We have a big horror fan over here at The Witty Verse, and after recently watching The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Australian Gladiator Russell Crowe, I seriously needed to find out more about the real Gabriele Amorth. Firstly, if you have seen the film, it is pretty astonishing that this guy is actually based on a real person. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not convinced the movie was real, but the film taught me (and a brief read-up of this guy) that Amorth is considered a bit of a maverick in the demon-slaying world.
He has published a bunch of books, so I picked the book with the best general reviews, and here we are. The Devil is Afraid of Me is a collated collection of interviews conducted with Amorth, asking all sorts of questions, from 'Is there a school that can prepare people to become an exorcist?' to 'Can demons manifest themselves in dreams?' I do believe that depending on your religious beliefs, you would be reading this book from completely different perspectives. If you were a deep believer, this book might work as a genuine guidebook for recognising and using prayer against the Devil, but for non-believers, maybe something more akin to mere curiosity while at the same time trying to get in the head of someone who believes the devil, exorcists, and exorcisms to be true.
I happen to be in the latter camp, but it still makes for some compelling reading. If you are a non-believer, you need to suspend belief. There is one point where stooges and witches and wizards are brought up as being fake exorcists, but if you don’t believe in a God, then it’s all fake, so you need to get into the mindset that Amorth and his posse are the real deal.
Amorth is a cool dude. He’s a deeply religious man of God, that much is obvious, but his approach to discussing his work is almost…amusing? I say this cautiously because to some people the work of the devil is not amusing, but he is so matter-of-fact about his 'job' that it’s almost as though he’s talking about the daily schedule of being a nurse, or a shop assistant, or a bus driver. It’s all so nonchalant.
The way Amorth gave examples of his experiences, and his day-to-day schedule or was asked questions about the bigger picture when it comes to religion or the concept of the devil, it was clear that he was trying to make it far less dramatic than the movies I have seen. Thanks, Hollywood. There was one instance when he referred to a possessed woman spitting up nails. That was pretty wild, and my mind jumped to all manner of movie gore, but as I read it, I almost felt Amorth shrugging while saying it, as though it was just another day in the office. So, yeah.
One thing I liked about the book was his insistence on the exhaustion of medical options before an exorcism might be carried out. How true this is, I have no idea, but at least Amorth seems to be in cahoots with medical practices. As a non-believer, I am glad to hear that someone who is such a pillar of society and a powerful voice in the church also relies on the expertise of medical professionals. Which leads me onto my next point.
I was impressed with Amorth's humility. Due to the narcissistic nature of social media, and the recently strong division caused, in part, by identity politics, I believe that humility is one of the dying virtues of our time. Amorth never claims victory over the demons he exorcises; he gives all credit to God. Also, he doesn’t make his work feel exceptional (even though it clearly is). He states that anyone’s prayer can have the power to expel a demon from someone’s life. He does not sit on an ivory throne claiming to be the voice of God and that only he can save the day, when I feel like he could easily be tempted to slip into this train of thought. I do feel that religion has great teachings in the art of humility, and Amorth displays it well in this book.
So, there’s my rambling. If you want to read something a little different and a little unexpected, this is a good book to pick up. Depending on how you read it, there are some nice little life lessons in here about the above-mentioned humility, resisting temptation, and the importance of self-reflection. Rest in peace, Gabriele Amorth.
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