"Not everybody's inclined to do this sort of thing because it's not for the faint hearted."Father Tom Euteneuer says he has faced the devil. That he is real. And that he is among us.
"The manifestation of demons can be very frightening, but you never have to be afraid of the devil because we always have the power of Christ to deal with him."
Father Tom, a member of the Palm Beach Diocese, a man raised in Boca Raton and priest who still calls South Florida home, says he has been performing exorcisms for the past five years.
"I find it very satisfying. I wouldn't use the word pride," says Father Tom, "Because pride is something from the devil and the way you can actually do this is kind of work is to be very humble."
This hometown boy turned exorcist now travels the country -lecturing about the ritual, and may soon have a lot more to talk about.
You see, Pope Benedict XVI has announced his intention to drastically expand the use of exorcism in a way the world has not seen in centuries.
"The Pope isn't inventing anything new," says Father Tom. "And he's not actually bringing anything out and dusting it off. It's always been there. Maybe less practiced than it could be - or should be - but right now he sees that there's a greater need for it."
For most of us, our only brush with demonic possession comes through the eye of a Hollywood camera. Perhaps the most famous depiction is the 1973 film The Exorcist, in which Linda Blair portrays a teenager possessed by evil.
But if you scour the internet, you'll also find clip after clip of so-called 'real exorcisms' on websites like Youtube, video-taped by people in countries around the world.
Pope Benedict's plan to expand the ancient ritual also has its critics who worry that many people suffering with mental illnesses may be mis-diagnosed. To that end, a spokesman at the vatican's university says a ten-week course would be offered for priests who want to learn how to conduct exorcisms.
The classes would include sessions on rites, how to talk to the devil, and how, they say, to recognize the 'tricks' he uses.
Students would also attend psychology classes to help them distinguish between what the church calls genuine cases of possession and psychiatric disorders such as Tourrettes Syndrome, Bipolarism and schizophrenia.
"Actually, we're in a better position than in all of history to discern and determine what is spiritual and what's not spiritual," says Father Tom.
Pope Benedict XVI, say those closest to him, believes believes the devil's influence has grown in recent years through rock music, children's literature, even the internet.
But how skeptically will such an ancient ritual be received in a modern-day society?
The answer, says father Tom Euteneuer, may ultimately be a matter of faith.
"When a society doesn't believe in demons, it therefore doesn't believe in exorcism. So, it's really only people of faith who will understand this for what it is."
Father Euteneuer is currently wrapping-up a book about his experience as an exorcist, entitled "Exorcism and the Church Militant".It will likely be released by the end of summer.
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