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The Devil Returns. Practices of Catholic Exorcism in Argentina

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The Social Scientific Study of Exorcism in Christianity

Part of the book series: Popular Culture, Religion and Society. A Social-Scientific Approach ((POPCULT,volume 3))

Abstract

Exorcism has been a well-known practice since the beginnings of Christianity. It entails facing the presence of a hostile spirit in the body of the faithful, with the intervention of a specialist whose objective is to chase out the intruding spirit. In Catholic contexts, the priest has the monopoly on this ritual , a practice considered spiritually and physically risky for the executer. As a consequence, the exorcist is often supported by a group. Seen as a legitimate demand by some Church members, and an expression of psychiatric illness by others, the practice of exorcism has grown. I present here the results of a comparative ethnographic and qualitative research undertaken in Argentina between 2013 and 2018. I have worked with groups developed by Catholic priests who carry out these rituals every week as an answer to an increasing number of requests by the faithful. This chapter analyzes the involvement of various agents: possessed people, priests, exorcist ’s assistants, relatives of the possessed, and psychiatrists. Possession and the subsequent ritual of exorcism place the body at the center of particular manipulations, spawning also practices related to body regulation. Participants undertand both possession and expulsion as related to healing and liberation processes, and in line with the quest for well-being found in the Charismatic Catholic spirituality .

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Change history

  • 20 October 2020

    Due to an oversight accents were missed to add in the name of the chapter author. Accents have now been added in this revised version and the name of the chapter author now appears as Verónica Giménez Béliveau.

Notes

  1. 1.

    Interview with the Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires, 27 September 2016.

  2. 2.

    From December 2013, I interviewed in Argentina six exorcist priests, eight parish priests, two bishops and over 15 members of exorcists’ assistants groups (other interviews were conducted in Chile, Dominican Republic, and France, but they are beyond the geographical scope of this chapter). I attended healing Masses, training seminars about spiritual deliverance, healing and intergenerational healing, laying on of hands sessions, prayer and worship groups, and I interviewed people affected. I also analyzed the texts used in the training seminars, as well as the leaflets, newsletters and written texts handed out in patient interviews.

  3. 3.

    Interviews include: La Capital, Mar del Plata, 9 August 2009, ‘Some People are Possessed because they are Victims of Magic or have been Put under a Spell’; Perfil, Buenos Aires, 10 November 2012, ‘Confessions by Carlos Alberto Mancuso, “the exorcist priest” of La Plata’; La Capital, Rosario, 12 October 2012, “I Spoke with the Devil and he Once Told me that he Surrendered,” among others.

  4. 4.

    Interview with Father E., appointed exorcist , 14 March 2017.

  5. 5.

    Interview with Father M., bishop, 5 December 2014.

  6. 6.

    These are problems reported by the diocesan priests interviewed: Father F., Buenos Aires, 13 April, 2015; Father T., San Isidro, 16 September 2016; and Father P., Buenos Aires, 22 June 2018.

  7. 7.

    Among others, interview with Father P., Buenos Aires, 22 June 2018;he reported that he accompanied a possessed believer, saw sacred objects flying, and felt that his movements were inhibited by invisible forces.

  8. 8.

    Interviews with Father C., Father A., Father I., Father L. and Father E. Statements of the same kind have been gathered among exorcists in France, Chile and Dominican Republic.

  9. 9.

    Interview with Father C., San Isidro, province of Buenos Aires, 13 February 2015.

  10. 10.

    Interview with Father B. and one of his assistants, Quilmes, province of Buenos Aires, 19 November 2014.

  11. 11.

    Interview with Dora, San Isidro, May 202,015.

  12. 12.

    Interview with Father L., Ezpeleta, province of Buenos Aires, 27 February 2018.

  13. 13.

    Fieldnotes, San Isidro, April to November 2015.

  14. 14.

    Fieldnotes, February to April 2013; interview with Father B., 28 January 2013.

  15. 15.

    Interview with Father C., San Isidro, 13 February 2015.

  16. 16.

    Interview with Father C., San Isidro, 13 February 2015.

  17. 17.

    Interview with Father B. and his assistant, Quilmes, 19 November 2014.

  18. 18.

    Interview with Father B and his assistant, Quilmes, 19 November 2014.

  19. 19.

    These characteristics are mentioned by Fathers B., C. and L.

  20. 20.

    Conversation with Father B., Quilmes, Province of Buenos Aires, 28 January 2013.

  21. 21.

    Fieldnotes, Intergenerational Healing Seminar, San Isidro, province of Buenos Aires, 7 October, 2015.

  22. 22.

    See previous note.

  23. 23.

    Fieldnotes, Intergenerational Healing Seminar, 23 September 2015, San Isidro, Province of Buenos Aires.

  24. 24.

    Iemanja is one of the entities of Afro-Brazilian cults. The Umbanda tradition identifies her with the Virgin Mary Stella Maris.

  25. 25.

    Interview with Father L., Ezpeleta, 7 October 2016.

  26. 26.

    Fieldnotes (Natalia Fernández), mission in the neighborhood, Ezpeleta, 1 April 2017.

  27. 27.

    Interview with Father C., San Isidro, 13 February 2015.

  28. 28.

    Fieldnotes, conversations with Graciela, San Isidro, province of Buenos Aires, 20 May 2015.

  29. 29.

    Fieldnotes, Mass during a healing campaign, Quilmes, province of Buenos Aires, 7 April 2017.

  30. 30.

    Fieldnotes, Intergenerational Healing Seminar, San Isidro, 23 September 2015.

  31. 31.

    Fieldnotes (Natalia Fernández), Mission in the neighbourhood, Ezpeleta, 1 April 2017.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ceil-CONICET, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Verónica Giménez Béliveau

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  1. Verónica Giménez Béliveau
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Correspondence to Verónica Giménez Béliveau .

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  1. Dipartimento di Filosofia, Sociologia Pedagogia e Psicologia Applicata, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Giuseppe Giordan

  2. School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Adam Possamai

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Giménez Béliveau, V. (2020). The Devil Returns. Practices of Catholic Exorcism in Argentina. In: Giordan, G., Possamai, A. (eds) The Social Scientific Study of Exorcism in Christianity. Popular Culture, Religion and Society. A Social-Scientific Approach, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43173-0_5

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