On Feb. 22, Sony Pictures released its trailer for “The Pope’s Exorcist.”
The movie stars Russell Crowe as Father Gabriele Amorth, Rome’s former chief exorcist from 1986 until his death in 2016 at age 91. Father Amorth performed over 160,000 exorcisms throughout his career.
While Sony claims they based the script off of the late exorcist’s writings, the trailer generated severe backlash due to its inaccurate sensationalism of an exorcist’s ministry.
Renowned exorcist and psychologist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti of St. Michael’s Center for Spiritual Renewal provided ChurchPOP with a response to the movie trailer.
Msgr. Rossetti often documents his exorcism accounts and experiences with the demonic on his “Diary of an Exorcist” blog. He also hosts online deliverance prayer sessions, shares his wisdom on social media, and invites followers to pray for deliverance from various afflictions.
The exorcist told ChurchPOP’s Jacqueline Burkepile that “Hollywood sensationalizes” the exorcism ministry “and what happens in an exorcism,” even though occasional “preternatural humanly inexplicable things” do occur.
“There is an incredible amount of interest today in demons and exorcisms. Some of it is an unhealthy curiosity and fascination with evil. Father Amorth himself claimed no special gifts or charisms,“ Msgr. Rossetti said.
“Father Amorth said he was simply a priest charged by his bishop to do exorcisms and he poured himself out without rest in liberating the afflicted. And he was God’s instrument in freeing many, many people.
“Those with experience in this ministry know that preternatural humanly-inexplicable things do occasionally happen. Some of these can be hair-raising for sure!” he continued.
“However, Hollywood sensationalizes the ministry and what happens in an exorcism. Such movies can inform as well as misinform. Would that people would be as interested in God and in the person of Jesus!” Msgr. Rossetti concluded.
Let us pray for Hollywood to present the truth, rather than sensationalism.
