Faith, Demons, & Exorcisms - A Conversation with Bishop Jason Spadafore

Monday, 30 October 2006

By Joseph B. Mauceri The filmmakers behind The Blackwater Valley Exorcism wanted to add another element of reality to their film that is based on an actual case. They turned to Bishop Jason Spadafore to act as a consultant and ensure there was an element of authenticity to the rituals used in the film. The film focuses on a troubled priest beckoned to an isolated ranch by an old flame in order to exorcise the demons from a possessed girl, her younger sister. The terror that awaits him threatens to consume his very soul. Father James attempts to muster the faith he will need to flush the demonic force back into the pit from which it came. As his feelings for his beloved ex-girlfriend are gradually rekindled, Father James discovers too little too late just how deceptive demons can truly be. This supernatural tale of horror stars Cameron Daddo and James Russo. Bp. Jason Spadafore is a practicing independent Roman Catholic Bishop of both +Duarte Costa and +Ngo Dinh Thuc lineage. Bp. Spadafore is known for a number of writings on the occult, which brought him to the attention of the filmmakers involved with The Blackwater Valley Exorcism. He is based out of St. Raphael of the Angels, where he ministers to the needs of those who have been hurt, marginalized, or otherwise been put out by both the Novus Ordo Church and the Traditional Catholic movement, or have grown tired of the politics that occurs within these movements. When I was offered the opportunity to talk with Bp. Spadafore I first went and viewed his website ñ raphaelsociety.org. As I began to digest what he addresses on his site I realized that what we should talk about was the relationship between faith, possession, and the rite of exorcism. Instead of doing this in my usual way, in this instance a telephone, I decided to send Bp. Spadafore my questions and allow him the opportunity to reflect on them. FEARS: What were the circumstances that lead you to a life in the Catholic Church? Bp. Jason Spadafore: I guess it depends on how you mean "life in the Catholic Church," which could mean either life as a member of the Church or life as a member of the clergy. As to the former, I was born and raised Catholic, baptized at St. Marys Nativity in Flushing when I was two weeks old. Though when we moved to Ohio when I was seven, my mother had her first encounter with the Novus Ordo (i.e. post-Vatican II) and the neo-conservative mindset, she pulled my sister and me out of the Church entirely. As to the latter, its a convoluted tale. Id always felt myself being drawn towards the clerical state, though could never explain why. During the time that I was outside the Church, I studied Latin, theology, philosophy, metaphysic, history, etc. on my own. When I was 18, my father was sucked into a quasi-fundamentalist sect, and so I had to constantly keep on top of these studies as a result of constant religious arguments with him. When I returned to the Church on my own several years later --- first through the so-called "indult Masses," then into the Traditional Movement proper --- most of the friends I attracted were clergy or ex-seminarians. As a result, I got to see the inside of the clerical culture: good, bad, and otherwise. My training was informal (as is common with Traditional clergy, depending on the resources of the group or organization with which one is connected), and in June of 2002 I was ordained to the priesthood. FEARS: Even within the Catholic Church there are many pathways that you can take, what lead towards you work in Exorcisms? Blessing the set of The Blackwater Valley Exorcism Bp. Jason Spadafore: Ive done (and continue to do) work in the field of Exorcism, but I would not consider that my principal calling. From 1998 until about a year ago, I had a ministry (first lay, then clerical) geared towards people who were involved in the occult. And unfortunately, when you find yourself ministering to people who call upon spiritual forces regularly, theres a chance that somebodys going to call upon the wrong spirit, or the wrong spirits going to call upon him. Thus, exorcism work simply went along with the territory. FEARS: Im a certified Religion Teacher for the Brooklyn Diocese, with a specialization in the Old Testament. Ive also had the opportunity to study many of the other world religions. What is your personal definition of evil? Bp. Jason Spadafore: Thats a pretty broad question, as evil could be seen either as the intent to do harm (the moral theologians call it the intensio malitiae, and it is one of the three prerequisites for a sin to truly be mortal), or as the mere absence of good, or as the selfish preference for a lesser individual good over a greater communal good (another possible definition for sin). For myself, I believe evil, just like good, is a multi-faceted gem, of which all three of these definitions may be facets. At any given time, we may see only one or more facet, yet the gem itself always remains a conglomeration of them all, regardless of the one we may happen to perceive at any particular instant. FEARS: Many different religions and superstitions believe that we have to invite evil into our lives, like a vampire who cant enter a persons home unless he is invite in. From all your research and first hand experience, what do you believe is the cause of evil entering peoples lives? Bp. Jason Spadafore: In my experience, evil usually enters into our lives either through negligence or through invitation. For example, if you walk down a dark alley at