An exorcist from Spain asserts that a wide variety of evil spirits haunt mankind, and that even in cases where possession may not exist, there can be an "infestation" in a home or around a person that should be handled through family prayer (a process that, one might add, is especially worth tackling at this time of the year).

In some cases, he says, possession can be all but completely "hidden." Those cases are called "abditi."

The priest, Father José Antonio Fortea, of Alcala de Henares in Spain (a diocese that includes Madrid), makes the assertion in a question-and-answer book called Interview with an Exorcist, a fascinating, easy-to-read work that will enthrall anyone interested in demonology or in simply purging evil from the environment around them.

"The abditi (Latin for "hidden" or "secret") demons are those that hide in the interior of the possessed person without showing themselves in any way," writes Father Fortea, who successfully defended a thesis on exorcism for a licentiate degree in theology in 1998. The forward for his book was written by Bishop Samuel J. Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota, who strongly endorsed it.

According to the exorcist, it's a complex scene out there. All demons are not the same.

"This can be clearly seen during an exorcism, when the particular demons possessing the person display sins of anger, self-worship, desperation, and so forth," writes Father Fortea. "Each demon has its own psychology and its own way of being. Some are talkative, others are mocking, some are proud, others are hateful. Even though they all turned away from God, some demons are more evil than others."

A lower-level demon, says the priest, can be more perverse than a high-level demon -- but the higher the evil spirit, the more difficult it is to cast out.

There are principalities. There are cherubim. There are seraphim. "Exorcisms have shown that superior demons can have power over inferior ones," says the book. "What does this power consist of? This is something that is impossible for us to know because we cannot see how one demon forces another to do something, since there is no body to push or force. Nevertheless, a more powerful demon can prevent a less powerful one from leaving the body of a possessed person during an exorcism. Even though the weaker demon is suffering and wants to leave, the stronger one may impede it."

We thus see the kind of complexity that only a knowledgeable minister of deliverance can handle. Demons are spiritual beings and those who deny their existence, who think of them as mere symbols of evil, are "heretics," says the exorcist -- as Bishop Aquila also implies in his forward, writing that those who think evil is merely the result of psychology or social factors are ignoring Scripture and Church doctrine and "have succumbed to the mentality" of our culture.

Do demons know the future?

Father Fortea believes the answer is no -- but that with their superior intelligence they can predict certain future events. They are pure spirits who communicate through the power of thought and do not actually exist in a physical place -- though they may project to a particular place (or even areas of our bodies).

Can demons cause nightmares?

Of course.

But how about our thoughts? Can demons read them?

This is where we get into debatable territory: If demons communicate through the power of thought, and if such occult gifts as telepathy (mind-to-mind transfer of thoughts) exist, why would they not be able to perceive our thoughts?

Father Fortea insists they cannot read our minds unless our thoughts are specifically directed to them.

He has seen cases where they responded to his silent commands. "We always have to remember that demons are outside our souls; only God can truly read the soul," argues the priest. "This being said, if one directs his mind and will to a saint, an angel, or a demon, they can hear us. So it does not matter whether our prayer is verbal or merely mental. In certain cases of possession I have observed that the demon obeys orders that have been given mentally."

As for nightmares: "The best advice one can give someone in this situation is to use Holy Water and ask God for protection and deliverance from any demonic influence during the night before they go to sleep," he says.

"A Crucifix, even if it has not been blessed, is particularly powerful," reveals the exorcist. "It torments the demons because it reminds them of their defeat by Jesus' death on the Cross, of the final triumph of Christ over evil and death, and of their ultimate condemnation at the Last Judgment. Similarly, relics of saints torment demons because they are filled with the special anointing of these saints."

The best shield against attacks, he says, are prayer, the sacraments, good works, and a spiritual life. Grace comes from good works, he says -- and it is always wise, of course, to invoke the Archangel Michael. "Nothing destroys demonic influence more powerfully," he reminds us, "than the worthy reception of the Body of Christ."

Can the soul of a condemned person possess someone? Yes, claims the priest. How do demons appear? Sometimes as "moving shadows," he says, or as "monstrous freaks, or as very black little men." This, he adds, was evident even in the writings of saints like Teresa of Avila. Especially, they can enter our lives through an involvement with occult literature, demonic movies, or mediums.

How should we purge our homes?

We can pray the Rosary, says Father Fortea, "read the Bible together, sprinkle Holy Water in the various rooms, come together before a holy image and beg protection and so forth. The persistent prayer of a family, over the course of several weeks or months, can completely destroy the demonic infestation in their house."

Can a demon cause the stigmata?

"Yes," writes Father Fortea, "a demon can cause stigmata, which are the wounds of Christ suffered during His Passion and death. In the past, I did not believe this was possible because I considered the stigmata to be a phenomenon indicating Divine approval of the person who bears them." But he found out that the devil indeed can cause skin to bleed.

"The fruits of the evil one are pride and disobedience," he says. "Everything can be faked except virtue. Signs, theological reasoning, intentions, and so forth are all susceptible to being twisted and manipulated."

Demons of the highest choirs are the most difficult to toss out, he explains. Can non-Catholic Christians also cast out demons? Yes, says Father Fortea. "True and effective exorcisms are performed in the different Christian confessions."

How many temptations come from evil spirits?

No one can say the percentage. Many. The temptations include those of money, power, and worldly recognition when we study how Jesus was tempted in the desert, he says. Demons can send the holiest person the most horrible thoughts. Such temptations must be ignored.

In the Bible, "Satan" appears 18 times in the Old Testament and 35 times in the New Testament, he points out. The term "devil" can be found 36 times. "Demon" appears in 21 instances.

Why then do our priests not preach it?

"We live in a skeptical age, one which finds the very idea of personified evil spirits as a superstitious remnant of the Middle Ages," chimes in Bishop Aquila. "Those people -- and religious traditions -- who believe in the existence of the devil and demons are often ridiculed as being out of touch with modern times."

Of course, that is all in the devil's plan.

Father Fortea believes demons were involved with personages such as Hitler, at the same time he discounts that widespread notion that an "anti-christ" will one day be created by the impregnation of a woman by the devil.

He has seen cases where evil spirits have affected local weather -- rocking a church where an exorcism was taking place with loud wind that cause bricks to fall on the presbytery.

A little surprise here. What is more important in a case of infestation: Confession or exorcism?

"Confession is a Divine gift much greater than exorcism," writes Father Fortea is this book I recommend highly. "Exorcism only drives out a demon from one's body; Confession drives out evil from one's soul."

12/7/06