Requests for exorcisms from diabolical possession soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, a conference in Rome has heard.
Lockdowns and financial and economic hardships were blamed for enticing people into the influence of “malign forces”, according to a six-day course on exorcism held at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, a Vatican-affiliated university.
Increased time spent watching hard-core films and browsing the internet for shocking material had led to a surge interest in the Occult, participants heard, with some people subsequently beginning to explore the supernatural.
