The term “exorcist” goes past the iconic 1973 horror film. The belief finds itself prominent within the Catholic community. Rev. Chad Ripperger is not only a priest within the religion but also an exorcist.
There are currently around 150 Catholic priests in the United States who have received training to perform exorcisms, and when researching famous exorcists like Revs. Vincent Lampert and Gabriele Amorth, Ripperger’s name appears.
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Whether Catholics interested in delving into their religious relationship or people intrigued by the big bolded word “Exorcist” on the event flyer, people filled the majority of the Grand Ballroom in the Lory Student Center at Colorado State University to hear Ripperger teach the audience about angels and devils.
“The way you know an angel interacting with you in your life is the fact that it’s normal,” Ripperger said. “They can actually put images in our imagination, and they can actually act upon our intellect and empower it so we get greater clarity about things that we didn’t have before.”
“We just want to have an opportunity to provide a space for people to be curious about what is true, to come to a place where they can have questions and hopefully have some of them answered. Yes, evil does exist, but that’s not the end of the story.” -Erika Richard, Campus Ministry director
Ripperger said there are three main certitudes that prove angels exist: metaphysical, physical and moral. Metaphysical refers to the nature of being and how things actually exist; physical refers to things within the physical world that are based on laws of nature; and moral refers to knowledge of a human character.
It is a matter of moral certainty that angels are also referenced in scripture, but angels are not the only thing discussed. Ripperger said 23% of the Gospels are Christ dealing with demons.
“Most people have this idea that demons are just these random marauding things that go around and victimize you when you don’t have any control over the situation, and that’s actually not true,” Ripperger said. “They are, in fact, the most regulated thing that exists in the universe. It’s just that we can’t understand their patterns when they attack us.”
Ripperger said only 0.5% of the population is possessed. With a world population of about 8.2 billion, this would mean around 41 million people are possessed. Often, when someone says they are feeling ill and possessed, Ripperger steers them to a doctor, although he said some things do not have a scientific explanation.
There are several key ways a demon is able to infiltrate, Ripperger said: diabolic oppression, obsession and possession.
If a person reaches the point of possession, Ripperger said the main ways to tell are if someone speaks languages they have never known or studied before; if they contain hidden knowledge; if they have an aversion to sacred things; or if they do something beyond human capacity, such as morphing.
“(In) the more extreme forms, which you rarely see, they’ll actually change into animals and things of that sort,” Ripperger said. “You’re not dealing with something on a natural level.”
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Ripperger said the primary three things that cause possession include committing a grave sin like premarital fornication, having a grave sin committed against oneself — so if someone is assaulted or has been taken advantage of, they are more susceptible — and reparation for a sin, such as divorce.
Ripperger said that not being holy, whether that be engaging in premarital sex, watching pornography, consuming drugs or alcohol and even playing video games, makes a person more susceptible to demonic possession.
“(God) permits (possession); he’s willing to allow us to suffer so that we become more virtuous, … become more holy and … work out our salvation in that regard,” Ripperger said.
Ripperger was able to share these beliefs at CSU due to an invitation by the organizer Ram Catholic.
“We just want to have an opportunity to provide a space for people to be curious about what is true, to come to a place where they can have questions and hopefully have some of them answered,” Campus Ministry Director Erika Richard said. “Yes, evil does exist, but that’s not the end of the story.”
Two of the students, staff and those involved with the church who came to learn about Catholicism were Ellie O’Rourke and Abby Lucero. Both are members of the Catholic religion and wanted to learn more about their faith in regard to evil and the world.
“I think it was an eye-opening talk,” O’Rourke said. “It was a perspective I hadn’t heard before.”
Saint John XXIII Catholic Church is located near campus at 1220 University Ave. for those wanting to learn more about Catholicism.
“We believe that the Lord is the way, the truth and the life, so God is the way, the truth and the life, and the person of Jesus Christ (is) the way, the truth and the life,” Richard said.
Reach Sophie Webb at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @sophgwebb.
