Exorcist calls for ‘spiritual warfare’ because ‘rising evil’ means exorcisms are taking twice as long as they did 50 years ago.
Father Chad Ripperger, a longtime Catholic priest and exorcist, is sounding the alarm about a growing “demonic attack” and urging believers to fight the dark forces.
Father Ripperger warned of the rise of demonic forces last week during an hour-long speech at New York’s famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The reason for the sharp increase in demonic activity, according to Father Rippinger, lies in the large number of people committing ‘evil deeds’ and a decline in holiness among believers.
“Before 1963, the average time to free someone from full ownership was one to two days. Maybe a week out,” he explained.
“What used to take one to two days has become eight months to two years after 1963 to free the average person. It now takes an average of four years to free someone. There are two reasons for this.
“One is because the world is much more evil and the demons are much more powerful. The second part is [how] exorcisms work, what they call ex opere operantis Ecclesiae.
“What does that mean? It means that how holy the people in the Catholic Church are determines how effective my prayers are when I walk into court.
“That tells us there is a fundamental problem with the members of the Church. They are not as saintly as their counterparts in the past,” he claimed.
Although Fr. Ripperger cites mortal sin, an increase in the number of people doing evil in the world, and a decline in holiness as primary factors for the increased activity among dark elements. He reminds us that God Himself will allow demonic influence to sanctify the faithful.
“One of the main reasons God allows demons into our lives is to sanctify us, because when we fight them and become instruments of righteousness to them… that is meritorious in the sight of God, and it actually elevates our place in the heaven. St. Paul said it: “Engage the old serpent and win the crown of glory.”
