If you are possessed by evil spirits or demons, you cannot just walk into a church and ask for an exorcism. There are certain protocols to follow.
And there is a difference between exorcism and deliverance. Hmmmm...interesting....
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The New Paper
04 July 2008
'EXORCISM' TRIAL
Priest: No 'exorcism on demand' here
Priest involved says protocols have to be observed before approval for exorcism given
By Arul John
THERE'S no such thing as exorcism on demand. You cannot just walk into a Roman Catholic church here and ask for one. Certain procedures had to be followed, including first informing the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore of the exorcism, and getting his permission to appoint a priest authorised to perform the procedure.
The priest appointed must be properly distinguished for his piety, and must fast and pray for sometime before performing the exorcism, said Father Simon Tan. The victim must also undergo a psychological evaluation, to exclude any possibility of medical conditions or mental illness, he added.
Father Tan, 45, was testifying at the Novena Church exorcism trial in the High Court yesterday. Madam Amutha Valli Krishnan claims she was the victim of a forced exorcism at the church on 10 Aug 2004. She is suing the Redemptorist Order, which runs the church, two priests and six church-goers who allegedly helped in the ritual.
Father Tan, one of the priests allegedly involved, told Mr R S Bajwa, Madam Amutha's lawyer, that because he did not follow these protocols, he had not performed any exorcism on Madam Amutha when she was at the church. Instead, he said he had only said prayers of deliverance over her.
Mr Bajwa, however, said that aside from the protocols, what Father Tan did to Madam Amutha that day - telling the spirit possessing her to leave her body - constituted an exorcism. Father Tan agreed that he 'engaged the spirit' in her and asked it to leave her body, but claimed that was a deliverance, not an exorcism.
He defined deliverance as 'praying (for someone) without engaging the devil', as opposed to exorcism, which he said was 'engaging the devil' and 'taking out an evil spirit from a person'. In his affidavit, Father Tan stated how Father Jacob Ong, the other priest allegedly involved in the case, had informed him on the night of 10 Aug 2004, that a woman was behaving strangely at the church.
Father Tan said that Father Ong asked him if he could help and he did so. He said in his affidavit that he saw a woman shaking the grille gate at the church and shouting. Father Tan said that the woman's daughter, son and a man claiming to be her brother were standing some distance away.
SPIRIT OF DEAD SOLDIER
The man claiming to be Madam Amutha's brother told him she was possessed by a soldier's spirit and he asked him to help them and pray for her, he added. He told the court how, while praying for Madam Amutha, she suddenly said that she was Koh Chee Meng, the spirit of a dead soldier.
Father Tan said: 'In our line of work, we meet people who behave strangely. I cannot confirm that the plaintiff was possessed with the long dead soldier's spirit.' When Mr Bajwa again told Father Tan that he had performed an exorcism on Madam Amutha, he denied it.
Father Tan said: 'My prayers with Amutha were not to get the spirit of Koh Chee Meng out of her but they were prayers of deliverance to give her hope. I prayed for the dead soldier's spirit, to commend the soul of Koh Chee Meng to God.'
He also added that he was not always speaking to 'Koh Chee Meng' that day but that Madam Amutha had 'come to herself' at least three times and she was able to speak lucidly to him. He said: 'During those times, she asked where she was and when I told her, she asked me to help her.' Father Tan's cross-examination continues today.
And there is a difference between exorcism and deliverance. Hmmmm...interesting....
---------------------------------
The New Paper
04 July 2008
'EXORCISM' TRIAL
Priest: No 'exorcism on demand' here
Priest involved says protocols have to be observed before approval for exorcism given
By Arul John
THERE'S no such thing as exorcism on demand. You cannot just walk into a Roman Catholic church here and ask for one. Certain procedures had to be followed, including first informing the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore of the exorcism, and getting his permission to appoint a priest authorised to perform the procedure.
The priest appointed must be properly distinguished for his piety, and must fast and pray for sometime before performing the exorcism, said Father Simon Tan. The victim must also undergo a psychological evaluation, to exclude any possibility of medical conditions or mental illness, he added.
Father Tan, 45, was testifying at the Novena Church exorcism trial in the High Court yesterday. Madam Amutha Valli Krishnan claims she was the victim of a forced exorcism at the church on 10 Aug 2004. She is suing the Redemptorist Order, which runs the church, two priests and six church-goers who allegedly helped in the ritual.
Father Tan, one of the priests allegedly involved, told Mr R S Bajwa, Madam Amutha's lawyer, that because he did not follow these protocols, he had not performed any exorcism on Madam Amutha when she was at the church. Instead, he said he had only said prayers of deliverance over her.
Mr Bajwa, however, said that aside from the protocols, what Father Tan did to Madam Amutha that day - telling the spirit possessing her to leave her body - constituted an exorcism. Father Tan agreed that he 'engaged the spirit' in her and asked it to leave her body, but claimed that was a deliverance, not an exorcism.
He defined deliverance as 'praying (for someone) without engaging the devil', as opposed to exorcism, which he said was 'engaging the devil' and 'taking out an evil spirit from a person'. In his affidavit, Father Tan stated how Father Jacob Ong, the other priest allegedly involved in the case, had informed him on the night of 10 Aug 2004, that a woman was behaving strangely at the church.
Father Tan said that Father Ong asked him if he could help and he did so. He said in his affidavit that he saw a woman shaking the grille gate at the church and shouting. Father Tan said that the woman's daughter, son and a man claiming to be her brother were standing some distance away.
SPIRIT OF DEAD SOLDIER
The man claiming to be Madam Amutha's brother told him she was possessed by a soldier's spirit and he asked him to help them and pray for her, he added. He told the court how, while praying for Madam Amutha, she suddenly said that she was Koh Chee Meng, the spirit of a dead soldier.
Father Tan said: 'In our line of work, we meet people who behave strangely. I cannot confirm that the plaintiff was possessed with the long dead soldier's spirit.' When Mr Bajwa again told Father Tan that he had performed an exorcism on Madam Amutha, he denied it.
Father Tan said: 'My prayers with Amutha were not to get the spirit of Koh Chee Meng out of her but they were prayers of deliverance to give her hope. I prayed for the dead soldier's spirit, to commend the soul of Koh Chee Meng to God.'
He also added that he was not always speaking to 'Koh Chee Meng' that day but that Madam Amutha had 'come to herself' at least three times and she was able to speak lucidly to him. He said: 'During those times, she asked where she was and when I told her, she asked me to help her.' Father Tan's cross-examination continues today.
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