have to work it out later. You have to be careful, though, because sometimes problems look like they're caused by demons and it turns out they aren't.
As an exorcist, your initial step is to ask the demon's name. He might tell you. He might refuse. He might pretend not to be there. He might lie. He might obfuscate to throw you off the scent. However, none of this indicates that asking him is a useless exercise.
Once you have identified your demon, then it's time to exorcise him. This might work immediately, or it might take years. It might only work a bit. It might not work at all. Sometimes it will work but you will still need a doctor to fix the damage the demon did in the meantime. Sometimes it will work but you won't be able to tell until later. Sometimes it will only work for a while. Whatever happens, exorcism will be assumed to have been an effective course of action.
What works for one exorcist won't necessarily work for another but this doesn't matter because "facts do not change and the efficacy of a method cannot be discounted because the facts differ from someone else's experience."
Should you start to worry about the notion that facts are subjective and wonder if maybe there are alternative explanations for these utterly diverse phenomena - beware! Those who don't believe in the devil only provide proof of his existence.
I mean... seriously?
I read this book out of a genuine wish to understand how - in this day and age - normal, intelligent people can still believe in demons and witchcraft. I am no further forward.
First of all, you are expected to take it as read that, sometimes, people have problems which are caused by demons. This is a given. You can tell straight away that demons are involved, except when you can't and have to work it out later. You have to be careful, though, because sometimes problems look like they're caused by demons and it turns out they aren't.
As an exorcist, your initial step is to ask the demon's name. He might tell you. He might refuse. He might pretend not to be there. He might lie. He might obfuscate to throw you off the scent. However, none of this indicates that asking him is a useless exercise.
Once you have identified your demon, then it's time to exorcise him. This might work immediately, or it might take years. It might only work a bit. It might not work at all. Sometimes it will work but you will still need a doctor to fix the damage the demon did in the meantime. Sometimes it will work but you won't be able to tell until later. Sometimes it will only work for a while. Whatever happens, exorcism will be assumed to have been an effective course of action.
What works for one exorcist won't necessarily work for another but this doesn't matter because "facts do not change and the efficacy of a method cannot be discounted because the facts differ from someone else's experience."
Should you start to worry about the notion that facts are subjective and wonder if maybe there are alternative explanations for these utterly diverse phenomena - beware! Those who don't believe in the devil only provide proof of his existence.
I mean... seriously?
I read this book out of a genuine wish to understand how - in this day and age - normal, intelligent people can still believe in demons and witchcraft. I am no further forward.
November 23, 2012
Great book for Catholics. Provides insight into real exorcism and is true evidence of the works of the devil. It also provides direction on ways to live your life to stay free from the devil and his works. Once I started reading it, it kept my attention and couldn't put it down.
September 9, 2012
It is not an organized thought. There are repetitions. But still, it makes an engaging read. Amorth has in fact tried to make the book more organized and thus arranges the chapters into various points. Amorth is upset with Rationalism and Materialism which has driven many bishops, theologians and ordinary people to think against the existence of devil and his influences. Negation of devil means negation of Gospel according to Amorth. It contained very interesting anecdotes, new information, and some of the Church positions on the existence of devil. As a priest I found the book much nourishing in the realms of my spiritual life.
June 16, 2023
Why do I put myself through this bullshit.
June 23, 2014
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.
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.
November 13, 2016
I would consider this as a life-changing book. Fr. Amorth, former exorcist of the diocese of Rome, explains clearly and in accordance with Catholic beliefs that demons are among us (different from mental illnesses: he also explains the differences in the book). This book, rather than scaring me, has strengthened my resolve to be a good Catholic. I now seek to be closer to God. There are a lot of anecdotes about exorcisms in this book that will make one realize that evil can approach and attack you from anywhere, especially if you are far from God. But armed with faith, participation in the sacraments, and proper use of sacramentals, one must not fear.
I will include a quote from "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas Kempis: "He who follows me walketh not in darkness." With faith in God, one has His help and the strength to keep demons at bay.
I highly recommend this book for all Catholics.
