The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist
The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist (2009) by Matt Baglio tracks an American Catholic priest, Father Gary Thomas, as he trains in Italy to become an exorcist. The book provides a fascinating look at modern exorcism in Italy and to a lesser extent America, but with a frustrating amount of inanity padding out the actual information. The book’s strongest point is its unfiltered look at the actual, quotidian nature of modern exorcism. Rather than an explosive, one-time production as on TV, real exorcisms are usually short, low-key affairs. Victims might cough, shake, or cry while the priest recites the Roman Ritual, but once the process is complete they generally compose themselves and leave under their own power. Exorcisms are scheduled like any other appointment, and most victims see a priest for years before they are “liberated” of the demon. The exorcisms reminded me of therapy more than anything else, with the patients’ underlying problems brought to the fore during the session to be incrementally worked upon over many appointments. But beyond this interesting glimpse at the reality of exorcism, the book is padded out with quite a lot of unnecessary verbiage about the inanities of Father Gary Thomas’s time in Italy (maybe you might care about how many times his translators bailed on him or his impure thoughts, but I don’t). It’s easy enough to skim over and skip these parts when reading the book, but I wouldn’t recommend attempting to listen to it in audiobook form.
It’s also important to note that the book is written from an overwhelmingly Catholic perspective. This is fine if you’re interested in learning about Catholic exorcisms, but it does severely limit the amount of insight the author can provide into the topic. Baglio, to his credit, doesn’t always blindly accept the assertions of the Catholic Church—he provides potential scientific explanations for the therapeutic effects of exorcism, for example. But he also repeats, without any fact checking, the Church’s belief that Satanic cults performing violent black magic not only exist but are legion in Italy and beyond. While unchecked anecdotes about levitations and demonic voices are pretty much harmless, this rhetoric about Satanism can be downright dangerous as our current age sees the return of the Satanic Panic in QAnon guise. If you’re very interested in how the modern Catholic Church treats exorcisms, skimming this book is a decent option. Otherwise, there are more scholarly and rigorous studies out there.
The accompanying image depicts a processional cross from Florence, Italy c. 1460-80. The Metropolitan Museum of Art released this image into the public domain.
A processional cross from Florence, Italy, ca.1460-1480, which possibly served as a repository for a holy relic.