During Fr. Gabriele Amorth’s first exorcism, he encountered Satan himself. Read the gripping first-hand account below.
It was his first exorcism. The appointment was set for a discreet room in the Antonianum in Via Merulana, not far from Saint John in Lateran where he first prayed for the strength to perform his new assigned task. Father Amorth arrived early for the appointment with some trepidation. He had practiced assiduously and was well prepared, but this time it was real. He did not even know the case well. Who would show up? What was about to happen in that room?
With journalistic passion and precision, Father Amorth recounted in detail his first exorcism to Paolo Rodari:
I wear my stole, I take the breviary and the crucifix in my hand. I have holy water close at hand. I begin to recite the exorcism in Latin.
“Do not remind yourself, Lord, of our sins or that of our parents and do not punish us for our sins. Our Father . . . And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
The possessed is like a pillar of salt. He does not speak. He does not react. He remains motionless sitting on the wooden chair where I had him sit. I recite Psalm 54. Still there is no reaction. The farmer is silent, his gaze fixed on the ground.
“Lord, heed my prayer. And let my cry be heard by you. The Lord be with you. May He also be with you.”
At this point, the farmer raises his head suddenly and stares at me. In the same instant, he explodes in an angry, frightening scream. He turns red and starts screaming invectives in English. He remains seated. He doesn’t come close to me. He seems to fear me. But he wants to scare me.
“Priest, stop it! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”
He lashes out with curses, swear words, and threats. I speed up the ritual. The possessed man continues to scream in English: “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” He spits on the ground and on me. He is furious. He’s like a lion about to pounce. It is evident that his prey is me. I understand that I have to go on. And I arrive up to the Praecipio tibi (I command you).
I say, “I command you, unclean spirit, whoever you are, along with all your minions now attacking this servant of God, by the mysteries of the incarnation, passion, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the descent of the Holy Spirit, by the coming of our Lord for judgment, that you tell me by some sign your name, and the day and hour of your departure. I command you, moreover, to obey me to the letter, I who am a minister of God despite my unworthiness; nor shall you be emboldened to harm in any way this creature of God, or the bystanders, or any of their possessions.”
The possessed continues to scream. Now his moan becomes a cry and seems to come from the recesses of the earth. I insist, “Therefore, I adjure you every unclean spirit, every specter from hell, every satanic power, in the name of Jesus Christ, to uproot you and flee from this creature of God.”
The scream becomes a howl. And it gets stronger and stronger. It seems infinite.
“Hearken, therefore, and tremble in fear, Satan, you enemy of the faith, you foe of the human race, you begetter of death, you robber of life, you corrupter of justice, you root of all evil and vice; seducer of men, betrayer of the nations, instigator of envy, font of avarice, fomenter of discord, author of pain and sorrow.”
His eyes roll backwards. His head hangs behind the back of the chair. The scream continues in a frightening high pitch. Father Massimiliano tries to keep him still while the translator takes a few steps back in fear. I wave him back farther. Satan is unleashed.
“Why, then, do you stand and resist, knowing as you must that Christ the Lord brings your plans to nothing? Fear Him, who in Isaac was offered in sacrifice, in Joseph sold into bondage, slain as the paschal lamb, crucified as man, yet triumphed over the powers of hell. Begone, then, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
The devil does not want to give up. But then his cry suddenly fades and he looks at me. A little bit of drool comes out of his mouth. I pursue him. I know I have to force him to reveal himself, to tell me his name. If he tells me his name, it is a sign that he is almost defeated. By revealing himself, in fact, I force him to reveal his cards.
“And now tell me, unclean spirit, who are you? Tell me your name! Tell me, in the name of Jesus Christ, your name!”
This is the first time I have done a serious exorcism and is, thus, the first time I ask a demon to reveal his name to me. His answer chills me.
“I am Lucifer,” he says in a low voice, slowly pronouncing all the syllables. “I am Lucifer.”
I must not give up. I mustn’t give up now. I must not be scared. I must continue the exorcism with authority. I am leading the game. Not him.
“I adjure you, ancient serpent, by the judge of the living and the dead, by your Creator, by the Creator of the whole universe, by Him who has the power to consign you to hell, to depart forthwith in fear, along with your savage minions, from this servant of God, who seeks refuge in the fold of the Church. I adjure you again, not by my weakness but by the might of the Holy Spirit, to depart from this servant of God, whom almighty God has made in His image. Yield, therefore, yield not to my own person but to the minister of Christ. For it is the power of Christ that compels you, who brought you low by His cross. Tremble before that mighty arm that broke asunder the dark prison walls and led souls forth to light.”
The possessed starts to howl again. His head is thrown back again behind the back of the chair.
His back is curved. More than an hour has passed. Before I began, I didn’t think that such a thing could happen. But suddenly I have the distinct sensation of a demonic presence in front of me. I feel this devil staring at me. He scrutinizes me. He goes around me. The air becomes cold, terribly cold. Father Candido had warned me of sudden changes in temperature. It is one thing to hear about certain things, but another to experience them. I try to concentrate. I close my eyes and continue my supplication from memory.
“Depart, then, transgressor. Depart, seducer, full of lies and cunning, foe of virtue, persecutor of the innocent. Give place, abominable creature, give way, you monster, give way to Christ, in whom you found none of your works. For He has already stripped you of your powers and laid waste your kingdom, bound you prisoner and plundered your weapons. He has cast you forth into the outer darkness, where everlasting ruin awaits you and your abettors.”
At this point, something unexpected occurs. It was an event that would never happen again in the course of my long career as an exorcist. The possessed becomes like a piece of wood. His legs go forward. His head is stretched back. He starts to levitate. He rises horizontally half a meter above the back of the chair. For several minutes, he remains there motionless, suspended in the air. Father Massimiliano takes a step back. I remain in my place with the crucifix tightly in my right hand, the ritual in the other. I remember the stole. I take it and touch the body of the possessed with the end. He remains still, motionless. Stiff. Silent. I strike another blow.
A thud accompanies my Amen. The possessed man collapses in his chair. He sputters words that I struggle to understand. Then he says in English, “I’ll be out on 21 June at 3:00 p.m. I’ll be out on 21 June at 3:00 p.m.”
Then he looks at me. Now his eyes are those of the poor farmer. They are full of tears. I realize that he has come back to his senses. I embrace him and tell him, “It will end soon.”
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This article is taken from a chapter in Fr. Gabriele Amorth: Rome’s Exorcist by Domenico Agasso which is available from TAN Books.