I will include a quote from "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas Kempis: "He who follows me walketh not in darkness." With faith in God, one has His help and the strength to keep demons at bay.
I highly recommend this book for all Catholics.
May 25, 2018
Exorcism is one of the ministries which Church do. Jesus has given authority to his disciples to cast out demons and Church is carrying out. This is an interesting book where Fr. Gabriele Amoroth speaks about the importance of this ministry and the lack of minsters in the dioceses. There are many episodes where he narrates about the exorcism but to the end part of the book I felt little boring, I don't know the reason.
October 13, 2023
I was looking for an interesting read, instead I found "short skirts and rock music," will conjure the devil.
May 27, 2023
This left me with more questions than answers. Exorcism is a dying art and exorcists are increasingly rare. It is difficult to believe this is an in-demand service if the church is acquiescing to its gradual extinction. The book does not do a good job of parsing out mental illness vs possession. At one point noting the procedure should be tried on the mentally Ill just to see if it works…hardly a diagnosis or specialty let alone a discipline that can withstand scientific or spiritual rigor. The author also uses examples that range from lay people to nuns. If devout nuns are just as susceptible to possession as laypeople, what then is the benefit of being devout and how could religion be the answer to this affliction? I struggle with the concept of exorcism.
Read
February 9, 2025I went into this book with a different set of expectations. I was expecting more of actual exorcism cases and more of an actual “story” as it was teased in the title. I wasn't particularly thrilled now - as I said, depending on my expectations and also that I'm not Christian. However, I still found the topic interesting because I was allowed to correct a nice bachelor thesis that also dealt with this book. So I won't rate it, I'll just leave it marked as read.
I think Catholic Christians would find more to like about this book - for my part, I just wanted to read it out of interest and because I wanted to read it like a “horror story”.
I think Catholic Christians would find more to like about this book - for my part, I just wanted to read it out of interest and because I wanted to read it like a “horror story”.
April 9, 2017
Read it and live! Read it and learn about narcissism...its diabolical in nature! Read it and be FREE in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord! Learn the prayers and pray it over your household! Over your job, your kids, your life!
Look around people..narcissism is prevalent more TODAY than any other time in society, who do you think is the ochestrator of this?
Look around people..narcissism is prevalent more TODAY than any other time in society, who do you think is the ochestrator of this?
November 21, 2019
Katolik ste? Užasno ste konzervativni? Ne znate sto znači biti tolerantan? Mrzite homoseksualce? Onda je ovo prava knjiga za vas! Uživajte u čitanju.
May 4, 2023
A six and a half hour unabridged audiobook. The author wrote quite a number of books on this topic. His style often follows a routine where he will mention an event or thought and then give one anecdotal account where it applied. Typically short and matter of fact. Quite a number of interesting tidbits. I liked it.
January 5, 2026
This book is definitely not for everyone. As a Christian I focus a lot on God and my relationship with Him but I think it's still necessary to talk about the evil spirits and spiritual protection. Some things said here truly scared me😅 but I also learned a lot. Reading this exorcist's expierence (even if you're not religious) is very eye-opening and captivating.
November 2, 2023
I was drawn to this audiobook primarily because it was free on Audible, and also because I thoroughly enjoyed The Pope's Exorcist and wanted to know more about Fr. Gabriele Amorth.
But I have issues with this book, and with Fr. Amorth in general. I was expecting (obviously) for this to be saturated with doctrine (which I'm usually okay with) when it comes to this topic. Heck, even as an Agnostic bordering on Atheist, I still find doctrine and religion to be fascinating. But the way that Amorth writes, his writing comes across as heavily preachy and judgmental. While I enjoyed listening to the experiences in exorcism throughout the book, I feel that this could have been even better had he just relayed the alleged stories, instead of preaching his religion. I have no issue whatsoever with religion, but I do take issue with people who let their religion influence their treatment of other people.
