This Church Is Recruiting People to Cast Out Devils

Attention priests, the Archdiocese of Manila is seeking exorcism help.  

Father Jose Francisco Syquia tells Catholic News Service the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism (AMOE) has seen the claims of demon possession/harassment triple in the last year.  

“You expect that there will be more, what we call, retaliations because you are jumping into enemy territory and retaking … what truly belongs to God,” Syquia told NPR. “And therefore it’s more like maybe a commando raid behind enemy lines.”

According to Catholic Philly, priests must possess the following before applying to be an exorcist: discernment of the supernatural; determining psychological vs. spiritual afflictions; seeking prayer before doing anything related to performing an exorcism/prayer of deliverance; and selecting the volunteers who has “false charisms” vs. “true charisms.” 

AMOE was founded in 2006 to address an increase in demonic bondage in the Philippines, according to their website.  

“The whole thrust of this ministry is to guide the afflicted person to grow in holiness by bringing him to an intimate relationship with Jesus,” the site reads. “This is the only real goal of the ministry, and the success of the exorcism should be centered on this. This may entail exorcism prayers, guidance and counseling, evangelization of the person and his family, introduction to a community where the patient can find support and regular evaluation of progress in both his spiritual life and liberation.” 

Earlier this summer, Syquia told NPR there were only consistent five exorcists to handle—at minimum—30 cases at a time. Now, the possession numbers appears to hover around 80-100 at any given time.  

However, AMOE utilizes a rotating staff of doctors, psychologists, lawyers and religious laypeople to assist in the spiritual warfare.  

Before people seek an exorcist’s help, they often pursue occult healers, which often exacerbates the problem, Syquia says.