Fr. Gabriele Amorth - The Devil is Afraid of Me: The Life and Work of the Worlds Most Popular Exorcist

Other books by Gabriele Amorth
by Sophia Institute Press:

Father Amorth

My Battle against Satan

An Exorcist Explains the Demonic

The Antics of Satan and
His Army of Fallen Angels

The Devil Is Afraid of Me

The Life and Work of the
Worlds Most Famous Exorcist

by Gabriele Amorth
and Marcello Stanzione

Translated by
Charlotte J. Fasi

SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS
Manchester, New Hampshire

Copyright 2019 by Edizioni Segno;
English translation Copyright 2019 by Charlotte J. Fasi

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

The Devil Is Afraid of Me is a translation of Il Diavolo Ha Paura di Me (Tavagnacco: Edizioni Segno, 2016).

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover by David Ferris Design.

On the cover: Snake illustration (724373428) vinap / shutterstock.com.

Biblical references in this book are taken from the Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright 1997, United States Conference of Catholic BishopsLibreria Editrice Vaticana.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1-800-888-9344

www.SophiaInstitute.com

Sophia Institute Press is a registered trademark of Sophia Institute.

Paperback ISBN 978-1-622826-247

eBook ISBN 978-1-622826-254

Library of Congress Control Number:2019954897

To Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles In memoriam,
Father Clement An-Or
19822018
(Catholic Diocese of Katsina-Ala
Benue State, Nigeria) CJF

Contents

, by Piero Mantero

A.

B.

Preface

by Piero Mantero

In a flash, the news of Father Gabriele Amorths passing made the rounds of all the print and mass media. I cannot conceal my sorrow for such a palpable loss. I shall no longer receive his brief notes and recommendations. Among his habits was his penchant for directing authors to our editorial staff in particular, to me, his friend. Then I would evaluate the works and do whatever was necessary to publish them.

So, naturally, my first inspiration was to seek a priest who could coauthor a small book in memoriam to keep in our catalogue long term; then everyone, even in posterity, would know this inspired communicator exorcist. I immediately thought of dear Don Marcello Stanzione, a prolific writer, angelologist, and admirer of Father Amorth; and he did not have to think twice about it.

For this, I thank him with all my heart; and I appeal to all those who read this work to enrich it with information and anecdotes or anything else that helps us to feel closer to our dearest Gabriele Amorth! Thank you!

Exorcist Par Excellence

by Marcello Stanzione

Who Father Amorth Was

In the weekly Credere (Believe), Francesco Bamonte, president of the International Association of Catholic Exorcists, reported the death of the Catholic Churchs most famous exorcist of our times:

Friday, September 16 at 7:37 p.m., our dearest Father Gabriele Amorth concluded his earthly journey. We recall him with the deepest gratitude for all that he has done to promote the ministry of exorcism in the contemporary Church, and we admire him for the love and affection he always demonstrated toward the persons he assisted. For nearly thirty years, he strove to relieve the sufferings of so many brothers and sisters who were the victims of the extraordinary actions of Satan, freeing them from the chains of diabolical possession through prayers of healing and liberation and exorcisms. Our association owes him much for his tireless engagement and his determined will to accompany us unsparingly. As president of the International Association of Exorcists, I had permission from his superiors to visit him periodically during his illness. I always spoke to him of your affectionate concern and the numerous greetings that you sent him. We continue to remember him daily in our prayers, aware that he now prays for us in the peace and joy of the just. Through Gods grace, he helps us to welcome Gods loving plan for each one of us in this Association, which he founded and presided over as the first president, and then as an honorary member up until the very end. With the help of divine grace, we proceed with the work he initiated and fervently promoted. [With the help of his prayers,] may we continue to sustain effectively the good battle against Satan and all the other rebel angels, for the coming of Gods kingdom. May we always emulate his filial and tender devotion to the Virgin Mary and bring his uplifting example to others.

Who was Father Amorth, and what was the secret of his priestly vocation?

In a 2015 interview in Credere , he revealed: My vocation was born early, around the age of ten or twelve. I was more or less Jesus age when he was found in the temple. One day, when all the family was at the table my two saintly parents, my four brothers, and I Papa asked us: What do you wish to do when you are grown up? I responded first: I will be a priest. And he said, nearly as if he expected it: I shall be very content if it happens. Papa Mario did not live to see his son a priest; he died in 1939, at the start of World War II.

Father Amorths vocational pursuit knew many stages. One significant stage brought him to San Giovanni Rotondo to meet Padre Pio. He told Credere : I went to him in 1942, a little before going to Father Alberione in Rome. I wished to have some insight on my vocation, but Padre Pio, after a long wait, gave me such an evasive response that I cannot even remember it. Nevertheless, I continued to visit him each year for twenty-six years and much to my advantage.

With Father Giacomo Alberione, things went differently. In the summer of 1942, at the age of seventeen and at the height of the war, Amorth went to Rome, accompanied by his pastor, to visit some religious institutions. He first knocked on the door of the Passionists but, because of a misunderstanding, was not received. He then visited the Roman offices of the Society of St. Paul and was welcomed personally by Blessed Giacomo Alberione, who immediately recognized his Pauline vocation. When I asked him which order I should choose, he said: Tomorrow I shall celebrate a Mass for you and I shall ask the Lord. The next day he told me: It is Gods will that you enter the Society of St. Paul. So I decided to finish my classical studies at the high school and then enter the Society of St. Paul.

The funeral of Father Amorth was held in the great church of the Queen of the Apostles in the neighborhood of St. Paul. The celebrants were the auxiliary bishop Monsignor Paolo Lojudice and the superior general of the Society of St. Paul, Father Valdir Jos de Castro. There were a hundred priests concelebrating with them, among whom were numerous exorcists and the president of their international organization, Father Francesco Bamonte. At least fifteen hundred people attended the funeral; those not able to enter the church remained in the churchyard. At least a thousand people also waited all day Sunday and then Monday morning to file past the casket that was placed in the church next to the tomb of Blessed Giacomo Alberione, the founder of the Society of St. Paul. People who had experienced Father Gabrieles comfort and help in their illnesses came from all over Italy and beyond. Many of the participants of the numerous prayer groups that Father Gabriele followed in Rome were also there, as were the many that joined him in prayer for the exorcisms.

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