The True Story of "The Exorcist" Amazing Miracle
The recent case of a young exorcised by John Paul II at the Vatican has rekindled public interest in demonic possession. In addition, the premiere of the film Possessed must add a new set of classic film The Exorcist, based on a real event that we will detail. The Church, always reluctant to speak of the devil, is overwhelmed by cases of alleged demonic that now, now come to her for help. Meanwhile, his exorcists warn spiritualist practices, the Ouija, satanic rites and spells open the door to this frightening phenomenon.
William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist was a young student of literature at the Jesuit Georgetown University (Washington DC) where, in August 1949, he read a story in the newspaper The Washington Post: "A pound to a young priest of Mount Rainier from the clutches of the devil." Twenty years later, after investigating the facts and change - at the request of Bowdern father, a priest who performed this exorcism - the identity of the protagonist, for a girl, wrote a novel which sold thirteen million copies. Two years later, became the script of the legendary film of the same name. According to Blatty, Bowdern bound by the oath of secrecy not to talk of the exorcism, he said only: "I can assure the case in which I was involved was genuine ."
The local archbishop has eluded several times the delivery of official documents regarding this case, "serious and valid reasons" in his words, but has never denied its existence. Today, however, know all the details thanks to Tomas B. Allen, who, forty years later, the father got Halloran - one of nine Jesuits who attended Bowdern - will provide a diary of the exorcism. This letter was found in 1978 during construction of the hospital of the Brothers of the Poor of Saint Louis, in one of its rooms closed until that date came last and final exorcism. It is twenty-six pages typed those contained in the testimonies of 48 people who attended the victim and looked about her devilish state.
The evil manifests
all started with the soft sound of a drip in the home of Mannheim - the names are false - in Mount Rainier (Washington State). Robbie lived there, a boy of 13 years with his maternal grandmother, his mother and father. The persistent sound began on a Saturday night. The child and her grandmother were alone and toured the rooms looking for the source of noise. Upon entering the bedroom of the old woman saw a picture which represented Jesus was twisted and moved like someone hit the wall behind him. The dripping stopped to give way to squeak a few scratches behind the wall, "like a claw scratching the wood." The scratching continued hearing himself for eleven days. Began about seven o'clock in the afternoon and stopped at midnight. Interestingly, it stopped the day he died Harriet, a spiritualist aunt Robbie, who had taught the boy to handle the ouija board. Since that time, Robbie spent hours playing with the Ouija board, trying to get in touch with his beloved late aunt. Outside it or not the cause of possession, the fact is that the paranormal began to occur around without interruption. At bedtime heard footsteps next to his bed during the day, heavy furniture and objects glided through the air or poured alone. His relatives could be seen rapidly rotating chairs that sat Robbie. He insisted that was not his fault. But phenomenology grew and reached a fever pitch the night to drive away the fear of the boy, his grandmother and her mother slept with him. Suddenly fell off the mattress and bedspread and sheets - fully tightened - rose before his eyes as if something invisible corner throw.
The family consulted doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists, who reported normal to Robbie. Mediums who also diagnosed a teen crisis would happen in time. But Robbie could not even go to school: his desk was jumping and hitting the other children. He had begun to become sullen and quiet. Moreover, during the night I had nightmares in which he seemed to speak with someone. Her parents went to a Lutheran pastor named Schulze who, believing himself to be before a poltergeist, prayed for the boy. But after spending a night with him and to witness the terrifying phenomenology surrounding Robbie and, above all, by appearing on 26 January on the chest the child a few scratches in the form of letter, " as if someone had drawn from the inside with a knife , Schulze began to think that an evil power had invaded the boy.
is known that demonic possession occurs gradually, in three ways: infection (the devil acts on the surrounding matter and produce telekinetic phenomena of all kinds), obsession (torments victim without actually losing consciousness but so obvious), and possession (invade the body of the person and treats him as his property.) For Schulze, Robbie was about to move to the third stage, so I recommended to the family consulted a Catholic priest: "They understand these things." And, while Lutheran churches do not grant any theological credibility to the existence of Satan, the Catholic has a long tradition of exorcism that goes back to those performed by Jesus. Furthermore, since the beginning of Christianity, have to practice a ritual that was formalized in 1614 under the name of Rituale Romanum.
