The news of an alleged act of exorcism by Pope Francis is going around the world accompanied by a video that testifies the gesture of the imposition of the Pope’s hands on a sick man while the young man opens his mouth wide and gasps.
In reality, the video, made by Tv2000, the broadcaster of the Italian bishops, more than representing a testimony of what happened, emphasizing the gesture of Pope Francis and labeling it as an “exorcism” triggered a discussion that led to the denial of the Vatican spokesman, father Federico Lombardi, and brought to an apology by the director of Tv2000 Dino Boffo.
The story dates back to the end of the Mass celebrated for Pentecost last Sunday, when in greeting the sick the Pope stopped in particular on a young man accompanied by a priest intent on explaining something to the Pope.
What the Pope did in those moments
Many ask themselves so much that they speak of mystery. The issuer of the bishops, after having made the necessary checks, considered it appropriate to deal with the topic. But what prompted director Boffo to do what is now seen as imprudence
“The exorcists consulted by Tv2000 recognized an exorcism in the Pope’s gesture but as we learn from Father Lombardi Bergoglio did not recognize himself in this and we must take note of it”, he comments in a conversation with Formiche.net. Paolo Rodari, vaticanista for Repubblica and in the past to the Riformista and the Foglio. Rodari is the author of two volumes (The sign of the exorcist and The last exorcist) which collect unpublished details of the hardest, longest, most difficult exorcisms of Father Amorth, the exorcist dean of the Catholic Church.
Amorth to the microphones of Tgcom24 confirms what was supposed by Tv2000: “The gesture of Pope Francis carried out last Sunday in St. Peter’s Square was an exorcism. Whoever says no, including the director of the Vatican press office, Father Lombardi, means that he does not understand anything “, said Father Amorth who also admitted to knowing the man on whom the pontiff placed his hands on his head:” And He came to me this morning and I exorcised him for more than an hour – added Father Amorth – His name is Angelo, he is Mexican and he had this particular adventure that the Pope immediately took to heart. Francis put his hands on his head and made him a prayer of liberation. I don’t know why there are some Vatican officials who said it was not an exorcism. It was an exorcism. This is a good and good young man,
But in these cases there is a fact that cannot be compromised, according to the journalist who writes in Repubblica: “A prayer of exorcism is something very subjective and can be done in various ways”, explains Rodari. And the director of Tv2000 also confirmed this in apologizing: “The intention in this case is the decisive fact: only the one who performs the exorcism can say if he is doing an exorcism or a blessing or a prayer of liberation” . In short, it seems that there is no way to verify it from the images, but the fact is that the news has touched the sensitivity of many. And when it comes to exorcism, the first to be alarmed is the Church itself: “There is a risk that people will see things that do not exist, for this reason the Church fears that it will be talked about with sensationalism”, comments Rodari.
“It takes a lot of prudence when addressing these issues – recommends Rodari – Possession is a very serious and delicate thing and must be kept within the boundaries of modesty and respect for the people who suffer”, says the Vatican expert.
