Exorcist priest warns against "hidden knowledge” trend in Mexico

Saltillo, Jan 20, 2008 / 02:31 am (CNA).- Fr. Jose Luis del Rio y Santiago of the Mexican Diocese of Saltillo, who carried out an exorcism during a healing Mass last Monday, warned against the trend of seeking supposed secret knowledge, and the consulting of healers and fortune tellers, saying such practices “open the door to Satanism.”

During the Mass celebrated at a local parish, a young woman with signs of possession was present, forcing Father del Rio to practice an exorcism in front of the entire congregation.

Father del Rio, who is authorized by the bishop to practice exorcisms in the diocese, warned that the practices of fortune telling, witchcraft and the occult are leading to an increasing number of cases of Satanic possession.

“There are people who get involved in these kinds of practices without knowing that what they are doing is opening the door to the devil,” he stressed.

“People begin to see the occult and fortune telling as something natural and legitimate; and they watch TV programs on astrology, parapsychology and psychics. They get carried away by their ignorance and can fall prey to occult practices. We must warn the faithful that these practices open the door to the devil,” he added.

The young girl who underwent the exorcism was able to leave the church with the help of her family. Father del Rio said she would “have to return for several more sessions in order to ensure her recovery.”