1/8/2015 TurinIsGettingaDevilofaTime:Religion:ThecityhasareputationasahavenforSatanandhisdisciples.

TheCatholicChurchhassixexorcistsondut

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SavingtheSouloftheCatholicChurch
May30,2003

TurinIsGettingaDevilofaTime:Religion:Thecityhasa
reputationasahavenforSatanandhisdisciples.The
CatholicChurchhassixexorcistsonduty.
June17,1990 | STEPHENR.WILSON|ASSOCIATEDPRESS

ChurchScandalMaySpurNeededReforms
December15,2002

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TURIN,ItalyRealorimagined,thedevilistormentingthissoberindustrialcityinnorthwesternItaly.
Somebelieveasinisterpresencelurksintheshadowsalongthecity'sbroad,arcadedboulevardsand
hauntsthemedievalsquaresinthenearbymountainhamletsofthePiedmonteseAlps.
ThecitylikestoberememberedastheformerseatoftheHouseofSavoydynasty,thefirstcapitalofa
unifiedItaly,therestingplaceofsaintsandreligiousrelics,thehomeoftheFiatautoempire.
It'salsothehomeoftheShroudofTurin,whichsomebelievewastheclothwithwhichJosephof
ArimatheawrappedthebodyofJesusChristafterhiscrucifixion.
ButTurinhasadarkerreputationasahavenforSatanandhisdisciples.
Thereisnoproof,ofcourse.Butwhatiscertainisthatthecityhassixofficialexorcists,anunderground
corpsofdevilworshipersandthousandsofpeopledealingintheoccult.
SpecialistsintheoccultmaintainthatTurinformspartoftwo"magic"trianglesrepresentinggoodand
evil.
AlongwithPrague,Czechoslovakia,andLyon,France,thecityisreputedlyacenterof"whitemagic,"a
positiveforce.TurinisalsosaidtojoinLondonandSanFranciscoasastrongholdof"blackmagic,"which
isconsideredharmfulordiabolic.
"Turinhasalwaysbeenaplaceofgreatspiritualandmagicalferment,"saysGiudittaDembech,a
journalistandauthorofthebook"Torino:CittaMagica"(Turin:MagicCity)."Ithassomeofthequalities
ofplaceslikeMecca,JerusalemandLourdes."
Thecityfirstattractedwidespreadnotorietyasadevil'splaygroundfouryearsagowhenTurin's
archbishopatthetime,CardinalAnastasioBallestrero,appointedsixofficialexorcists.
Exorcism,theprocessofcastingoutdemons,isanacceptedpracticeintheCatholicChurch.PopeJohn
PaulIIhasfrequentlystatedthatthedevilisapervasiverealityintoday'sworld.
ThenamingofthesixexorcistsinTurinfollowedadirectivefromCardinalJosephRatzinger,prefectof
theVatican'sCongregationfortheDoctrineoftheFaith,forchurchestoexercisegreatercontrolover
exorcisms.
"Unfortunatelysomeofourpriestshadgonealittletoofarandwereperformingexorcismstoohastily,"
saysCanonGiuseppeRuata,whoheadsTurin'spoolofofficialexorcists.
Twoeventsin1988furthercontributedtothecity'ssatanicimage.
First,thePopespokeofthedevilduringavisittoTurin,saying:"Fromthehistoryofsalvation,weknow
thatwheretherearesaintsthereisalsoanotherpersonwhopresentshimselfnotbyhisnamebutthe
nameofothers.Heiscalledtheprinceofthisworld,thedemon."
Then,amonthlater,Turinhostedaweeklongconferenceondemonologythatbitterlydividedlocal
politicians,churchmenandacademics.
ChurchofficialsdenythatTurinhasagreaterproblemwiththedevilthananyothercity,pointingoutthat
MilantopsItalywitheightexorcistsofitsown.Milanhasapopulationof1.5million,comparedtoTurin's
1million.
"Turinhasanimageitdoesn'tdeserve,"Ruata,74,saidinaninterviewatthearchdiocesanoffices."I
wouldn'tmakeTurinouttobethecapitalofthedemonicempire."
Mostagree,however,thatTurinhasanunusuallyhighnumberofmagicians,seers,faithhealers,mind

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1/8/2015 TurinIsGettingaDevilofaTime:Religion:ThecityhasareputationasahavenforSatanandhisdisciples.TheCatholicChurchhassixexorcistsondut
readers,astrologersandothersdabblinginsuperstitionandwitchcraft.Theyadvertisecontinuouslyon
privatetelevisionandradio.
"Therearemorethan100ofthesetypesofagenciesinTurin,"Ruatasays."Theycharge$400astheinitial
feeforremovingaspell.It'sahugeformoftrickery."
Ruatasaysheisapproachedeverydaybypeoplewhobelievetheyarepossessedbythedemon.Nearlyall,
hesays,arepeoplewithpsychologicalproblemsoraresuperstitious.
Actualdemonicpossessionoccursin"perhaps2%or3%"ofthecases,Ruatasays.Hesayshehaspersonally
performedonlyonerealexorcism.
"Realdiabolicalpossessioninvolvesagreataversionforthesacred,"hesays."Thepossessedwillspewout
terrifyingcursesandspeakforeignlanguageswhichtheyneverlearned.Sometimeslevitationoccurs.They
riseup,thenfallbacklikeasackofpotatoes.It'shorrible.Thenthephenomenongoesawayandtheydon't
rememberanything."
WhiletherearepeopleinTurinwhoturntothechurchtocombatdemons,thereareotherswhopay
devotiontoSataninsecret,ritualisticceremonies.
Ruatasaysdevilworshipershaverobbedchurchesofhosts,thebreadconsecratedfortheEucharist,and
otherobjectsforusein"blackMasses."
GianluigiMarianini,aTurintelevisionpersonality,politicalfigureanddemonologist,claimsthecityhas
40,000satanicfollowers.
"TheonesI'veknownareeverydaypeople,"saysMarianini,71,strokinghiswhitegoatee."Theydon'tgive
anyoutwardsignofanything.Theyjusthavethisdarkcorneroftheirlives.Theyareusuallypeoplewhoare
frustratedwiththeirlivesandchoosethisparallelreligionoutofdisillusionment."
Dembech,theauthor,disputesthe40,000figure.

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