It seems to me that Drudge has been linking to an article on increased official exorcist activity in the Catholic Church almost every other day...but the articles also add that the Vatican has denied any increased activity, such as his most recent link.
Although a Vatican official denied reports in December of a campaign to train more exorcists, supporters said informal efforts began under Pope John Paul II -- himself an occasional demon chaser -- and have accelerated under Pope Benedict XVI. A Catholic university in Rome began offering courses in exorcism in 2005 and has drawn students from around the globe.
All this publicity also seems somewhat dangerous because it can lead to misunderstanding and scandal. For instance, take this example:
Jankowski cited the case of a woman who asked for a divorce days after renewing her wedding vows as part of a marriage counseling program. What was suspicious, he said, was how the wife suddenly developed a passionate hatred for her husband.
"According to what I could perceive, the devil was present and acting in an obvious way," he said. "How else can you explain how a wife, in the space of a couple of weeks, could come to hate her own husband, a man who is a good person?"
Jankowski said that an archbishop granted him the authority last October to perform exorcisms and that he's been busy ever since. As for the afflicted wife? "We're still working with her," he said.
I don't think the average person is going to immediately see the relationship with a sudden meltdown in a marriage and the need for exorcism (I know I'm a little skeptical on this one).
I certainly believe that the Church has the power to expel demons and that demons do take possession even in the 21st Century, but I also fear that it only takes one or two cases of abuse or fraud for people to call into question the whole institution.
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