Possession and Exorcism in Roman Catholic Charismatic Groups: A Comparative Ethnographic Study in France and Argentina

Abstract

In the twenty-first century, there has been an increase in the demand for liberation and exorcism rituals in Western countries. Exorcist priests are interviewed in the mass media, and church services are set up to care for people with complaints of supernatural origin. Satan is reappearing not only as a principle of evil, but also as anentity capable of intervening in the lives of people, of harassing them and of leading them down the path of evil. Representations of possession seem to have moved in certain social groups from metaphorical images – a metaphor that has been encouraged for years by the highest authorities of the church - to the concreteness ofphysical facts: groups of believers are of the opinion that diabolical possession is possible in certain circumstances and that it is possible to combat it with specific ritual performances. This chapter focuses on the representations of possession among Catholic revivalist collectives (associated with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and other emotional groups). I have studied them from a social science perspective using qualitative research methods (ethnography, in-depth interviews, document analysis) in France and Argentina. Among the results of our research is the definition of the contemporary idea of possession as an articulation between theological principles, intercultural dialogues and images from the world of entertainment. The idea ofdemonic influence shapes the modern imagination, even though modern exorcists consider possession to be an extremely rare condition. Demonic possession is the extreme that frightens believers and keeps them in a constant state of vigilance. In this way, possession is a factor in shaping social relations.