Exorcist Details His Ongoing Battle Against Demons In New Book About Possession
(REVIEW) This is typically the time of year when book publicists love to send out press releases about new books that have something to do with Oct. 31.
Halloween has become one of those festivities that have grown in popularity over the last few decades. Once relegated to just being a night for children to dress up and go trick-or-treating, Halloween has grown into a commercial holiday right up there with Christmas. For many, it is the centerpiece of the fall season.
For publishers, it’s also the chance to push books that have to do with evil, demons, witches, witchcraft, ghosts and the supernatural in general. Even Roman Catholic publishers have gotten into this game. This is why I agreed back in August to review the new book “Diary of an American Exorcist” (Sophia Institute Press) by Stephen Rossetti, a priest and well-known exorcist.
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Yes, exorcism. Most people associate Halloween with the practice of alleviating a person from demonic possession largely because of the 1973 horror film “The Exorcist,” one of the scariest movies ever made. Back in April 2020, I reviewed the fascinating book “The Devil is Afraid of Me: The Life and Works of the World’s Most Famous Exorcist” by Gabrielle Amorth, a famous Catholic priest who performed scores of exorcisms over his lifetime.
In this new book, Rossetti details his experiences after having taken part in hundreds of exorcisms. As the press release that accompanied my review copy noted, “The point of this book isn’t to entertain. No: It’s to inform the American people — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — about the reality of the preternatural, and the tangible dangers posed by the evil beings that populate our world just outside our sensory perception.”
I know what some of you might be thinking. Exorcism? In 2021? Come on. But start digging into the pages of Rossetti’s book — even skeptics may be convinced that demonic possession can be a real thing. This book doesn’t disappoint — whether you believe someone can be possessed or not — and aims at educating readers on misconceptions surrounding demons and hell.
Rossetti makes it a point early on in the book that his diary entries are not fiction:
The diary entries are not exaggerated in any way. Some details of individuals have been altered or deleted to protect the individuals’ identities. But each of the entries is a factual account of my daily experiences or the experiences of our team. They are the truth, without varnish or hype. You may believe them or not. But they are what we exorcists experience and talk about among ourselves. When I speak to other exorcists around the country and in other countries, I find that my experiences are very similar to theirs. There is a common body of exorcism knowledge that is growing, based on our common experiences.
The 304-page book is littered with small subsections under the heading “Theological Reflection.” These short entries try to educate readers on the subject rather than interrupt Rossetti’s compelling storytelling. One such entry — under the title “What is demonic possession?” — explains it this way:
Demons are fallen angels. And, like all angels (and humans too), they were created to be in a loving unity with creation, with one another, and with God. We were all built for relationships. Unfortunately, the fallen angels, or demons, as they are called, rejected God and thus rejected all that God is.
God is first and foremost a loving Trinitarian relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God’s loving Trinitarian union is offered to all of us, which is fully realized in the life of Heaven.
Because of their radical sin, demons cannot build and enter into such loving relationships. There are no friendships in Hell. The demons’ primal urge for union remains, but it is now distorted, and instead of engaging in free, loving relationships, demons try to control, dominate, and possess.
This is true of dysfunctional, distorted human relationships as well. Human beings are called to free, loving relationships with others. But, as a result of sin, some human relationships are characterized by attempts to control and possess. This is not of God.
When given an opening, demons will therefore try to enter and possess. They can possess an object, such as a cursed occult artifact. They can also possess a place, especially if sinful or occult behavior has occurred there.
Rossetti brings a lot of credibility to his work and that of his team, not just through his personal accounts but also through who he is. He holds a doctorate and is a research associate professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington.
A licensed psychologist, Rossetti tries to use his latest book to educate people on this subject in an effort to debunk myths that have been pushed into our pop culture by Hollywood through movies. He also heads the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a nonprofit Catholic organization that prays with people who are spiritually suffering.
Rossetti also pushes back on the notion that exorcisms are “not an integral part of the ministry of Jesus and thus are not an integral part of today’s church.” In other words, the power of Christ should compel you to buy this book if you’re a practicing Catholic or even a Christian believer of any denomination.
“To reject the reality of Satan and his direct activity in people’s lives is to relegate Sacred Scripture to a theologically inaccurate anachronism,” he said. “If one begins to face the existence of evil head-on, then one has to face the stark and uncomfortable truths of the full teachings of Jesus.”
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.