The pandemic has driven people to try just about anything to eradicate Covid in order to return to pre-pandemic life – including requesting to undergo an exorcism to rid themselves of the disease.
Catholic priests have received an "overwhelming" number of requests from coronavirus patients for them to perform exorcisms to eradicate the infection.
However, the Church has now urged around 400 priests attending the 15th exorcists’ convention in Rome and others beyond to not perform the supernatural act on infected people.
According to The Daily Beast, trained Spanish exorcist Father Miguel Martin said priests are getting ever-increasing numbers of exorcism requests from people sick with COVID but the Church publicly told them not to at the end October.
Martin said: "We were told under no circumstance should we perform the rite on a COVID patient."
Italian Father Gian Matteo Roggio told the Daily Telegraph: "We have seen an increase in the request for exorcisms because the pandemic has made people more vulnerable to the idea that Satan or some evil entity has taken over their lives.
“People have fallen into poverty, they found themselves suffering from anxiety and depression. They feel that their lives are no longer in their own hands but in the hands of a malign force. It’s a big crisis."
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The Vatican have strict guidelines on when and how priests can even consider exorcism as an option.
The priest carrying out the exorcism ritual must have proper training and the Church requires that the person requesting the exorcism has undergone full medical testing.
Priests may only attempt exorcism after doctors have ruled out all possible physical or mental illnesses before it can be considered “true demonic possession.”
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