well as Mannheim was contacted with Father Hughes, pastor of the nearest Catholic church. At first he merely give a few candles, holy water and consecrated, infallible remedies against the devil. But the bottle of holy water exploded into Robbie's room and candles, when lit, they released such fire that almost burned the house. Then Hughes decided to visit the boy. Apparently, Robbie was in bed in a state of trance, and he was saying in Latin: "Oh priest of Christ, you know I'm a demon. Why bother me? ."
fact, according to the Rituale Romanum, the ability to speak or understand a foreign language previously unknown person is a characteristic of possession, especially if linked to the display of superhuman strength, knowledge of hidden or future events and a profound aversion to the sacred that is shown even for medals, crosses and relics hidden. So Hughes - as indicated by the ritual - requested permission to practice an exorcism to the archbishop of Washington, O'Boyle, who, understandably, gave him leave. And in the Rituale expressly states that " the priest appointed to perform an exorcism, as well as distinguished for his piety, prudence and whole life, should be immune from any desire for personal aggrandizement and not rely on their power but in the divine, as well as middle-aged and revered not only by office but by her moral qualities . Features all of which Hughes, a 29-year-old had not had time to collect. Nor followed the other young priest ritual instruction, namely " Drawing on a deep study of the matter (...) examining approved authors and cases produced ." Perhaps this, but made a general confession, offered Mass and special prayers and even fasting, exorcism was tragic.
In late February, Robbie was admitted at Georgetown Hospital, run by Jesuits and run by nuns who stood in the utmost secrecy. He was strapped to a bed and remained lying down with eyes closed, seemingly peaceful. Hughes Entering the room, wearing a black cap, purple stole around his neck and a sparkling holy water sprinkler, Robbie " woke " peremptory voice and ordered him to remove the cross that had been hidden. It also says he began to utter oaths Semitic Aramaic language and in his chest began to appear new scratches.
Hughes knelt beside the bed with the ritual in the hands, recited the Litany of the Saints in Latin and then the Lord's Prayer with the beginning of the exorcism prayers themselves, but to say "But deliver us from evil", Robbie he hurled one of his hands and release a piece of bed frame ... The nun and the assistant present suddenly heard a scream of Hughes ... Robbie had cracked the priest's left arm from shoulder to wrist. Someone said that to close the wound were taken more than 100 points. The exorcism did not continue. Hughes suffered a nervous breakdown and left Mount Rainier for a while.
Jesuits in action
The gossip of the neighbors, despair or the fact that Robbie's body began to act like a ouija board by making words with scratches, were the catalyst for his parents to move to St. Louis, where they had relatives. There, the family asked for advice to Father J. Bishop, professor of theology.
Bishop spoke with his superiors and it seems that the Jesuit community took over the case. On March 9, the first visit to Mannheim. Asked about what happened and did sprinkle holy water around the house. Especially in Robbie's bedroom, where he also performed a simple exorcism and placed a relic of Santa Margarita on the pillow. All was useless. The relic went flying and broke a mirror and Bishop himself witnessed the frenetic movement of the bed for Robbie and scratches that appeared on his body. The next day he spoke with Father William S. Bowdern, Jesuit 52, responsible for the church of San Javier and regarded as a holy man by those who knew him. At the suggestion of Archbishop Ritter, who was to be carried out Bowdern exorcism.
March 10 evening, Bishop and Bowdern spoke to Robbie and prayed the rosary with him. The child seemed calm, but when he was left alone in your room screaming for help again. Shortly afterwards showed two cross-shaped scratches on his forearms, which did not stop surprising that the Jesuits had secretly been a relic of the forearm of St. Xavier. Robbie priests calmed and blessed him. But as he left, Robbie suffered a major crisis during which a library of 25 kilos moved one standing at the door of his bedroom. His mother managed to enter through a crack in the room in time to see how the crucifix and relics that priests had since drifted alone for his body to be at the foot of the bed. The furniture had changed site by themselves, the boy was writhing in pain due to scratching and shaking of the mattress were frantic.
