It's not always the subject matter of their work that seems to be the biggest problem, sometimes it's just a general lack of interest. Of course, things are different when Hollywood takes on the subject.
Countless examples show what comes out of this - most recently a horror film about the former exorcist of the diocese of RomeGabriele Amorth, which hit German cinemas at the beginning of April last year.
The film "The Pope's Exorcist" starring actor Russell Crowe, who played Amorth, once again ensured, like almost every exorcism thriller, a full cinema box office and a great media response. It remains unclear whether the film is also responsible for the fact that only a short time later a long article about the International Exorcists Association's guide appeared in the Croatian daily newspaper "Vecernji list".
However, the article made clerics and theologians sit up and take notice, as it was headed with a bizarre quote from the guide itself: "If a man with a clear conscience suddenly falls passionately in love with an unknown person, this is a sign that he is possessed by an evil spirit."
What sounds bizarre appears to be a serious part of the guide published by the International Exorcists' Association in 2020. The guide, which has been publicly available for three years and was previously only available in Italian, recently received its first translation - not into English or German, but into Croatian.
According to the description on the publisher's website, the guide is primarily aimed at exorcists, but is also accessible to a wider audience - including interested lay people and clergy in parish pastoral care. Although it is not an official document of the Church's Magisterium, the description states that the text has been reviewed and harmonised with the relevant decrees of the Holy See. The aim of making it available to a wider public is to shed light on the issues surrounding exorcism.
Guide for a wider audience
The guide attempts to interpret non-radical situations. It is therefore less concerned with those drastic scenes that are mainly known from exorcism films, but which are also said to have been experienced by exorcists.
In an article for the television magazine Spiegel TV, Amorth reports Amorth Amorth reports on terrifying voices, inexplicable events, centimetre-long razor blades and nails spat out by the possessed.
In addition to the quote mentioned at the beginning mentioned at the beginning of the guide, the term possession is used elsewhere in the guide when extreme boredom occurs during exorcism or during prayer or the reading of the Gospel in general.
But how dangerous are these guides, which are freely available to everyone?
Religious studies scholar Nicole Bauer from the Institute for Religious Studies at the University of Graz is researching the topic of possession and exorcism in contemporary society and explained to katholisch.de that such writings are definitely read by believers. Sufferers would then come across such guides or be referred to them by others in their search for solutions and corresponding literature.
"Something like this from a Catholic priest and exorcist carries weight," says the religious scholar. In the past ten years, a whole series of publications by exorcists have appeared that deal with recognising possession. They contain attitudes in which almost everything is demonised - including mental illness and anything that deviates from a healthy state.
"A lot of things that don't correspond to the God-ordained life are attributed to the devil," emphasises Bauer.
Amorth himself was known for his rather conservative stance: Either a distinction is made between good and evil, or everything that is moral and Catholic appears as good, everything else as demonic.
She has an approximate answer to the question of where the idea of speaking of possession comes from when one is bored while praying. This leads to the Rituale Romanum of 1614, where four main criteria are listed in a separate chapter on exorcism, which were established relatively early on. These include speaking in foreign languages, knowledge of things that cannot actually be known and supernatural powers.
The fourth point, according to Bauer, has become more and more of a focus over time and has to do with an aversion to Christian symbolism and prayers. "Where you find an inner resistance to this, you could speak of obsession in this spectrum of interpretation."
But there is something else behind this, according to the religious scholar.
Critical examination of the topic is necessary
The religious scholar sees a further danger of freely accessible counsellors in the fact that sufferers exclude other explanatory models or even illnesses on the basis of such interpretations.
"For many, it is easier to accept that the suffering is somehow caused by demons than to take a critical look at their inner processes, their life story or their social environment," she says. The field of literature on exorcisms is very confusing. There is a trend in the religious landscape towards how-to literature, where there is no longer theological reflection, but rather mass distribution in the form of self-help. Something similar is currently happening in the field of exorcism. Numerous guidebooks and books by priests dealing with the subject are flooding the market. This can no longer be controlled, but the church can take a critical look at it and absolutely needs more research in this area, especially at theological faculties, says Bauer. "We won't be able to abolish it completely, which is why we need a willingness to take a critical look at it," says the religious scholar.
In an interview with katholisch.de, Italian theologian Alexandra von Teuffenbach says that most cases are of a psychiatric nature - "there is no question of possession, that is very rare". Von Teuffenbach published the book "Exorcism: Deliverance from Evil" in 2007 and is considered an expert in the field.
"How the devil works and what he looks like is free - that cannot be defined. Even possession is not dogmatically defined," she says. She is sometimes asked whether she believes in exorcism.
"But exorcism is not a question of faith, but rather a question of whether you believe it to be true that a person can be particularly disturbed by the devil," says von Teuffenbach. She believes this is possible, but this does not mean that she can judge whether it is a case of possession. The Catholic Church has means for this, such as prayer, which is part of the "normal life of faith".
Spiritual counselling or a priest who prays specifically for a person can also help. This is still tolerated in Germany, she says. Exorcism is a different matter. It is not so much about a simple prayer, but about commanding the devil to leave the person alone.
In Germany exorcisms by Catholic exorcists are rarely utilised in Germany, whereas the situation is different in Italy and Poland.
According to one estimate, around half a million people seek help in Italy every year.
In Germany, the Catholic Church is endeavouring to take a more sober view.
Although the spiritual needs of people requesting an exorcism must be taken seriously, help should not be reduced to the spiritual alone. This also includes a medical perspective, for example.
According to the current Vatican guidelines, an exorcist must first check whether there is a possession. In order to finally be able to carry out the so-called "great exorcism", the permission of the respective local bishop is then required.
However, the church in Germany had a bitter experience with the practice of exorcism in 1976: A young woman, the Franconian student Anneliese Michel from Klingenberg, died of malnutrition after the Great Exorcism had been prayed dozens of times before her death.
The case made international headlines and caused controversy.
Only a few exorcists are known in the 27 German dioceses, while in Italy, according to von Teuffenbach, they are not afraid to appear in public as such. According to current canon law, such clergymen must be characterised by piety, knowledge, prudence and an irreproachable way of life.
However, whether it is pious and prudent that such guides on the subject are freely available and can cause considerable harm in the wrong hands must remain unanswered at this point. Both experts reject a ban on such literature.
However, there seems to be an unmet need for education with regard to the guides, as well as theological reflection that takes a critical look at the topic and illuminates it accordingly.
On the other hand, the suffering and their suffering should not be dismissed or even ignored.