Colombia’s Catholic Church Puts Exorcism Under Closer Scrutiny
The Catholic Church in Colombia is tightening the way exorcism is approached, placing greater emphasis on discernment, professional training and the protection of people who seek help believing they may be experiencing demonic influence. The new emphasis emerged from the third national formation course for exorcists, held in Bogotá under the title “Liberate and Care: […]
In Colombia, the Catholic Church is tightening its approach to exorcism, placing greater emphasis on discernment, professional training and protecting those who seek help. This shift came from the third national formation course for exorcists, held in Bogotá. Rather than treating exorcism as an immediate response to unusual behavior, the Church now insists that priests first determine the root cause of the situation.
The course, titled "Liberate and Care: The Ministry of Exorcism from a Culture of Care," brought together over 80 priests and representatives from across Colombia. It stressed the importance of discernment, professional training and avoiding premature spiritual interpretations of psychological, psychiatric, medical or social issues.
The exorcist is described as a priest authorized by the bishop, not an independent religious practitioner. The Church aims to establish clear guidelines on who can legitimately perform exorcisms. The training program also addressed the need to protect both the victims and the exorcists, emphasizing vulnerability prevention. The ministry is now presented as a specialized pastoral responsibility requiring authorization, formation, discernment and interdisciplinary cooperation.
Written by urgent.news from The City Paper Bogotá's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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