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Observations Here we go again. It had to happen: media hype about devils, exorcism and things evil. Just days before this weekend’s re-edited re-release of the film, “The Exorcist,” comes the Page-One filling headline in the Chicago Sun-Times: “ARCHDIOCESE GETS EXORCIST.” To which a knowledgeable Catholic might justifiably respond: “And so…?” The film, reputedly about a real-life exorcism, terrorized moviegoers in the ’70s. Let’s hope things are a little different this time around. Exorcism—a prayer ritual to overcome evil—has been around for millennia. Nothing new here. That evil is real and prayer is good should surprise no one. In the ’70s, the movie helped enflame a growing (and warped) understanding of that evil. Unfortunately, it also sensationalized evil, satan, and spawned a whole genre of movies in which evil was personalized and let loose on the world. Sensational newspaper headlines are an attempt to accomplish the same thing all over again. Despite the Page One treatment, the news story itself was pretty straightforward. Overplayed, certainly, but not wildly incorrect. The ritual proscribed for exorcism is ancient. It’s overdone in the film, of course, and in other literature (Remember “Bell, Book and Candle?”) But it calls on the power and love of Jesus Christ to trump the power of evil. Nothing strange or unusual about that. Nor should there be. Once, the ritual was the province of any ordained priest (and, probably, even broader than that). In part because of misunderstandings and misuse, the ritual was limited to those priests specially appointed to the task by the local bishop. As the news story indicated, that person is formed and educated about the rare thing called “possession,” and the difference between that and other problems. There is a force for evil; that’s a matter of faith. There is a stronger force for good—Jesus Christ. All of us can pray. And should. We should call on Jesus to overcome evil. But we shouldn’t be looking ’round every corner for Satan. Or at the sensationalized hype of a pea soup-spewing, head-twisting film that does more to trivialize evil than exorcise it. —Tom Sheridan, editor and general manager
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