New Delhi: Exorcism is the act of expelling demons or evil spirits from ?possessed? persons , places or things and is usually administered by priests with the permission of a bishop.
Vatican-supported course in exorcism for aspiring demonologists and exorcists began at Rome's prestigious Pontifical University on thursday.
The four-month course is called Exorcism and the Prayer of Liberation takes place for the second consecutive year and will be broadcast via video-conference to other Pontifical institutes.
About 120 students from around the world will hear lectures on topics such as the pastoral, spiritual, theological, liturgical, medical, legal and criminological aspects of Satanism and demonic possession.
A priest, who asked not to be identified, said he decided to take the course after a ''very upsetting experience'' while hearing the confession of one young member of his parish.
''Her voice changed, her face was transformed and she started speaking in a language that she did not know,'' he said.
Some of the widely known signs of possession by the devil are speaking in unknown tongues and demonstrating physical force beyond one's natural capacity.
Stressing the need for the course, a teacher at the university Father Paolo Scarafoni said, ?It is indispensable that every priest knows how to discern between demonic possession and psychological problems.?
According to some estimates, as many as 5,000 people are thought to be members of Satanic cults in Italy with 17 to 25-year-olds making up three quarters of them.
Interest in the devil and the occult has been boosted by films such as this year's The Exorcism of Emily Rose and last year's Exorcist: The Beginning which was the sequel to the original The Exorcistin 1973.
Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican?s chief exorcist, who has carried out more than 40,000 exorcisms said, ?Satan exists, and targets the young above all. When faith is in decline, idolatry enters in.?
The Roman Catholic exorcism ritual, which dates back to 1614, was updated six years ago.
The priest begins with prayers and the sprinkling of holy water and then makes the sign of the cross while reciting a formula denouncing the Devil.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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