by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 9, 2008) The devil loves to take over people who hold political office, says the famous Italian exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth.
“Evil exists in politics, quite often in fact,” Father Amorth said during an interview published in the Spanish daily, La Razon.
“The devil loves to take over business leaders and those who hold political office. Hitler and Stalin were possessed. How do I know? Because they killed millions of people. The Gospel says: ‘By their fruits you will know them.’ Unfortunately, an exorcism on them would not have been enough, since they were convinced of what they were doing. We can’t say it was a possession in the strict sense of the word, but rather a total and voluntary acceptance of the suggestions of the devil.”
Nobody, not even himself, is safe from the devil, said the 82 year old exorcist. “Everyone is vulnerable . . . . The devil is very intelligent. He retains the intelligence of the angel that he was.”
When someone comes to him for help, the first thing he does is ask them to see a doctor or a psychiatrist.
“Most of the time there is a physical or psychological basis for explaining their suffering. The psychiatrists send me the incurable cases. There is no rivalry. The psychiatrist determines if it is an illness, the exorcist if it is a curse,” he explained.
“Suppose, for example, that someone you work with is envious of you and casts a spell on you. You would get sick. Ninety percent of the cases that I deal with are precisely spells. The rest are due to membership in satanic sects or participation in séances or magic. If you live in harmony with God, it is much more difficult for the devil to possess you,” Father Amorth stated.
Father Amorth has performed more than 70,000 exorcisms since the day he was assigned to assist another famous exorcist of Rome, Father Candido Amantini in 1986. From that point on, he realized just how much work was to be done, and how few exorcists there were to do it. He dedicated the rest of his life to this ministry, founded the International Association of Exorcists and has authored two books on the subject with the hopes of educating the world about the existence of Satan.
He is well known for speaking his mind with no regard for political correctness. A the height of the Harry Potter craze, he glibly informed the press that “Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil.” He condemned the popular books for making false distinctions between white and black magic and for their many positive references to the satanic arts.
Unfortunately, not enough people are listening to his sage advice. Satanic sects are proliferating, he said in the recent interview, and for this reason, his calendar is full for the next two months.
“I work seven days a week,” he said, “from morning until night, including Christmas Eve and Holy Week.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace.
http://www.womenofgrace.com
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 6, 2008) Imagine finding out you have lung cancer, then receiving a letter from your insurance company saying they can’t pay for the drugs you need, but are willing to pay for physician-assisted suicide, should you choose this option.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 6, 2008) A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that teens are having less sex, smoking few cigarettes and doing fewer drugs than they were 10 years ago.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 5, 2008) A new CBS series, debuting tonight, is drawing fire from decency advocates because it glorifies drug use and sexual immorality.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 5, 2008) A national campaign is underway to educate parents about the contents of many of the sex ed curricula currently in use in U.S. schools, then empower them to bring about change.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 4, 2008) The California Supreme Court has denied a request to stay its decision to allow same-sex marriages in spite of the more than one million signatures acquired from California voters that qualify the matter for a public vote in November, 2008.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 4, 2008) The Chicago priest whose impassioned sermon attacking Hillary Clinton invoked national outrage, has been asked to take a leave of absence for several weeks to reflect on the recent events.
“I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina’s Parish, to step back from his obligations there and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today,” said Francis Cardinal George of the Archdiocese of Chicago in a June 2 statement.
“Fr. Pfleger does not believe this to be the right step at this time. While respecting his disagreement, I have nevertheless asked him to use this opportunity to reflect on his recent statements and actions in the light of the Church’s regulations for all Catholic priests. I hope that this period will also be a time away from the public spotlight and for rest and attention to family concerns.”
The leave is expected to last about two weeks, said Archdiocesan spokeswoman Susan Burritt. “This is the Cardinal’s way of hopefully relieving some of the pressure, to step away and reflect a little bit. That is the intent here,” she said. “This has been a difficult week in light of everything that's happened.”
On Tuesday evening, hundreds of parishioners crowded a service at St. Sabina church asking the Cardinal to reinstate Pfleger and requesting a meeting with him. Father Pfleger was not at the service, but the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ where Father Pfleger gave his controversial sermon, was in attendance.
Father Pfleger apologized for his comments, saying he had received more than 3,000 angry e-mails since giving the sermon. During the meeting with Cardinal George, he promised not to mention presidential candidates by name or engage in partisan campaigning.
Until Father Pfleger’s fate has been decided, the Cardinal appointed Father William Vanecko of nearby St. Kilian’s parish to be temporary administrator of St. Sabina’s.
While expressing his hope that the life of St. Sabina’s parish will continue in an uninterrupted fashion, “I ask the members of St. Sabina’s parish to cooperate with him [Father Vanecko] and to keep him and Fr. Pfleger in their prayers,” the Cardinal said. “They are in mine.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace.
http://www.womenofgrace.com
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 4, 2008) The family of a Minnesota sixth grader who was repeatedly harassed by teachers and administrators for wearing t-shirts with a pro-life message is suing the school for infringing on his constitutional right to express his beliefs.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 3, 2008) The co-founders of Call to Action, a group of dissident lay Catholics dedicated to opposing Church teaching on life and family issues, have issued a nationwide call for newer and younger leadership after announcing plans to retire in September.
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by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
(June 3, 2008) In a case doctors are calling “one in a million,” a 34 year old Australian woman delivered a healthy baby girl after a nine-month ectopic pregnancy.
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