Father Gabriele Amort was perhaps the most prolific and famous exorcist of our time, and his controversial life has now been brought to the big screen in a gripping film starring Russell Crowe, writes The Conversation.

According to his claims, Amorth performed more than 60,000 exorcisms during his career, leading to a resurgence of interest in exorcisms in the Catholic Church.

Amorth was also known for the controversial statements he made over the years.

He claimed that Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the devil, he bypassed the media in Italy in 2012, and not only after declaring that there were sects of pedophiles in the Vatican, he was also a fierce critic of modern “pop”. culture, blaming Ouija boards, yoga, and Harry Potter books as gateways to the demonic realm.

The new supernatural horror film The Pope’s Exorcist, also in cinemas in Romania on April 7, brings Russell Crowe back to Italy for a feature film that is very different from Gladiator, which features a fictionalized version of Padre Amorth and adds an old the Vatican cover-up conspiracy theory.

The film’s case of possession of the Rosary appears to be a direct reference to the mysterious disappearance of teenager Emanuela Orlandi from the Vatican, a case that has reignited strong controversy after Netflix recently aired a documentary about her story.

Exorcism in the history of Christianity

Exorcism has been an important rite of the Christian faith since the early years of its spread. In the first centuries after the death of Christ, exorcisms could be performed by all believers, and this played an important role in attracting new followers to the flourishing religion.

As Christianity began to conquer the minds and souls of the Roman Empire, exorcism changed from a form of charismatic healing available to ordinary people to a miracle that could only be performed by those with exceptional spiritual authority.

Starting from the 4th century AD. the practice of exorcism was perfected by the early Christian church, which assumed full authority over the ritual.

Over the following centuries, the popularity of exorcism saw periods of frightening extremism, but also faded into quasi-obscurity. Until the middle of the 20th century, for example, most clergy believed that exorcism had no place in the modern Catholic Church.

The Second Vatican Council, held between 1962 and 1965, saw a strong distancing from exorcism as the Vatican tried to present a face that was more in line with modernity. In fact, the 1960s and 1970s represented a historic low point in terms of ritual exorcism.

But the following period brought a counterattack of Catholic charismatic conservatism, exorcism was one of the spearheads of a new crusade aimed at the return of the Church as an actor that is difficult to say in the public space.

The efforts of Catholic exorcists such as Father Amorth have been instrumental in re-legitimizing the ritual for the modern congregation. This growing popularity prompted the Vatican to publish a new set of rules and guidelines for the practice of exorcism in 1998, as more and more priests decided to learn how to deal with demonic forces.

Although many members of the clergy remained skeptical, today exorcism is supported at all levels of the Catholic Church. And in the last decade, the practice has seen an increase in demand all over the world.

The Vatican, the center of power of the Catholic Church (PHOTO: Robert Harding Productions / robertharding / Profimedia)

And yet, what is exorcism?

The Catholic Church divides exorcism into two categories: minor and, not creatively, major. A minor exorcism is the use of sacraments and blessings to combat “demonic influence.” The priest usually recites a prayer, incantation, or litany for the victim.

Lay people can also pray for the person concerned. As a rule, a small exorcism is used for all those baptized in the bosom of the Catholic Church.

A large exorcism is performed only in cases where demonic possession is suspected. Rituals for such situations include the reading of the Psalter and the Gospels, the recitation of specific “exorcism prayers,” holy water, the use of a crucifix, and the sign of the holy cross.

The exorcist may also use techniques such as folded hands or exhalation into the victim’s face (exufflation). In this regard, Hollywood’s sensationalist approach to what exorcism is at least gets the basics right.

However, the Catholic Church requires a thorough medical and psychiatric examination before resorting to exorcism.

Canon law, the body of laws governing the Church, dictates that exorcisms can only be performed with the “express permission” of the local hierarch responsible for the parish to which the person in question belongs.

Amorth, however, believed that the need to cast out demons was so great that he advocated that all Catholic priests be allowed to perform exorcisms without the need for permission. And with regard to his activity as an exorcist, he seems to have had a free hand from the leadership of the Church.

Father Amort a few years before his death (PHOTO: LD Entertainment / AFP / Profimedia Images)

Exorcism by Gabriele Amort

The Catholic priest led a colorful life. As a teenager, he was part of the Italian resistance against Nazism and its fascist collaborators. After World War II, he studied law and briefly served as deputy to the future prime minister of Italy, Giulio Andreotti.

In 1946, he was accepted into the Society of St. Paul, a congregation of Catholic clergy with a mission to spread the Christian religion using all available modern technological methods, and worked as a journalist for the Catholic press.

His activities that brought him fame did not begin until 1986, when he was unexpectedly appointed exorcist of the Diocese of Rome at the age of 61.

He took up his new role with enthusiasm, learning from Father Candido Amantini, another famous exorcist of the time.

In the early 1990s, Amorth founded the International Association of Exorcists and served as its honorary president until his death in 2016. The association was officially recognized by the Vatican in 2014 and now holds two conferences a year on the topic of exorcism.

In his biographical book, “The Exorcist Tells His Story,” Amorth clarified that for him, exorcism is an individual prayer or ritual that can last from a few minutes to “many hours.”

Therefore, he could perform dozens of exorcisms in one day, usually on restless people who crossed his threshold. He also revealed that only 100 of the tens of thousands of exorcisms he performed involved actual demonic possession.

Of course, he also made many controversial statements about the practice, saying, for example, that “exorcism that was not necessary never harmed anyone.” He also claimed that the ritual itself was a diagnostic procedure.

“Only through an actual exorcism can we determine for certain whether satanic influence is present,” he argued.

These things largely account for the vast number of exorcisms he claims to have performed during his career, although we have to take his word for the figure of 60,000, and not all historians are sure of its accuracy.

Russell Crowe in an exorcist costume (PHOTO: Landmark Media / Alamy / Profimedia Images)

A film about a centuries-old archetype

As you can probably tell by now, Amorth is the perfect character to bring to the big screen. He conveniently embodies the archetype of the “good” Catholic exorcist: a courageous man of faith who rescues confused souls from the clutches of the devil.

This archetype continues to stand the test of time, even as it represents a traditional form of spiritual authority that we rarely see in today’s society.

If a person has the power to cast out demons, this can be seen as a confirmation of people’s faith, the existence of the devil and God. As long as movies like The Pope’s Exorcist continue to perpetuate the Catholic Church’s narrative about its effectiveness in dealing with demonic possession, exorcism will continue to have a powerful impact on the minds of believers.

But, by the way, Russell Crowe’s film is a fictional story, not a biographical one, and is intended for the general public, not just believers.