When he is in the news

The devil is in the news. Satanism is in fashion right now. This is the experience not only in Malta but in many European and so-called secular and secularist countries.

The devil is evil and the source of a lot of the evil present in our lives. But unfortunately the "upgrading" of the devil into an object of interest to the media and as part of certain music sub-cultures has given people the impression that he is more powerful and present than he actually is. Long queues follow exorcists as people today find it easy to attribute strange phenomena or suffering to the devil.

We agree that the devil is real and can possess people, but it does not happen as often as many people think. In more senses than one people in the know state that these long lines of people standing at the doors of exorcists are standing at the wrong door. The Italian exorcist Fr Scarafoni said that, generally, 85 to 90 per cent of those who seek his services do not need them. He says that they are not possessed or even being attacked by the devil. "They need someone to listen. They need a prayer. They need a long walk and a glass of water."

It is very important that when priests or other people are approached by persons who think they are possessed they must be prudent enough to guide them to someone who knows enough about possession to know whether a simple prayer is called for or whether they need to refer the person to a psychologist or to the diocesan exorcist.

Most would need the former. Only a tiny minority will benefit from the services of the latter.