Dear Omar:

I saw that report when it first came out in 1991, when I was a Baptist exorcist. I just reviewed it tonight. My first thought was horror that the bishop would allow this to be broadcast. But, according to the report the Bishop allowed the filming to help people understand that the devil really does exist, and that the Church can help those afflicted. I have to defer to the Bishop's wisdom.

A few years ago the History Channel called me on the phone to ask me about possession. They were about to produce a show on exorcism. I gave them any information they wanted about the subject, but they wanted me to put them in contact with my clients. I refused.

I do not know who Father A was, but I did know Father LaBar. In fact, I referred one of my clients to him about a week before he died. I think he was a good priest and exorcist, but, if I remember correctly, I thought he was too chummy with Mr. Malachi Martin, a laicized priest who perform exorcisms illegally.

I, too, noticed the remark of Fr. A about "something dying inside" each time he does an exorcism. To my knowledge that is not the experience of most exorcists. That may indeed be the experience Fr. A feels for himself. If that is the case, he might want to reconsider doing exorcisms. I certainly never had that experience as a Baptist exorcist, nor as a Catholic Deliverance Counselor. As a deliverance counselor, I have performed what we call a Power Encounter in face-to-face deliverance sessions. These sessions are similar to Solemn exorcisms of the Church in the way the client reacts and responds. What we do, however, is not the Rite of Exorcism, and the power of the deliverance is that of private intercessory prayer in the name of Christ. The power of prayer is in the deliverance team and the spiritual warfare prayer team (where two or more gather together in my name, I am among you). In a Church-approved Solemn exorcism, however, the power is in the prayer of the entire Church in heaven and earth baring down on the demon, not just the prayers of a few people. In other words, the Church-approved exorcism is more than a Power Encounter, it is calling in the SWAT team.

With that said I have had the experience of tremendous sorrow. In one case, the client had been abused in Satanic rituals when she was four years old. As a result of that she developed multiple personalities. This is not mental illness and is not demonic, but a gift from God to a little girl that kept her sane. She would have likely gone in to psychosis or even died without that gift.

Her psychologist suspected a demonic presence in addition to the multiple personalities. I was called in as a consult. It took every bit of strength to keep from running out of the room crying when this poor woman went into a child personality and described the horror she underwent. Her pain was palatable in the room. There were times that she did have to stop and walk around the office. I consider this to be my hardest case, not because it was difficult to get rid of the demons, which we did successfully, but because of the horror of feeling her pain. If that is what Fr. A is talking about, then I understand.  

AS for the report itself, there is no reason to suspect anything hinky about the film footage of the exorcism. It is consistent with what I have experienced myself and/or with what I know of the experiences of Catholic exorcists.

It is always dangerous to submit oneself to the media, but overall, 20/20 did a decent job.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary