Rite of Exorcism
            QUESTION from Antonio on May 5, 2004

Dear Sirs, I read your previous post about the Rite of Exorcism and I must confess that I am very frightened and shocked to hear that the Church´s present Rite of Exorcism, reformed according to the wishes of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, and published by the Authority of Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II, is regarded as inefective. The Holy Spirit would not allow His Church to stay without a valid rite for a Sacrament, but since Exorcisms are not Sacraments, it may well be that you are right and that the rite is ineffective. But irrespective of that, the fact that the current Exorcism is not effective is very, very troubling. Indeed, you refered to this rite as a mess, which is a very strong word to use regarding a Liturgical Book of the Holy Mother Church. I don´t have the text of the new Rite, and never read it. But I am aquainted with the formulas of the old rite. I would like to ask, however, if you could please state the reasons why you feel that this new rite is a mess, and why is it ineffective? Furthermore, and most importanly, could you please explain the legal aspect of the previous post, regarding permission for priests (duly appointed Exorcists), to continue to use the previous, 19th century, rite? You mentioned Cardinals Ratzinger and Medina Estevez, but I could not underestand that paragraph. Could you enter into a little bit more detail about this permission and how it was granted by the Holy Apostolic See? Since Bishops are very reluctant to allow the use of the Rite of Exorcism (with even more intensity here in the ultra-liberal Latin America, where several people presume to call themselves Catholic without believing in the existance of demons, and where a great number of people, including clerics, believe that Exorcisms are things of the past), I strongly feel that this confusion will be one more excuse not to allow the use of the Rites. Therefore, I would like to know what is the procedure to obtain leave to use the effective Rite of Exorcism, issued by His late Holiness Pope Leo XIII. Yours in the Lord, Antonio.