night, chances are youll get robbed. Now, is this because you went out there looking for it to happen? No. But, we all know better than to walk down dark alleys, and through our negligence, such evil as assault and theft entered into our lives. Such negligence could even be said to constitute and invitation. As to spiritual evil, it seems to work in a similar method. To begin, well go back to the idea behind mental, physical, and corporeal prayer; the underlying lesson here is that everything we think, say, and do sends a message to God. The unspoken part of that lesson, though, is that Gods not the only one whos watching us. Therefore, if we think, say, or do something that gives one of these entities an excuse, or form habits in our lives that would constitute an excuse, then we would be creating an invitation. Its much like the man who walked down that dark alley. FEARS: How has the rite of Exorcism changed from its early days to modern times, in both the form of the spoken ritual and the tools of the ritual? Bp. Jason Spadafore: Originally, the rite of exorcism consisted of abjuring the demon through the name of Jesus, the sign of the Cross, and Holy Water. These still remain the essential tools of the rite, which has always been adapted to the circumstances of the particular case. Over time, as always happens with human beings, a formal ritual was built up around this simple foundation. In the middle ages, there were a number of highly imaginative exorcism rites, some of which even incorporated magical practices; the 54th poem of the Carmina Burana is an excellent satire of an exorcism of this type, involving magical names, the seal of Solomon, and even mentioning pagan deities and spirits. With the reforms after the Council of Trent and the drastic internal housecleaning that followed, all such superfluous rites were abolished and the Ritual used at Rome was made law throughout the Universal Church. This rite, titled Ritus Exorcizandi Obssessos a Daemonio, was promulgated in the Rituale Romanum by Pp. Paul V in 1614. Actor Cameron Daddo is shown the first command that the exorcist gives to the evil spirit by Bp. Spadafore.< The rite remained largely untouched until 1999, even though in the late 19th century a new Exorcism was added by Pp. Leo XIII, titled Exorcismus in Satanam et Angelos Apostaticos, which is also commonly known as the "Short-Form Exorcism" or as the "St. Michael Exorcism." Whereas the first exorcism is used in the possession of persons, this "short form" is used in the exorcism of objects or places. While these two rites were the official rites of exorcism, however, it must be noted that the Ritual also contains a great deal of other forms of exorcisms, consisting of pre-emptory exorcisms are said over catechumens, over infants to be baptized, over water, salt, oil, medals, and any other person or object which is to be dedicated to ritual use or divine service. Enter the 1960s. This is the part where Traditionalists and Novus Ordinarians diverge on the subject. Traditionalists still use the Rituale Romanum as described, but with the aggiornamento and the so-called updating of the Church which came along with it, there is a tendency amongst Novus Ordo ranks to de-emphasize the idea of demons or possession, and even to relegate the whole mess to the realm of superstition or fairy-tale nonsense. As a result, the pre-emptory exorcisms have all but disappeared entirely in the Novus Ordo incarnations of the Rituale (this incarnation is comprised of three Books, namely The Rites I and II, and the Book of Blessings), leaving but a scant trace in the rite of baptism. Then, in 1999, the final blow was accomplished when Pp. John Paul II promulgated the revised Ritual for exorcism, titled De Exorcizandis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam, which differs as far as possible from the old rite both in its prayers and in its tone, and which has come under criticism from exorcists the world over. Instead of going into details, it might simply be easier to point you to a translation of the New Rite at my website, at http://www.geocities.com/athaumaturgus/noexorcism.pdf and let the ritual speak for itself. FEARS: When you are presented with a possible case of possession what is the current evaluation process the Catholic Church requires to determine the authenticity of an Exorcism? Bp. Jason Spadafore: Officially, the prospective energumen (i.e. possessed) is to be examined by not only a priest, but also a medical doctor and a psychologist in order to make sure the signs being exhibited are not the result of some natural cause, some mental disorder, and also to make sure the person in question is not just trying to get attention. To make a long story short, the priest is to remain a "hard-boiled skeptic" until there is absolutely no other way to explain what is happening. Another part of the investigation may or may not also involve a "provocation." In the movie, this is the part where Miguel locked himself in the room with Isabelle, sprinkled Holy Water on her, and said the Our Father. In practice, other prayers can be said (in my own work, Ive used the Praecipio tibi from the rite of exorcism proper), as the object here is to find out whether there is a demon present by forcing it to show itself. According to Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the worlds leading exorcist, this is sometimes the only way to find out whether there is really a case of possession. (Source: 30 Days Magazine, June 2000 interview). FEARS: How did you hear about the Blackwater case? Bp. Jason Spadafore: Long story