Fr. Gabriele Amorth - Father Amorth : My Battle Against Satan

Father

Amorth

My Battle against Satan

with Elisabetta Fezzi

Translated by
Charlotte J. Fasi

SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS
Manchester, New Hampshire

Copyright 2017 by Edizioni San Paolo;
English translation Copyright 2018 by Charlotte J. Fasi

Father Amorth is an English translation of Padre Amorth: La mia battaglia con Dio contro Satana , published in 2017 by Edizioni San Paolo s.r.l., Milan.

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

Cover design byPerceptions Design Studio.

Cover photograph by Eric Vandeville.

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.

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.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Amorth, Gabriele, author, interviewee. | Fezzi, Elisabetta,

interviewer. | Fasi, Charlotte J., translator.

Title: Father Amorth : my battle against Satan / by Gabriele Amorth with

Elisabetta Fezzi ; translated by Charlotte J. Fasi.

Other titles: Padre Amorth. English

Description: Manchester, New Hampshire : Sophia Institute Press, 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018043676 | ISBN 9781622826087 (pbk. : alk. paper) ePub ISBN 9781622826094

Subjects: LCSH: Amorth, Gabriele. | Amorth, Gabriele Interviews. | Exorcism.

| Catholic Church Doctrines.

Classification: LCC BX2340 .A48513 2018 | DDC 282.092 [B] dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018043676

To Saint Joseph and Saint Michael the Archangel,
patrons of the universal Church

C.J.F.

Contents

Part 1

Part 2

Foreword

Much has been written about Father Gabriele Amorth, and as much could be written about his complex and deep personality and the prolific action that derived from it. In this book, two fundamental aspects of his persona immediately emerge: his courage and his faith in God.

Indeed, what stands out in Father Amorth were his strength and perseverance in proclaiming the truth about God. His fearless spirit, enclosed inside the armor of the combatant against the forces of the Evil One, always led him lucidly to unmask the thought and logic and the hypocrisies and appearances of the world. He decisively brought to light the abuses and distortions of the Faith, such as the lack of priestly formation in the seminaries regarding angels and demons, and the struggle against evil. In this area he was a farsighted precursor.

In the discussion in this book, Father Gabriele points out the necessity of re-Christianizing Christians, verified by the ignorance of the Faith that brings so many under the demons deceitful control.

The ministry of exorcism led the man, the Christian, and the priest to faith in Gods mercy and power, and in the maternal action of Mary, the most holy Mother.

Indeed, the second aspect that emerges from Father Amorths words is his unshakable devotion to Our Lady. This devotion guided his obedience to the Church and his love for his suffering brothers and sisters.

The long conversation in this book is a catechetical and spiritual help. Father Gabrieles manner of speaking, often with joyful and ironic phrases because he was joyful at heart is exemplary when he deals with topics of faith and spiritual guidance.

As an exorcist, I thank you, dear brother. You have helped us to understand that to remain with Jesus makes us conquer our fears: the fear of disorder, the fear of death, and the fear of the Evil Ones presence in our life. You have shown us that the exorcist is not a wizard, or a crazy person, but a man, a Christian, a priest, and a servant of God and His Church.

Read the Gospel! Apply the Gospel; act with total humility, knowing that everything depends on God. I do not consider myself capable of anything! Rather, I am humble, humble, humble... and I boast of it! (Father Gabriele Amorth).

Father Paolo Carlin, OFM Cap.
Exorcist
Spokesman, and Press Secretary
National Delegate for Italy
International Association of Exorcists

Introduction

by Elisabetta Fezzi

In the early 2000s, through a series of interviews, I became acquainted with Father Gabriele.

He was already famous, a true myth, considered a legendary and miraculous chaser of demons by endless hosts of the worlds afflicted who, not finding consolation in their local church, longed for an appointment with him. To others, he was the extremist priest who saw the Devil everywhere. At the same time, there were the endless hosts of consecrated priests and religious who were not able or did not wish to believe in the gospel or to become familiar with the immeasurable suffering of the many persons who are the object of the extraordinary attentions of the Enemy.

He had written dozens of books, preached on Radio Maria, and was on familiar terms with bishops, cardinals, and politicians. He was, however, extremely easy to contact. After I left him a voicemail, he returned the call the same day, and we made an appointment to meet within a few days. This was, for me, a source of amazement, because his agenda was jammed and he had the reputation of being unreachable; but the mission of communicating his ministry was so strong that he agreed immediately to our interviews.

Thus, one Sunday afternoon in Rome, on Via Alessandro Severo, I met him in the room where he practiced exorcism, a very simple space that clashed with the elegance of the buildings entrance: a room with faded tapestries and a decidedly worn armchair, a statue of Mary, some sacred images, and a small crucifix on a low table. Before me was a man in a cassock, in a time when the Paulines had already put cassocks in the attic among the cobwebs. He was tall, bald, had crooked teeth and a welcoming smile, attentive smiling eyes, and a simple manner of speaking that took me by surprise with his truly unexpected capacity to communicate. He liked to say, The habit doesnt make the monk, but the habit immediately says to everyone that you are a monk.

We worked well together that first afternoon. I had prepared for that meeting by reading some of his writings, but hearing him speak passionately of certain mysterious things and of his love for Jesus and Mary was a unique and fascinating experience. This meeting was followed by several others; and a trust developed gradually between us, a mutual understanding, a feeling of friendship but with the delicate and decisive awareness of his being a priest.

Even today it does not cease to amaze me how a man so intransigent and with such an authoritarian character, a priest whose mission had him doing combat with evil spirits, could also be so sensible and sweet.

I recall an afternoon one Easter when I was in Rome with my family. We went to visit him, and he knew that there would be two small children with us. He was incredible: when he opened the door, he held two large chocolate Easter eggs. With the shiny green paper with which they had been wrapped, he formed two large rabbit ears to frame his face. And with a little dance and an expression of godly tenderness, he welcomed my two little ones. Then, he immediately organized a funny-face competition, just to play with them a little.

Slowly, throughout the years, profiting from my occasional work in Rome, I gathered more material, because Father Gabriele, although humble, loved to speak of himself and relate stories about his faith and his experiences.