The International Association of Exorcists Say "The title itself is pretentious"

The International Association of Exorcists (IAE) have come out and said that the new movie The Pope's Exorcist is "unreliable...splatter cinema" but this is only based on seeing the trailer.

A statement issued by The International Association of Exorcists (IAE) has said, based on only seeing the trailer, "The title itself is pretentious".

The press release goes on to ask who is the real enemy as the statement says Hollywood, "instill in the public the usual doubt: who is the real enemy? The devil or the ecclesiastical "power"?".

You can read the full press release below.

These days on TV, platforms and social networks the forthcoming release in April of the film L'esorcista del Papa (The Pope's Exorcist), directed by Australian Julius Avery, is being announced. The title itself is pretentious. Watching the trailer of the film confirms, if anything were needed, not only its splatter cinema quality, a real sub-genre of horror cinema, but its unreliability on such a delicate and relevant topic.
At the center of the film is the figure of Don Gabriele Amorth (1925-2016), exorcist of the Diocese of Rome for thirty years, played by the New Zealand actor Russell Crowe, known to the general public for having been the protagonist of the film Gladiator, who earned him the Oscar in 2001.

After viewing the trailer, we would like to offer some observations, waiting to see and evaluate the film in its entirety when it is in theaters. A more in-depth press release will follow on that occasion.
Neglecting what at first sight seems to be a reference to other films (such as, for example, the exorcist who ends up being possessed), we note, first of all, that the well-known Hollywood actor does not look at all like, but above all in manners, the human and priestly profile of Don Amorth, from whose memoirs (An exorcist tells and New tales of an exorcist) – specifies the production – the film is freely based. All too freely, we would like to observe.
The production and the director are probably interested in the "effect" association between the exorcist and the famous gladiator of twenty years ago, and not in the spirit of service that drives the former in his ministry of consolation. The Catholic Church is then represented by an equally unreliable pope, played by the Italian actor Franco Nero. Finally, the Vatican environments, painted with the usual proven range of chiaroscuro colors, give the film a "Da Vinci Code" effect, for instill in the public the usual doubt: who is the real enemy? The devil or the ecclesiastical "power"?

We conclude these brief considerations with a reference to the so-called "special effects", inevitable in every film dedicated to the theme of diabolical possession. As has already happened in other films, everything is exaggerated, with striking physical and verbal manifestations, typical of horror films.
Now, this way of narrating Don Amorth's exorcistic experience, in addition to being contrary to historical reality, distorts and falsifies what is truly lived and experienced during the exorcism of truly possessed people whom we, Catholic exorcists, celebrate according to the directives given by the Church. In addition, he is offensive towards the state of suffering in which those who are victims of an extraordinary action of the devil find themselves.

As for the viewer, what can I say?
The exorcism thus represented becomes a show aimed at arousing strong and unhealthy emotions, thanks to a gloomy scenography, with sound effects such as to arouse only anxiety, restlessness and fear in the spectator.
The end result is to instill the conviction that exorcism is an abnormal, monstrous and frightening phenomenon, whose only protagonist is the devil, whose violent reactions can be faced with great difficulty; which is the exact opposite of what occurs in the context of exorcism celebrated in the Catholic Church in obedience to the directives imparted by it.

The vision of the film Libera nos is quite different. The triumph over evil, distributed for some time and sponsored by the International Association of Exorcists, in which it is shown what exorcism really is in the Catholic Church, what are the authentic traits of the exorcist priest and how exorcism is a highly joyful event , because, while there is a living experience of the presence and action of Christ the Lord and of the Communion of Saints, those who are tormented by the extraordinary action of the devil gradually find liberation and peace.

We await the full response from The International Association of Exorcists after seeing the full movie.

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