09/23/2026
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Definition of Terms in Exorcism.
"The Church participates in the victory of Christ over the Devil: Christ
gave his disciples the power to expel demons. The Church exercises
this victorious power through faith in Christ and prayer, which in
specific cases can take the form of exorcism."
—Blessed Pope John Paul II
Who are exorcists? The instructions from the Roman Ritual point out that
an exorcist is someone who is expressly and particularly authorized by the
Ordinary (bishop of a diocese) to perform an exorcism. In performing an
exorcism which is also called a solemn exorcism, the exorcist follows the
instructions and uses the prayers found in the Roman Ritual of Exorcism.
The exorcist deals especially with cases of possession, the greatest form of
extraordinary demonic bo***ge. It must be remembered that all bishops are exorcists.
Who are deliverance ministers? They may be priests, religious, or lay
persons with the charism of deliverance. They may or not be part of the
Catholic Charismatic Movement. They use deliverance prayers (not the
Roman Ritual of Exorcism) to expel evil spirits from the demonically
obsessed and oppressed which are lesser forms of extraordinary demonic
bo***ge, referring the more difficult cases to exorcists. Although at times
they also handle cases of possession when there is no exorcist or during
times of emergency. But long-term cases and those cases where the victim
has been deeply involved with Satanism and witchcraft are referred to
exorcists because of the many dangers and difficulties involved.
Deliverance ministers work in and with groups and never alone, are
recognized by Church authority, and under the guidance of a priest spiritual
director/adviser. Another term used for a deliverance prayer is private
exorcism. St. Alphonsus Liguori (17th century), the noted moral theologian
and a Doctor of the Church, said that "private exorcism is permissible to all
Christians; solemn exorcism is permissible only to ministers who are
appointed to it."
Possession is a state wherein demons take full control of the body (not the
soul) of a person; they speak and act without the consent of the person and
the person later has no knowledge of what transpired while he was under
their control. This is the greatest form of extraordinary demonic attack
wherein the demons act from within the person. The manifestations of
possession can range from an immobile catatonic trance state to a fullfledged,
physically violent display of hatred and pride. Usually those who
are deep in the occult, have been very psychic (sensitive to the spirit world)
since they were young, and have almost no relationship with God are the
most vulnerable to possession.
Oppression includes burdens or afflictions that torment from the outside
and which are wide-ranging and diverse in nature. This is a lesser form of
extraordinary demonic attack but, if not addressed, can lead to full
possession. Oppression can affect one's health, emotional and
psychological well-being, spiritual life, relationships, and work. These
areas of one's life deteriorate with no apparent cause. With regard to
physical and mental deterioration, if it is caused by an evil spirit, medical
science would find difficulty in diagnosing the case, much more curing the
person of the affliction. There may or may not be paranormal occurrences
experienced by those around the victim and there would most likely be an
occult connection. Many times, the cause can be someone who has had
access to sorcery and witchcraft wherein demons are sent against the person
concerned. When the person undergoes a deliverance session, there would
be the occurrence of tangible reactions that would later make the victim
better or worse (worse if the victim has not been prepared properly or the
open doorways in the life of the person where the evil spirits entered
through have not been addressed). Well-prepared deliverance teams
authorized by the diocesan bishop can be of great help to those undergoing
demonic oppression; there is no need to seek out an exorcist.
Demonic obsession includes compulsions that affect the imagination and
the mind which are blasphemous and suicidal in nature. Also included here
is the compulsive nature of habitual sin. St. Alphonsus Liguori tells
confessors that when a person goes to confession and there seems to be
some obstinacy in the sin being confessed, the confessor can pray a
deliverance prayer or simple exorcism over the person.
Infestation is when extraordinary demonic activity is centered on an
animal, thing, or place. A "haunted house" would fall under the term
infestation if the cause is proven to be demonic in origin. Evil spirits are
very territorial by nature since while on this earth, it seems to give them
some sort of power. Pagan man knew how territorial these spirits were
(although they never knew their true identities as fallen angels); pagan man
had many different names for them, depending upon the culture of the
place although we can classify them under the general term of
"elementals." Because of fear of these spirits, there arose all the different
forms (rites and rituals) of pagan worship (evil spirits have an insatiable
desire to be worshipped as gods), appeasement, and submission which the
Church has always called idolatry. Paganism, if one does one's research, is
similar throughout history and throughout the world, the essential
characteristics are all the same.
