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its beauty and ugliness. He already knew he was comfortable with death; now he looked forward to helping his parishioners confront the trials of life.

CHAPTER THREE

    GOING BACK TO SCHOOL
The Devil is present everywhere that evil things happen within the normal laws of nature. In anyone who says: I don't accept love, the love of my brothers and sisters, the love of God. And in many places, in all massacres, in every murder, in physical catastrophes, in every concentration camp, in all evil. Sometimes he shows himself, strangely, but also in cases of possession. But he's much more dangerous where he doesn't let himself be seen, where he can't be done away with through exorcism.
— Father Pedro Barrajan, excerpt from interview in Die Welt, December 2, 2005
    W hen Father Gary first heard about the exorcism course, he'd wondered how such a class might be structured. Obviously the organizers had worked this out carefully and systematically.
    After Dr. Ferrari contacted Father Scarafoni about the idea, they began collaborating on the syllabus and choosing the faculty. The goal was to scrape away all misinformation so priests could relearn what the Church actually taught on these matters. However, in addition to a straightforward course on the theology of demons, the organizers also wanted to ensure that potential exorcists become well rounded and decided to include lectures by a psychiatrist and a criminologist. Students would attend lectures on Satanism and youth culture, on how to discern spirits, on the powers of the Devil, as well as on the Church's teachings regarding angels and demons, taught by a Legionaire theologian. In addition exorcists would be called upon to discuss their ministry and share practical tips. Unfortunately, the International Association of Exorcists had refused Father Scarafoni's request to perform an exorcism live, in front of the students.
    After the first day of the course, things had improved dramatically for Father Gary. As soon as he'd gotten off the train coming back from the Regina Apostolorum, he'd stalked the halls of the NAC, looking for a priest to translate for him. Yet after a week of chasing leads, he'd struck out. Thinking that the second day might be a waste like the first, he nonetheless took the train out on the morning of October 20, hoping to be proved wrong. As it turned out, the course organizers had scrambled and found a very competent Legionaire seminarian to translate for him, communicating via a microphone and headset. While not perfect (sometimes the seminarian had to abridge in order to keep pace), the system worked pretty well.

    R IGHT OFF THE BAT , Father Gary was amazed to learn that exorcism was actually central to Jesus’ gospel message. In fact in the early Church, every Christian was thought to have the power to perform exorcisms.
    Back at the NAC, as he got to know some of the priests and seminarians better, he quickly realized that he wasn't the only one to have misconceptions about the real nature of exorcism. As he shared the fact that he was a fledgling exorcist, he predictably got mixed reactions. Some complimented him. Another group responded with “You shouldn't have told us. We're not supposed to know.” Perplexed by this, he got in touch with his bishop and asked if his appointment was indeed some kind of “state secret.” The bishop said this was the first he'd heard about it. True to his open nature, Father Gary thought that the priests in the diocese ought to know so they could come to him with questions.
    Members in the third group responded to his revelation simply by giving him a blank look and saying flatly, “I don't believe in that.” And while it may seem strange that Catholic priests did not believe in the Devil or exorcism, to Father Gary, who was ordained in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, it wasn't surprising at all.

    U P UNTIL THE 1960s, the Church as a body was relatively unified in its belief that the Devil was an evil