Catholic Exorcist: Here’s How I Know the Difference Between Mental Illness and Demon Possession

Have you ever wondered if someone else was struggling with mental illness or just possessed by a demon?

Me neither. But Father Cipriano de Meo, an exorcist for more than 60 years, has plenty to say about the subject.

Because this is something everyone wants to know.

De Meo says the odds that someone is possessed is pretty low, but there’s a way to know for sure:

The key to telling the difference, he said, is through discernment in prayer on the part of the exorcist and the possessed — and in the potentially possessed person’s reaction to the exorcist himself and the prayers being said.

…

“A possessed person has various general attitudes towards an exorcist, who is seen by the Adversary as an enemy ready to fight him.”

Got that? Who needs psychiatrists, anyway? We just need to see your reaction to an exorcist saying gibberish to your face. If you push back, you’re clearly possessed.

Which I assume means atheists who call him out on his bullshit all have demons inside of them. It all makes sense!

Maybe for their next trick, Vatican exorcists can put people suspected of being possessed in water to see if they float.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Brian for the link)