short, Barnholtz Entertainment contacted me and said, "Hey, Jason, wanna help make a movie?" Roughly three days before I was consecrated a bishop, they found my Resource website (http://www.geocities.com/athaumaturgus/resource.htm) while searching for the text for the Ritual of Exorcism, I received an E-mail, then we talked on the phone, and thats what set everything into motion. FEARS: Upon review of the case what is your expert position on the Blackwater case? Bp. Jason Spadafore: From the details that I have, I feel that the case fits the criteria for being worthy of belief. For the benefit of the readers, though, please let me clarify that term. Formally speaking, when the Church applies the term "worthy of belief" to an event, apparition, miracle, etc., she does not mean that anybody has to believe it is true, but that the case in question is solid and substantial enough that a reasonable individial may choose to believe it to be true. FEARS: The film uses the actual Catholic Ritual. Just like folks who utilize other religious systems and devices, do you think by opening that spiritual portal it could have insight negative forces? Bp. Jason Spadafore: Absolutely. In the Book of Acts, we are given the story of the seven sons of Sceva, who were exorcising a possessed man and decided to try what (to them) was a novel approach: they addressed the demons by saying, "I conjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth." The demons responded to them, saying, "Jesus I know: and Paul I know. But who are you?" (Acts xix, 13-17/DRV) And the spirits --- though he possessed man --- attacked the exorcists and sent them running out the door, naked and wounded. The object lesson here is that if a person attempts an exorcism without knowing exactly what he or she is doing, then a door is being open to a whole lot of trouble. This is also the reason why the Church is very prohibitive in terms of who may perform an exorcism and when one may be performed. Though she does not deny that the laity may validly perform an exorcism (in fact, both the much-maligned Malleus Maleficarum and the excellent pre-conciliar catechetical book My Catholic Faith explicitly confirm this, as do Jesus own words in Mark xvi 17), she is a solicitous mother and insists on protecting her children by only allowing those who have shown themselves to be prudent, knowledgeable, and competent to perform an exorcism without creating a mess bigger than the one they are attempting to clean up. FEARS: Of all the films that have used the Rite of Exorcism as a plot device, including The Exorcism at Blackwater Creek, which film do you feel best represents the power of rite and the physical stress of possession? Bp. Jason Spadafore: Honestly, Ive never really been a fan of exorcism movies, as my work has led me to deal with the real thing. From the movies Ive seen, Blackwater Valley does a great job at depicting the psychological and emotional stresses present not only in the possessed person but especially in the people around her and their relationships with one another (which is what we were really shooting for), but of the others that Ive seen, Id have to say the original Exorcist has it, hands-down. Just tone it down on the spinning heads and the pea soup, if you please. FEARS: On of the many people who have helped shape my religious belief was the opportunity to meet Joseph Campbell before he died. I dont really believe in a horned demon running around with a pitchfork tempting people. I do believe that evil is a physical force that can manifest itself. I know part of the Rite is to have the demon identify itself. In order to fight evil in our lives and in the world, what do you feel is the best approach - evil as a force or evil as some humanoid entity? Bp. Jason Spadafore: In my experience, evil exists in both forms, as the force and the entity could be said to go hand in hand, much like the difference between a laser (the force itself), or the person who wields the laser (the person). Whether one wishes to say the entity is a manifestation of that force, is possessed by that force, or is controlling that force, could be a subject for open discussion, and verily it could be all three. FEARS: At the end of the day there are very few people who will ever experience the demonic possession, but Im sure they will experience varying degrees evil. What advice would you give ordinary folks to help them prepare and survive these ordeals? Bp. Jason Spadafore: I would have to tie this question into my answer to question #4, in the paragraph where I mentioned mental, vocal, and corporeal prayer. The reason for this is that as everything we think, say, and do sends a message to entities that are lurking out there and may ultimately invite them into our lives. So, we simply make conscious use of this process --- although its easier said than done --- and do what we can, not to send them a message that would open that doorway for them to come to us. Again, the best way I know to attain this is to know, believe, and practice the teachings of the Church not just for an hour on Sunday, but in each moment of our everyday lives. She gives us moral, mental, and spiritual discipline that helps to form us and shape us, and which in itself will begin to protect us from the enemy, and by the Sacraments and sacramentals she gives us spiritual strength. Thus, if we can avoid the twin traps of fanaticism on the one side and presumption on the other, our best prevention and protection against evil can be found in the bosom of Traditional Roman Catholicism. LINK THIS ARTICLE

 

< Prev		Next >