Hollywood challenges Father Amorth
Released on Wednesday May 10, 2023, The Vatican Exorcist is the new film by Julius Avery (Overlord, The Samaritan). The occasion for Russell Crowe to wear the tunic of Father Amorth, famous exorcist of the Catholic Church. Born on 1um May 1925 in Modena, Italy, Gabriel Love was an Italian Catholic priest, best known for being the Vatican’s “chief exorcist”. Died in 2016, he accomplished more than 70,000 exorcisms during his career.
Gabriele Amorth has written about twenty books on exorcisms. A controversial figure within the Catholic Church, criticized for his conservative views and traditional view of exorcism, he published two emblematic works that inspired The Vatican Exorcist : Tell an exorcist (1992) and New tales of an exorcist (1993).
The true story of Gabriele Amorth
Born into a very pious family, Gabriele Amorth enlisted during World War II in Italian resistance when he was only 18 years old. At the end of the war, he entered the Young Democratsof which he became, in 1947, at the age of 22, deputy national delegate. Degree in law, decides to devote himself completely to religion. He receives ordination in January 1954 from the hands of Ilario Roatta, bishop of Norcia.
In 1986, Father Amorth was named exorcist of the diocese of Rome of Cardinal Ugo Poletti. In a short time he becomes his assistant, to then succeed him as an exorcist in 1990. From 1986 to 2007 he performs among 50,000 and 70,000 exorcisms. In 2008, however, he claimed he had only met than a hundred cases in which his patients were actually possessed. The vast majority of cases were, according to him, victims of mental illness. Thanks to this Cartesian and nuanced vision of goods, Father Amorth worked closely with doctors and psychiatrists.
In 1991 Father Amorth founded the Italian Association of Exorcists, which quickly became the International Association of Exorcists. He served as president until his retirement in 2000, when he became honorary president for life of the association.
His relationship with horror cinema
Until his death in 2016, Gabriele Amorth said he fought against the devil every day of his life. A few years ago, during an interview with Sunday TelegraphHe said:
I talk to the devil every day. I speak to him in Latin. He answers in Italian. I fought with him, day after day, for 14 years.
His many exorcisms have obviously inspired pop culture and the seventh art. Gabriele Amorth has revealed in the past that his favorite film on the subject is without a doubt The exorcist (1973):
Sure, the special effects are over the top, but it’s a good movie and very accurate.
He was such a fan of William Friedkin’s film that he allowed the latter to do it film one of his exorcisms. In fact, in 2016, William Friedkin released a documentary about Father Amorth titled The Devil and Father Amorth. During filming, and with the authorization of the Holy See, the director films, for the first time in history, a real exorcism session performed by Father Amorth on a 46-year-old woman. Gabriele Amorth died in 2016, at the age of 91 years oldduring the filming of William Friedkin, following pulmonary complications.
The Vatican Exorcist
The Vatican Exorcist is the first fiction centered on Father Amorth. With a budget of only $18 millionif Julius Avery’s film is a box office success, Sony Pictures is considering developing a full license on Gabriele Amorth.
We recall that the feature film is in fact inspired by the first two works by Gabriele Amorth and tells various events, some real and some fictitious. For example, Julius Avery dwells on real events such as the Spanish Inquisition and the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi (renamed Rosaria in the film). A disappearance that was even the focus of a Netflix documentary series: Emanuela Orlandi, the disappearance from the Vatican.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
