Got demons? Who you gonna call? Demon busters!

It seems that there is a shortage of priests who are trained exorcists. Exorcisms are rare, as most demon possessions are really serious mental illnesses. But there is an increase in people claiming that they are possessed. These claims need to be investigated, but it takes a trained exorcists, in addition to psychiatrists/psychologists, to make a determination.

There is going to be conference on the subject:

Citing a shortage of priests who can perform the rite, the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops are sponsoring a conference on how to conduct exorcisms.

The two-day training, starting Friday in Baltimore, is to outline the scriptural basis of evil, instruct clergy on evaluating whether a person is truly possessed, and review the prayers and rituals that comprise an exorcism. Among the speakers will be Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Texas, and a priest-assistant to New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Read more on the exorcism conference.

There is an upcoming movie based on a true story about a real life exorcist, Fr. Gary Thomas.  Here is the trailer for The Rite.