Diabolical possession very rare, priest says

Charleston, S.C., Jan 14, 2019 / 09:01 am (CNA).- While an exorcist of the Diocese of Charleston has received many more requests relating to diabolical possession in recent years, the phenomenon is in fact exceedingly rare, he said.

Fr. Marreddy Allam told the Post and Courier that on coming to South Carolina in 2013, he received 10 requests for exorcisms, and that that figure had jumped to about 45 by 2018.

However, in the past five years, only one of these persons was the subject of diabolical possession.

Fr. Allam expressed that prayer, therapy, or medical treatment are often what is needed for those who think themselves possessed.

Fr. Bryan Babick, another priest of the Charleston diocese, reflected that the rise in requests for exorcism may be related to occult practices, as people “are seeking the supernatural in other places, such as Wicca and even worship of Satan.”

Fr. Jeff Kirby, also a priest of Charleston, said that “as our society begins to engage in areas of darkness, there are spiritual consequences of that.”

Fr. Babick said, “Not everyone who thinks they are possessed is, and sometimes medical science relative to mental health is not as equipped to treat every condition as it thinks.”