Just a routine meeting of Italian exorcists

Sandra Hüller just won the Bavarian Film Nachwuchsdarstellerpreis, weiblich (best new actress of the year―€ 5,000―although, of course you realize that that comma would be a period, € 5.000, were you to actually receive fünftausend euro here in the old country)...for her portrayal of Michaela Klingler in the film of the same name, it’s scheduled for release here in March. The English version of the film will be called, 'Requiem', it’s based on the story of a Bavarian woman named Anneliese Michel (as was The Exorcism of Emily Rose). Seems like it ought to be pretty good, but I still say Americans are probably better when it comes to things like this:

The local bishop, who hangs out at the cathedral around the corner, was also at the awards ceremony—no, not in case things got out of hand and someone had to invoke the Holy Mother—he was presenting the award for best documentary, Die Große Stille—The Great Silence (sounds almost too good to be true, eh?). Wanting to get to the bottom of all this possession stuff, I made an appointment at the Frauenkirche and asked a few questions:

Shortly after being named Pope, Benedict XVI met with a group of exorcists. Was that a signal?

No, it was just a routine meeting of Italian exorcists. The teachings of the Catholic church on evil have not changed in centuries...kind of like concrete.

What are those teachings?

They're based primarily on the Bible, according to which God created all beings: mankind as well as the pure spirits, in other words the angels and demons.

How could God permit evil in the first place?

For our freedom! Evil is linked implicitly to the gift of freedom.

Wow, where have I heard that before?

God made man free. In choosing whether to ban evil or give the gift of freedom, God opted for freedom. Without the possibility to choose between good or evil, there would be no freedom. That means that God values freedom more than all our sins.

Are there objective criteria that can be used to determine if a person has been possessed by a demon?

The new ordinance on exorcism summarizes the criteria for the event of possession very well. The clearest for me as a priest is the deep aversion to holy objects such as the cross, the rosary or the sign of the cross. Also an aversion to the word God – when it is spoken, such people get very nervous. Less significant indications are the supernatural capabilities that these people can suddenly develop. They can speak foreign languages that they've never learned.

Boy, that sure would come in handy.