Record demand for exorcisms seen across US as 'occultism, esotericism and Satanism' increase

The demand for exorcists has reportedly reached record highs in the US, but a Catholic priest says that human nature is more to blame than demons as of late.

Father Chad Ripperger, who is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Denver, told reporters at the New York Post that even though there has been an increase in exorcisms, there aren't more demons than before. He blamed the trend primarily on people themselves, where he said some have been disregarding the teachings of the church and willfully engaging in dark impulses, which has led to the exorcisms.

“The demons are empowered as more and more people commit evil deeds,” Father Ripperger said. “If a person willingly becomes involved in these evil deeds, Satanism or witchcraft, the actions lead to a susceptibility to Satan’s influence so that he or she is easily manipulated and can be incited to do more evil things."

“Unfortunately, people today do not believe their actions have consequences.” The Catholic Church has said that there are around 150 priests in the US who can perform exorcisms. That number has increased by 650 percent since 2020, when only 20 priests were trained in the practice.

An exorcism involves a priest reading prayers and scripture to someone who is apparently possessed by evil spirits, and the priest commands the demons to depart from the person. Ripperger said that only "about 10 percent of cases are as dramatic as portrayed in Hollywood.”

Earlier this month, when Pope Leo XIV had the world's most senior exorcist-trained priests, they said there has been a global increase in “occultism, esotericism and Satanism.” The International Association of Exorcists also called on the pope to have more priests trained in the practice of an exorcism.

Other Catholic priests, such as Rev. Vincent Lampert, who is also the designated exorcist in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, have also been seeing an increase in cases.