The Catholic Church is constructing a brand new exorcism center in the Philippines, and it is every ghostbusters’ dream come true.
The center, which will be situated in the St Michael Centre for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Manila, will be Asia’s first of its kind.
According to the church, the decision was made after priests saw an increase in the number of persons requiring exorcisms since the Covid crisis started.
It will especially train priests in the art of exorcism and will provide a specific location for the rites to be performed.
The center is well equipped with counseling, exorcism, and interview rooms.
Father Jose Francisco Syquia, the archdiocese’s director and principal exorcist, claimed he receives about ten reports of spiritual disorders per day.
Because of the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical toll it has had on people, the pandemic is thought to have created a perfect storm for possessions and demonic activity.
Father Syquia said, ‘A product of more than seven years of prayers, planning and fundraising, this will be the first of its kind in Asia, if not the world.
‘This centre will minister to those in bondage to the devil who are therefore the poorest of the poor and are usually overlooked.’
‘Full possession’ accounts for 20% of all exorcisms, with the majority performed on people who are ‘harassed physically’ by evil spirits, according to Father Syquia.
He believes that poor home lives and witchcraft can be contributing reasons to possession, and that there has been a significant increase in the last three to five years.
After executing exorcisms, Father Syquia claimed to have received SMS messages from demons.
A woman he witnessed rise into the air began sending threatening texts to his office phone.
The priest was speaking with the woman and her companion, while the phone was in another room.
According to the messages, he was a sinner and a liar, and he would be unable to expel the evil spirits from her body.
‘The devil has power over anything electrical,’ Father Syquia remarked. ‘If this place is infested, for example, and they want their presence known, usually the lights would flicker.’
‘If I give a talk and use a certain gadget, the devil would easily shut it down because he is an expert in anything electrical.’
The Vatican first offered exorcism courses in 2005, and it is intended that this new center will teach priests from all over the world..