I do not think I have written on this for a long time. I think I had an article on line about this several years ago. As I am meeting people today involved in something dubious, I thought I would write a reminder to Catholics about deliverance ministries run by lay people.
Let me make some succinct points.
One, there is no difference in the terms deliverance and exorcism in the Catholic Church. People who say that the two words mean something other than the removal of demonic activity in or around a person are deluded. The Catholic Church does not use the term deliverance, only exorcism. Deliverance is a term which comes from the protestants, who do not have an official structure for such things.
Two, only priests, and rarely, those lay people appointed by a bishop, under the authority of a bishop, can "do" exorcisms. To be an exorcist or involved in such is an official position in the Church. If there are priests and lay people doing so-called deliverance or exorcism outside the specific appointment of a bishop, they are not in obedience and must be avoided. Confusion on this set in in the 1970s, with the deletion of the minor orders. Lay people were allowed to do some of those offices done only by priests or deacons in the past, such as Lector and Extraordinary Minister. Therefore, some of the laity and even some priests, thoughts the laity could do the other minor order of exorcism. This is not so.
Three, deliverance teams of lay people without a priest are never sanctioned by a bishop. These types of groupings are not in line with the authority of the Church and are rogue groups. Many protestants and some charismatic Catholics are involved in such, but Catholics should avoid protestant deliverance teams as well as non-appointed lay groups which are supposedly Catholic. To be Catholic is to be under authority of a bishop.
Four, people say to me, "Well, so and so priest and lay person have the gifts of deliverance." So? We are all given gifts from God for various things, but it is God Who decides how and when and where these gifts are used. The Church is our structure of authority and safety. Those who choose to work outside the normal authority of the Church are removing themselves from the Church. Christ established the Church not only for the sacramental life He instituted, but for community and our protection. To step outside the normal Church structures and work outside the authority of the Church is not only disobedience, but dangerous. The Church needs holy and obedient sons and daughters, not those who want to do their own thing.
Example: I may have gifts for a life in a family-nurturing gifts, even practical ones, such as organization, cooking, communal gifts for living with others, and so on. However, as I am not married, these gifts are not or rarely used. This is God's business, not mine.
Likewise, one can have various gifts of nature which are never or hardly used. I have gifts of art and can paint and do calligraphy. However, poverty and a mobile life not chosen by me have denied the use of those gifts, which demand money and stability. We all have many, many gifts which are not used, and that can be part of our suffering.
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| Thanks to wiki for the photo of paints |
One cannot set up ministries outside the Church. Work or ministry is God's work, not ours. If we take ownership over such, instead of working with and in the Church, we are stepping outside of His grace, His Will, His protection.
In this country and in the States, there are too many Catholics who think and act like protestants, that is, doing there own thing outside the normal structures. People say to me, "We are meeting a need not covered by the Church, so we can step in and do this." No. That is presumption and spiritual pride.
Perhaps part of the greater suffering in the Church is the lack of priests who are exorcists. Several years ago, I came upon a situation in a northern diocese which does not have an appointed exorcist. I phoned a neighboring diocese for help for this situation and the exorcist told me he could not even think of coming into another diocese, (where he would have to get permission from that bishop), as he was too busy in his own great metropolitan area. He was exhausted, and could not come to deal with something hundreds of miles away.
The sad demonic situation still exists and will, as the fact that we lack priests who are exorcists is a direct cause of situations not being addressed. Yet, for a lay person to step in would be wrong. Even a priest who is not an appointed exorcist should not be involved in exorcism. All priests need to be under the direct authority of the Church in order to be bona fide. As there are rogue laity doing such things, there are, sadly, also rogue priests acting as exorcists outside the authority of the local bishops. In doing so, these priests are in disobedience, as all priests are under the authority of bishops. Just as a priest cannot merely go into another diocese other than his own and hear confessions without the local ordinary's permission, there are other ministries a priest cannot do without the express appointment of a bishop where the priest is desiring to work. An exorcist friend of mine gets permission from the bishop's of the dioceses where he is called to work. He works in five dioceses and two countries only under the auspices of those bishops. This is the proper order for such a vocation.
The Church is weakened from within by disobedience and spiritual pride. The "can do" attitude does not mean "should do". God gives us work to do and sometimes that work is blocked. He allows suffering in His permissive Will and sadly, that means people suffer, even greatly. Just because we can do something does not mean we are supposed to do something.
Pray and fast for vocations to the priesthood. Pray that those bishops who do not believe in the devil and his demons have a change of heart. Do not do your own thing in this regard. You may be endangering your own immortal soul.
Obedience and suffering are on a higher plane that action outside the direct authority of the Church.