Trigger Warning: Amorth is a homophobe. #SorryNotSorry
But I have issues with this book, and with Fr. Amorth in general. I was expecting (obviously) for this to be saturated with doctrine (which I'm usually okay with) when it comes to this topic. Heck, even as an Agnostic bordering on Atheist, I still find doctrine and religion to be fascinating. But the way that Amorth writes, his writing comes across as heavily preachy and judgmental. While I enjoyed listening to the experiences in exorcism throughout the book, I feel that this could have been even better had he just relayed the alleged stories, instead of preaching his religion. I have no issue whatsoever with religion, but I do take issue with people who let their religion influence their treatment of other people.
Trigger Warning: Amorth is a homophobe. #SorryNotSorry
April 27, 2023
Wow. This book was a fast and fascinating read. It truly makes you think about a lot of things. Knowing how mental health disorders have been on the rise for years now, with so many different kinds popping up and the significant increase in suicide it makes me wonder if Satan is truly trying to finish up building his army before we get to the final days. People do not believe enough anymore and there are not a significant amount of individuals around and preform exorcisms. It is over looked but has proven to truly release people from their demons. As a society we now tend to lean to science and medications for anything, and those things haven’t proved to be helpful for all circumstances. If you are spiritual or even if you are not, I believe anyone could enjoy this quick read. Currently free on Audible!
July 11, 2018
First, although the title implies that this book is autobiographical, it is not. It is very Italian, somewhat rambling, and using inconsistent terminology (at least in translation). After having read Mr Adam Bai's Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms, which was very technical and highly organized, this book was somewhat frustrating.
However, originally published in 1990 in Italian, it is apparently the first of its kind, and Fr. Amorth is largely responsible for a modest return to this sort of spiritual combat and the more mainstreaming of exorcisms and deliverance.
However, originally published in 1990 in Italian, it is apparently the first of its kind, and Fr. Amorth is largely responsible for a modest return to this sort of spiritual combat and the more mainstreaming of exorcisms and deliverance.
November 8, 2021
An excellent, fascinating read but disturbing to the extent that the author makes one realize how the Devil and the demonic can pervade our lives today. Not something that happened in ancient times or the Middle Ages. The author, a Roman Catholic priest (who died in 2016) who worked mainly in Italy, nevertheless, gives credit to Protestant exorcists. In his discussions, he also gives a number of Biblical references illustrating the point(s) he is making. He wrote this book in part to encourage the Catholic Church to appoint more priests as exorcists - he thought every diocese should have at least one. The demonic needs to be taken seriously.
November 7, 2015
This book fascinated me.
It's a tradesman's book--a discussion of the nuts and bolts, of the challenges, and of the community. It could be about plumbing or IT development, but it's instead about exorcisms.
If you don't believe in demonic activity, you'll have a hard time with this book. You'll have to conclude that Gabriele Amorth is outright lying about the things he's seen and the work he's done.
Me, I believe him.
It's a tradesman's book--a discussion of the nuts and bolts, of the challenges, and of the community. It could be about plumbing or IT development, but it's instead about exorcisms.
If you don't believe in demonic activity, you'll have a hard time with this book. You'll have to conclude that Gabriele Amorth is outright lying about the things he's seen and the work he's done.
Me, I believe him.
January 10, 2010
This book taught me the power of the sacraments. My eyes were also opened to the evil that is in the world and the importance of keeping your soul united with Christ. My love for Saint Michael the Archangel started when reading this book. Father Amorth does a great job of showing how Christ is far more powerful than any evil but at the same time that evil is real and not to be taken lightly.
March 14, 2018
Most people will scoff when I tell them that there is such a thing as demonic possession. After having read this book, as well as several other books on the same topic, I am convinced that demonic possession is real and exists today and is not mere superstition. I encourage all who doubt me to read this book, as well as several other great books on this topic, and then let's talk.
January 21, 2016
Outstanding!
This is not a horror story. This is not a how-to. It is a matter of fact presentation of the reality of the spiritual realm by a man who touched it without fear every day. The prayers at the end of the book were the best part.
This is not a horror story. This is not a how-to. It is a matter of fact presentation of the reality of the spiritual realm by a man who touched it without fear every day. The prayers at the end of the book were the best part.
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