Having fasted, celebrated Mass and made his general confession, on March 16 night, started the exorcism Bowdern would continue in subsequent sessions until April 18. He began by asking the child to make an examination of conscience. Then went for the whole family and the other priests, Bishop, who was to write the paper, and Halloran, 26, whose force was necessary to secure the madman. After sprinkling holy water on the bed, she kept moving, started a leer las letanías del ritual. Cuando dijo: "Yo te ordeno, espíritu impuro, seas quien seas, junto con todos tus asociados que han tomado posesión de este siervo de Dios, que, por los misterios de la Encarnación, Pasión, Resurrección y Ascensión de nuestro Señor me digas mediante alguna señal tu nombre, el día y la hora de tu partida...", ronchones rojos y arañazos cruzaron la garganta, los muslos, el estómago, la espalda y el rostro de Robbie. En su pecho apareció la palabra hell (infierno), y había sangre suficiente para ser secada con un pañuelo. Sobre el escaso vello púbico del niño también se dibujó la letra X y la palabra " go (go). Bowdern interpreted the devil would be in ten days through urine or feces. The first thing was wrong. In the latter does not. Then, in each session of exorcism, leaving large amounts Robbie smelly urine.
From that day, the fight against evil was winning the battle. During another session, to ask the demon his name was drawn with scratches on Robbie's chest the word Spite "(resentment). However, during the day Robbie was a normal boy, characteristics of the possessed. Only during periods of crisis, sometimes lasted for hours and, except on rare occasions, there were always at night, seemed to be someone else. Screaming, barking, laughing fiendishly, insulted and cursed when he heard the prayers or the name of Jesus. And, going forward the exorcism, he began to speak with a deep voice, husky, and become more violent. He shouted obscenities at the priests, were accused of horrific sex acts and they spit. Her slender body as she arched her head was touching the toes. Singing melodies unknown. Desperately waving his arms and looked as free from restrictions, let go of violent blows.
Last
signal
Robbie's father was a Lutheran and Bowdern decided to baptize in the hotel in the heart of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, baptism is another way to exorcise. However, after receiving this sacrament, became more aggressive. The voice of the devil coming out more frequently during the crisis, spoke with more authority and more obscenities uttered. His face took on demonic expressions and nails, extremely long, scratched his chest.
As the battle progressed, the crisis periods of calm succeeded states in which the boy cast a sinister aura Exorcists called "Satan rubbing." I once spent four days very quiet, but it was just another trick of the evil that " sometimes leaves the body free of discomfort for believing that he has been expelled " says the Ritual.
Finally, after going through a real ordeal, during which he was housed in the rectory of the Church of San Javier, Robbie returned by train to Maryland and went back to Saint Louis. The child was admitted in early April at the hospital of the Brothers of the Poor.
On day 18 of that month, the father Bowdern, consumed by the prolonged fast and vigil, he faced what would be the last battle. Robbie had received Communion that day and the brothers of the poor had put in his room a statue of the Archangel Michael overcoming the dragon. With the latest amenities of exorcism invaded the room seemed completely calm and Robbie spoke with a new voice, clear, authoritative, rich and deep: " Satan, Satan, I'm San Miguel and I order you and the other spirits malignant abandon the body in the name of Dominus, immediately, now, now, now! . "So, for 7 or 8 minutes, Robbie is torn between very violent contortions. Then he said quietly:" is gone. "He looked at the priests, said he felt fine. All are welcomed. All but Bowdern , no longer trusted the devil and expect a hallmark of the successful conclusion of the exorcism. Robbie said he saw in a dream as the Archangel had been faced with the devil making him go back to a closed cave whose entrance was barred the word " Spite . When the demons disappeared, he felt as if something pulled from his stomach. Then he felt relaxed and happy as had not been since January 15. The next morning, took communion in the chapel of the hospital. In the afternoon he slept a long nap. When he woke up seemed to remember nothing of his ordeal. " Where am I? What happened? " he asked. At that time, an explosion resounded throughout the hospital. Bowdern signal was expected. When Robbie left the hospital, his room was closed and locked. In the drawer of the nightstand stood Bishop's diary to be found in 1978.
Shortly after the end of the exorcism, during a Mass celebrated by Bowdern in Church of San Francisco Javier, the apse is lit and before the astonished Jesuits gathered there for an instant flashed the image of San Miguel, with a flaming sword in his hand.
The house where the events began was burned during a fire exercise. Today is just the lot, but nobody wants to buy it.
Despite the threat of premature death than the devil made the exorcist, Father Bowdern died aged 86 in 1983 and Bishop in 1978 with 72. As for Robbie, his life proceeded normally. He married and had two children.
Here you I leave a documentary on this story.
