Exorcist decribes demons to UA students
Rebecca Perlow, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/11/05 Section: News
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Monsignor James Mancini, pastor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church of Tontitown and exorcist for the Arkansas Diesis for the Roman Catholic Church, discussed exorcism and deliverance ministry.
"A lot of the things that we think are so inhuman are inhuman," Mancini said.
More than 100 people turned out to hear Mancini's talk on deliverance ministry, prayer, and means of freeing people from demonic possession. Many were members of the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and Catholic Campus Ministry, the sponsoring organizations of the pastor's lecture.
Mancini first became involved in deliverance ministry 25 years ago as a national board member for the Charismatics, an informal fellowship of Christians who believe in present-day manifestations of the Holy Spirit such as healing, miracles and speaking in tongues. Mancini led a symposium of theologians, counselors and psychologists in Houston in 1980 on deliverance prayer and possible demonic interference in people's lives. Later, he was invited to assume his exorcist position by the bishop of the Arkansas Diesis of Roman Catholic Church.
"When we talk about spirits, we're talking about substantial beings without material composition," Mancini said. "It's very much a part of our Christian and Jewish belief that there are spirits in the world. Most of the world cultures have some reference or some word that indicates spirit -- the invisible but real."
He described demons as being atmospheric or personal spirits with a nature superior to that of humans and highly manipulative. Atmospheric spirits include tangible emotions such as temptation and aggravation, which have to be dealt with individually. Personal spirits, spirits with a name and a malevolent agenda, can be described as demonic possession. An exorcism is performed only in cases of demonic possession, he said.
According to the Catholic ritual of exorcism, which was written in the 14th century, one of the earliest steps requires the exorcist to determine whether the trouble that the person is experiencing is natural or supernatural.
"Mental anguish, mental disease, emotional instability, those are real things too," Mancini said. "They're not necessarily caused by demons by any means. We do enough trouble as human beings to get the trouble from that."
Mancini described "spiritual warfare" as a legitimate battle between demonic forces and humanity on a personal basis, and humanity's power to fight back, he said.
"Exorcism is an act of authority," Mancini said. "What does it mean to have authority? You have the power to command in the name of God. We are ambassadors in the name of Christ."
"A lot of the things that we think are so inhuman are inhuman," Mancini said.
More than 100 people turned out to hear Mancini's talk on deliverance ministry, prayer, and means of freeing people from demonic possession. Many were members of the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and Catholic Campus Ministry, the sponsoring organizations of the pastor's lecture.
Mancini first became involved in deliverance ministry 25 years ago as a national board member for the Charismatics, an informal fellowship of Christians who believe in present-day manifestations of the Holy Spirit such as healing, miracles and speaking in tongues. Mancini led a symposium of theologians, counselors and psychologists in Houston in 1980 on deliverance prayer and possible demonic interference in people's lives. Later, he was invited to assume his exorcist position by the bishop of the Arkansas Diesis of Roman Catholic Church.
"When we talk about spirits, we're talking about substantial beings without material composition," Mancini said. "It's very much a part of our Christian and Jewish belief that there are spirits in the world. Most of the world cultures have some reference or some word that indicates spirit -- the invisible but real."
He described demons as being atmospheric or personal spirits with a nature superior to that of humans and highly manipulative. Atmospheric spirits include tangible emotions such as temptation and aggravation, which have to be dealt with individually. Personal spirits, spirits with a name and a malevolent agenda, can be described as demonic possession. An exorcism is performed only in cases of demonic possession, he said.
According to the Catholic ritual of exorcism, which was written in the 14th century, one of the earliest steps requires the exorcist to determine whether the trouble that the person is experiencing is natural or supernatural.
"Mental anguish, mental disease, emotional instability, those are real things too," Mancini said. "They're not necessarily caused by demons by any means. We do enough trouble as human beings to get the trouble from that."
Mancini described "spiritual warfare" as a legitimate battle between demonic forces and humanity on a personal basis, and humanity's power to fight back, he said.
"Exorcism is an act of authority," Mancini said. "What does it mean to have authority? You have the power to command in the name of God. We are ambassadors in the name of Christ."
