As secular attitudes increase around the world and beliefs in the supernatural decline, how is it that the demand for exorcisms has never been higher?
In America and across Europe, the Catholic Church is struggling to keep up. And as the Vatican is busy teaching courses to train new exorcists, the question remains: Why now?
This hour we speak with a historian, a psychiatrist, and an officially sanctioned exorcist to unravel the mystery behind the twenty-first-century resurgence of this age-old Catholic practice.
GUESTS:
- Dr. Francis Young - Historian specializing in the history of religion and supernatural belief; author of several books including A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity
- Father Vince Lampert - Pastor of Saint Malachy Parish in Brownsburg, Indiana; Priest and official exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis
- Dr. Richard Gallagher - Board certified psychiatrist as well as Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at New York Medical College and lecturer at Columbia University; author of the upcoming book Demonic Foes: A Psychiatrist Investigates Demonic Possession in Modern America
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.
