- Priests in a church in northeast Italy performed a 9-hour exorcism on a 26-year-old woman.
- When she arrived at the confessional booth, she started screaming and convulsing.
- After the rite, she fell into a deep sleep, which the priests said was a sign of success.
Roman Catholic priests in northern Italy performed a nine-hour exorcism on a 26-year-old woman after she became violent in confession and hurled insults in several languages, including Latin.
The woman — who is unnamed — arrived at the Saint Mary of Mount Berico church in Vicenza, Italy, on Sunday December 5.
"The young woman had already been seen by an exorcist in Verona, but on Sunday, her parents brought her here, probably to have another go at curing an evil she had suffered for some time," Father Carlo Maria Rossato told La Republica.
At the church, believed to be the site of two miracle appearances of the Virgin Mary in the 15th century, she took confession. Suddenly her body began convulsing. She became highly agitated and screamed in Latin, say reports.
Friars from the order of the Servants of Mary called upon 80-year-old Father Giuseppe Bernardi, the official exorcist of the church.
"In the name of Jesus Christ, I order and command Satan to leave this person," Father Barnardi repeated, the prayer echoing around the 15th-century church as the Catholic ritual was performed.
His presence was not enough, and three other friars joined the exorcism. Exorcists from other Italian dioceses were also contacted to participate in the prayers, reported Aleteia, an online Catholic news website. One gave advice remotely by video, per The Times.
Father Rossato told La Republica that she was screaming and cursing — he said that the "presence of evil one was visible."
Worshippers and people who worked in the church were escorted out and the church doors barred. Many stopped to pray outside the church during the exorcism, reported Aleteia. The police and an ambulance arrived at the scene but were not permitted entry.
After the ritual, the woman fell into a deep sleep, with the friars saying this is a sign of a successful exorcism. However, Father Rossato noted that "The liberation can not happen immediately. It depends on the strength of the presence and on the entity of the evil one," he told La Republicca.
"The stillness and silence of the Sanctuary penitentiary" were "suddenly torn apart by the screams and curses of a girl," wrote the Journal of Vicenza. "The attack on a father confessor, who is immediately rescued by the brothers. The flight of the faithful, terrified, while the room is barred from the inside. On Sunday, the basilica of Monte Berico was the scene of a difficult exorcism," it said.