Exorcists petition Pope Leo XIV for trained exorcists in all dioceses as demonic activity rises, urging reform in clergy education and collaboration with science.
Newsroom (19/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) The call for stronger institutional structures in the fight against demonic activity took center stage this week at the Vatican. The International Association of Exorcists (AIE) has appealed directly to Pope Leo XIV, urging that every diocese across the world include “one or more” trained exorcist priests.
The appeal follows a private audience on Friday, March 13, 2026, during which AIE President Monsignor Karel Orlita and Vice President Father Francesco Bamonte, of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, presented the Pope with a detailed report. The document outlined what the association described as the “increasingly widespread” phenomenon of individuals affected by extraordinary demonic activity, driven by the contemporary rise of occult sects.
According to the association’s statement, the pontiff “welcomed them with great affability and listened with great attention” during a thirty‑minute exchange described as both cordial and frank.
Strengthening the Structure of Exorcism Ministry
At the heart of the report lies a structural demand: the universal presence of exorcist priests, at least one in every diocese. The AIE argues that this measure is essential to alleviate “the great suffering that the extraordinary action of the devil entails for those who suffer it.” The group emphasizes that the Church bears the responsibility, “in the name of Christ,” to confront such afflictions through the sacrament of exorcism.
The proposal rests on three pillars of formation. First, seminarians should receive instruction on “the real existence and nature of the demonic world,” grounded in Scripture and the Church’s Magisterium. Second, new bishops should undertake a brief introductory course in exorcism ministry as part of their preparation, ensuring that they can oversee it effectively. Finally, those appointed as exorcists must undergo specialized training, as mandated by the official ritual of exorcism.
Dialogue Between Faith and Science
The AIE’s report also underscores the need for rigorous collaboration between exorcists and professionals in medicine, psychiatry, and psychology. The aim is to ensure proper discernment between genuine cases of demonic possession and mental illness — a distinction that has long challenged both spiritual and medical communities.
During the audience, Pope Leo XIV personally recalled his acquaintance with the late Father Gabriele Amorth, the Italian priest who founded the AIE and became the world’s most recognized exorcist before his death in 2016. The mention of Amorth, revered within Catholic circles for his deep spirituality and pastoral zeal, added a poignant dimension to the meeting.
A Commitment to Fidelity
In closing their Vatican encounter, Monsignor Orlita and Father Bamonte reaffirmed their organization’s unwavering fidelity to the Pope and his Magisterium, pledging full communion with the universal Church. As a token of respect, they presented the Holy Father with an image of Saint Michael the Archangel from the Monte Sant’Angelo sanctuary in Gargano and copies of the Association’s Guidelines for the Ministry of Exorcism, published in 2019. That manual has since become an international reference for bishops, pastors, and catechists.
Pope Leo XIV expressed gratitude for both the gifts and the enduring service of the AIE to the Church’s pastoral mission. As the meeting concluded, he offered each representative a rosary — a symbol of the Church’s enduring belief in prayer as its first defense against evil.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Infocatholica
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