Obsession with violence leading to increase in satanic cults in Colombia, exorcist warns

Bogotá, Colombia, Nov 5, 2007 / 12:47 pm

Colombian exorcist Father Jaime Velez Correa said this week the country with the most Satanism “is the United States, the second in the world is Italy and the third is Colombia,” where the current “obsession with violence” has led to an increase in Satanic cults and rites.

Father Correa, who has been a priest for 50 years and an exorcist for eleven, said people are separating themselves from God, [and] Christianity, falling into empty creeds and opting for Satanism, which represents the negation of good.

In an interview with Caracol Radio, Father Velez said in Bogota and other cities of Colombia the existence of Satanic cults is known, and he said he receives “two or three cases daily,” including cases of young people who have decided to leave Satanic cults.  While all are not cases of possession, he said, many have suffered psychological traumas and clinical pathologies.

After warning that the exorcism procedure is very dangerous, Father Velez said, “I pray to the Lord before entering,” and then you must “directly confront the devil, you enter into conversation with the devil, and you “threaten him in the name of God.  In addition, you must pray the creed, some psalms and litanies and read a part of the gospel.”

He said he carries with him in his briefcase “a crucifix, holy water, the Bible and the priestly stole,” adding that in this fight against evil, “God’s workers” obtain important triumphs but the basic task is to remove negative attitudes from the mind and heart.

Father Velez said that after an exorcism, he feels “joy for doing good, and you feel tired.”  However, he added that he strives to forget what he has seen and heard, “otherwise I would go crazy.”