Exorcism in the Catholic Church: what it is, who performs it, the rite

By Prof. Dr. Daniel C. Afonso · Updated 24 October 2026

Exorcism is the prayer by which the Church asks, publicly and with authority, in the name of Jesus Christ, that a person or an object be protected against the action of the devil and withdrawn from his dominion. Solemn exorcism, called “major exorcism”, can only be performed by a priest with the express permission of the bishop, according to the ritual approved in 1998 and published in 1999. Before it, the Church requires certainty that the case is not one of illness.

What the Catechism teaches about exorcism

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines exorcism as follows:

“When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1673).

The same paragraph recalls that the power comes from Christ himself: Jesus cast out demons (Mk 1:25-26), and from him the Church receives the power and the office of exorcizing (Mk 3:15; 6:7, 13; 16:17).

The Catechism distinguishes two forms:

• simple exorcism, which is part of the celebration of Baptism;
• solemn exorcism, “major exorcism”, which “can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop” (n. 1673).

Exorcism is not a duel between two equal forces. The Fourth Lateran Council taught that “the devil and the other demons were created by God naturally good, but they became evil by their own doing” (DS 800). Exorcism applies to a concrete person the victory that Christ has already won. See also Fallen angels: who they are and what the Bible says.

Who can perform an exorcism

The norm is canon 1172 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law:

“No one can perform exorcisms legitimately upon the possessed unless he has obtained special and express permission from the local ordinary” (can. 1172 §1).

The second paragraph states to whom the bishop may give this permission: only to a presbyter endowed with piety, knowledge, prudence and integrity of life (can. 1172 §2). The 1999 ritual adds that he must be “specifically prepared for this office” (De exorcismis, n. 13). The exorcist may be appointed on a stable basis or for a particular case.

The full text of the canon, with its history, is in Canon 1172 (1983): the canonical discipline of exorcism.

What the rite of exorcism is like

The book the Latin Church uses today is De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam, “On exorcisms and certain supplications”. Saint John Paul II approved it on October 1, 1998. The Congregation for Divine Worship promulgated it on November 22, 1998, and the Latin edition came out on January 26, 1999. It replaced Title XII of the Roman Ritual of 1614.

The rite is a liturgical celebration, with:

• the sprinkling with holy water;
• the litany of the saints and the psalms;
• the reading of the Gospel;
• the laying on of hands and the breathing;
• the profession of faith or the renewal of baptismal promises, the Our Father and the sign of the cross;
• the deprecatory formula, which asks God for deliverance;
• the imperative formula, in which the priest, in the name of Christ, commands the devil to depart.

The Virgin Mary has her own place in the rite, as the one who crushes the head of the serpent. The full description, with the Latin text, is in De exorcismis (1999): the new Roman rite of exorcism.

Before the exorcism: distinguishing it from an illness

The Church is very prudent. The Catechism says:

“Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness” (n. 1673).

The ritual directs that the exorcist not proceed without “moral certainty” that the person is truly possessed and, if possible, with that person’s consent (De exorcismis, n. 16). For this reason, the exorcist usually works with physicians and psychologists. The signs the Church considers are explained in Demonic possession: what the Church teaches.

What lay people can and cannot do

Every member of the faithful can and should pray against evil: the Our Father ends with “deliver us from evil”, and the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel is recommended to all.

But there are limits. On September 29, 1985, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in a letter signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, reminded the bishops that, because of canon 1172, “it is not licit even for the faithful to use the formula of exorcism against Satan and the apostate angels” published by Leo XIII, “and much less to use the integral text of this exorcism”. The letter also asked that lay people not lead prayer meetings in which the demons are addressed directly. See the letter Inde ab aliquot annis (1985) and the text of Leo XIII (1890).

Frequently asked questions

References

• CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, n. 1673.
• CODE OF CANON LAW (1983), can. 1166 and 1172.
• CONGREGATION FOR DIVINE WORSHIP AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE SACRAMENTS. De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam. Vatican City: Typis Vaticanis, 1999.
• CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH. Letter Inde ab aliquot annis, 29 Sept. 1985. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, v. 77, p. 1169-1170, 1985.
• FOURTH LATERAN COUNCIL (1215), ch. 1 (DS 800).