In comments to journalists, Professor Giuseppe Ferrari, who moderated the opening panel of the course, lamented the fact that many Catholics, and even some priests, are among those who don't believe in the devil. This is very problematic, he said, because when one stops believing in the devil, "one risks believing in anything, in the foolish things of this world."
In his comments to journalists, Barrajon noted that there have been reports of an increased number of exorcisms in recent years, but cautioned against placing too much weight on these reports, because so far, "there is no serious statistical study on the practice of exorcism."
Some countries, such as Italy, have had a higher number of exorcisms in part because bishops are appointing more exorcists, and also because communication about who the exorcists are and how to reach them has gotten better, he said.
He also stressed the importance of knowing how to discern whether someone is truly possessed, or whether they have some sort of psychiatric or psychological illness.
"For what I've seen, the experience of the exorcist counts a lot," he said, explaining that many experienced exorcists can tell immediately if a person is experiencing demonic possession or a psychological problem.
Some indications of possession include negative reactions to religious objects or images, an unnaturally deep voice, and body contortions. The spitting out of nails, glass and knives that is seen in the movies can also happen during exorcisms, he said, and is a "physical manifestation of evil."
In a keynote Q&A during the opening session, Albanian Cardinal Ernest Simoni, a leading exorcist in his diocese before his arrest by the communist regime in the 1960s, suggested that demonic possession is more common than many people realize.
The cardinal also cautioned that cultural mentalities such as materialism and consumerism "destroy life." He said that to stay close to Christ and avoid the devil, one must "pray endlessly, pray without interruption."
In addition to regular Mass attendance, he said, "we have to be chaste, we have to be faithful, we have to comply with the rules and guidelines of our tradition...unless you become like chaste, pure children, you won't be able to access the reign of God."
The ultimate answer "is not what I do or what I think," he said, but "it is Jesus who lives in us...infinite love is what we need."
"Whenever you are ready, whenever you are really, really ready to repent, you will be redeemed. It doesn't matter if you say it 7 or 77 times in a day," he said, but "you have to be convinced, you have to be united with your prayer."
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Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.