“Yes, he was asked to bless the house of the deceased on the day of the funeral. As he walked around the perimeter, praying and sprinkling holy water and blessed salt, some women screamed. This caused him to jump quickly aside to avoid being struck by a large black snake which seemed to launch itself from under the eaves, directly at Father Corinth.”
“And how do you know this was diabolic?”
“Well, it’s unlikely that it was a natural phenomenon. There are no large snakes native to the area, and certainly not snakes which climb,” the Cardinal explained. “And, though several people saw the serpent fly through the air, no one saw it hit the ground. It disappeared.”
The pope nodded, and looked away for a moment without speaking. For a moment he seemed lost in thought. The he roused himself and spoke matter of factly.
“This phenomenon which you have observed in your diocese is widespread,” he said sadly. “We have reports of this and far worse. We wish to put the resources of the Holy See to work providing the proper training for priests to combat this.”
The Cardinal nodded.
“The office of exorcism has been neglected for more than 50 years. The few that we have are in their 80’s, brave men and good who have been nevertheless treated by the Curia as pariahs, embarrassing vestiges of the Middle Ages. We need young men to take up this work. Tell me, how did Father Corinth come to be an exorcist?”
The Cardinal sighed.
“He told me that he was a farm boy in the Midwest, and as a teenager became involved in the occult through popular ‘heavy metal’ music. This was before the internet, so the spread of this was more limited. Apparently, though, at university he witnessed horrific sexual violence connected with the occult, and was so thoroughly repulsed that he ran straight into the arms of the Dominicans.”
“Yes, we know of their good work and their growth in America.”
“He worked on the streets of Boston with the homeless after ordination, which is where he started to see the effects of occultism, mixed with drugs and organized crime.”
The pontiff nodded grimly.
“He came to my attention when I asked the religious superiors in my diocese to identify the most prayerful men in their communities.
I interviewed them all, and chose three to begin training with a Dominican priest in his 90’s who has been quietly working in this field since before the Council.”
The pope’s expression lightened.
“Is that true, Cardinal?”
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“Yes, he was asked to bless the house of the deceased on the day of the funeral. As he walked around the perimeter, praying and sprinkling holy water and blessed salt, some women screamed. This caused him to jump quickly aside to avoid being struck by a large black snake which seemed to launch itself from under the eaves, directly at Father Corinth.”
“And how do you know this was diabolic?”
“Well, it’s unlikely that it was a natural phenomenon. There are no large snakes native to the area, and certainly not snakes which climb,” the Cardinal explained. “And, though several people saw the serpent fly through the air, no one saw it hit the ground. It disappeared.”
The pope nodded, and looked away for a moment without speaking. For a moment he seemed lost in thought. The he roused himself and spoke matter of factly.
“This phenomenon which you have observed in your diocese is widespread,” he said sadly. “We have reports of this and far worse. We wish to put the resources of the Holy See to work providing the proper training for priests to combat this.”
The Cardinal nodded.
“The office of exorcism has been neglected for more than 50 years. The few that we have are in their 80’s, brave men and good who have been nevertheless treated by the Curia as pariahs, embarrassing vestiges of the
Middle Ages. We need young men to take up this work. Tell me, how did Father Corinth come to be an exorcist?”
The Cardinal sighed.
“He told me that he was a farm boy in the Midwest, and as a teenager became involved in the occult through popular ‘heavy metal’ music. This was before the internet, so the spread of this was more limited. Apparently, though, at university he witnessed horrific sexual violence connected with the occult, and was so thoroughly repulsed that he ran straight into the arms of the Dominicans.”
“Yes, we know of their good work and their growth in America.”
“He worked on the streets of Boston with the homeless after ordination, which is where he started to see the effects of occultism, mixed with drugs and organized crime.”
The pontiff nodded grimly.
“He came to my attention when I asked the religious superiors in my diocese to identify the most prayerful men in their communities.
I interviewed them all, and chose three to begin training with a Dominican priest in his 90’s who has been quietly working in this field since before the Council.”
The pope’s expression lightened.
“Is that true, Cardinal?”