New Mexican Chapel Dedicated to Exorcisms

rnl - There is hope for the possessed in Mexico. Soriano, a town in the state of Querétaro, just north of Mexico City, now houses the very first chapel dedicated to exorcisms. The chapel may, however, also be a symbol of the growing competition the Catholic Church in Mexico faces.

Not much happens in Soriano, a pleasant little town located in the hills of the country's colonial centre. The town does not attract outsiders or tourists. But to Catholic Mexicans Soriano is an important religious centre. The village houses the Basilica de Nuestra Señora los Dolores, a cathedral dedicated to a manifestation of the Virgin Mary famed for performing miraculous healings and even bringing people back from the dead.

Exorcism
Since the construction of the Santuario de los Benditos Almas del Santo Purgatorio (Sanctuary of the Blessed Souls of Holy Purgatory) last February, the basilica houses a brand-new chapel dedicated to exorcisms. It is the first of its kind in the world's second largest Catholic country (90 percent of the population is Catholic).

Exorcism is a very common phenomenon in Mexico. On any given day, between five to ten exorcisms are performed in the country. Many dioceses have several priests that have been authorised by their bishop to perform the ritual. The Diocese of Querétaro employs as many as six.

Last resort
Father Juan Marcos is one of the priests in Soriano. As we wander through the silent halls of the basilica he explains why the chapel was built. "The purpose of the space is to purify souls that are in purgatory." As he opens the door to the chapel, the smell of fresh paint is still pungent. The space is richly decorated with biblical paintings on the wall and a small altar in the back.

"There are many different kinds of demonic manifestations," Father Juan Marcos explains. "A person may be suddenly repelled by images of Jesus, a church or a cross. He or she may show destructive behaviour, suddenly speak in a foreign or even dead language like Hebrew. And sometimes the sound of the voice changes."

However, exorcism is not the first course of action to take, the priest assures. “It is never performed without a doctor agreeing that there is no medical solution to the problem."

Exhausting rituals
When the priests have established that a person is possessed, the ritual of exorcism may begin. An authorised exorcist first needs to establish who the demon possessing the victim is. "There are many different demons, and we need to identify them by calling its name and comparing it with the Holy Scripture." A series of prayers follow, exhausting the possessed person.

In the final session, through joint prayer during a mass, the exorcist orders the demon to leave the possessed body in the name of Christ. Father Juan Marcos: "When the demon leaves the body, the victim is usually tired and hungry and doesn't remember a thing." Images of an exorcism are usually not a pleasant sight. The possessed person is screaming, struggling, cursing and has to be held down by force. An exorcist therefore never acts alone and needs to be assisted by other priests, not unlike the in the famous film The Exorcist.

Holy Death
But why are there so many exorcisms in Mexico? Father Juan Marcos gives two explanations: "When the Spanish came to evangelise Mexico over 400 years ago, the original inhabitants had their own beliefs and their own gods. Some indigenous peoples still invoke their old gods, which causes possessions." His second explanation, however, seems more likely. He blames the growing veneration in Mexico of the so called Santa Muerte, or Holy Death, as an important cause of demonic possessions. "The Holy Death is a demon, a satanic being, and many young Mexicans invoke her."

The Santa Muerte is promoted by the rival Apostolic Traditional Church as a manifestation of a biblical angel. In recent years her popularity has grown immensely, with over ten million Mexicans currently worshiping her image. The Catholic Church condemns the adoration as a 'satanic cult', but has been unable stop its expansion. It is but one of many threats to the traditional hold Roman Catholicism has on Mexico's religious masses.

Battle between religions
The development puts the construction of this new chapel into perspective. There might be more to it than just a sanctuary for the possessed: it may be a symbol of the intensifying battle between religions over the Mexican soul.

New Mexican Chapel Dedicated to Exorcisms

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