The Pope’s Exorcist, starring actor Russell Crowe, has hit theatres today. The film is based on the story of Catholic priest Gabriele Amorth, who has performed over 50,000 exorcisms.
Father Gabriele Amorth was born in Modena, Italy, in 1925, and was raised in a devout Catholic household. He realised his calling as a priest at the age of 12 and was ordained in 1954.
Father Amorth was well-known for executing exorcisms for the Rome Diocese during his time in the church.
Moreover, in 1990 he founded the International Association of Exorcists, of which he was president until his retirement at the age of 75.
Father Amorth was even once quoted as telling the Los Angeles Times that “exorcism is God’s true miracle, adding, “I’ve never been afraid of the devil. In fact, I can say he is often scared of me.”
Until his death in 2016, Amorth claimed to have performed about 50,000 exorcisms — ranging from a simple prayer to full-blown casting out of demons. This earned him the nickname — The Vatican’s Exorcist.
Besides his extensive exorcisms, Father Amorth also authored several books such as An Exorcist Tells His Story, An Exorcist: More Stories, and Exorcism and Psychiatry.
Amorth had claimed that he only conducted exorcisms on people after they sought relief from traditional medicine and psychiatry first.
In 2011, his comments stirred protests and anger when he said yoga was a tool of the devil. He also claimed Harry Potter books encourage children to believe in black magic.
Belief in possession by spirits appeared as early as 3100 BC, in the Sumerian culture of ancient Mesopotamia, now parts of Syria, Iraq, and Kuwait.
When asked why Crowe wanted to play the character he said, “He left behind a whole bunch of his first-person experiences to read through. I think there are like a dozen books or something like that, you know. So, it was just his journey that really fascinated me to start with.”