Vatican offers exorcism courses... for real!!

CNN.com - Vatican offers exorcism courses - Feb 17, 2005

A Vatican-linked university is offering courses on Satanism, black magic and exorcism, in a bid to educate clergy and seminarians about the lure of the devil.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/02/17/vatican.satinism.
ap/index.html

Now that's when one knows that the "Gods must have fallen on thei heads!" The mighty catholic church reverting to teachings of exorcism and magic? This after all the fuss the religious right in Europe and the USA caused with the characters and story of Harry Potter, and their evilness, and their (alleged) glorification of black magic. It seems like some phenomenons in the youth such as the Goth movement, and actual Satanist Clubs have gotten the mighty Rome shaking!

Now, don't get me wrong, I am personally against black magic, and other forms of harmful witchcraft, and all their stereotypical corollaries of Satanism, murders, and grave-digging. That said, I cannot help but feel that the church is resorting to somewhat of a laughable anachronism to deal with the issue. But then, I am not a Cardinal or a Bishop, so what do I know? In the mean time, actions like this one by the Holy See (or in this case its dependencies) make it hard on those of us who are trying to quell the abuses created by new forms of witch-hunt in places like Congo. In Congo, as a result of desperation, due to the instability in the country, war, poverty, disease, hunger, and the resulting proliferation of churches, some children are literally thrown out of their homes, by their parents. They are abandonned to the streets, for the simple fact that some pastor, priest or religious guru has declared that they are possessed by a demon, and they are the cause of the family's plight. These are desperate acts, in a desperate situation, and a change in the situation in the country would probably help quell the problem in the long run. But for now, this new catholic curriculum could be seen as a vindication for these wrongful acts... I wonder.