Catholic Church reports significant rise in requests for exorcisms in the U.S.

Requests for Catholic exorcisms are increasing across the United States, according to church officials and scholars, even as overall church attendance continues to decline. Priests trained to perform the ritual say they are struggling to keep up with demand, while the Catholic Church emphasizes careful evaluation and mental health screening in the vast majority of cases.

According to reporting by The Baltimore Sun, the number of officially trained Catholic exorcists in the U.S. has grown from roughly two dozen about 15 years ago to around 150 today. Despite that growth, demand is still outpacing capacity.

Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a Washington, D.C.-based priest and licensed psychologist, told the newspaper that exorcists are overwhelmed by the volume of requests. “We’re getting more and more people needing an exorcism,” Rossetti said. “There are only about 150 exorcists in the country, and they’re being flooded with requests, including from many desperate people pleading for assistance. We can’t keep up with the demand now — and it’s only going to get worse.”

Exorcism, as defined by the Catholic Church, is a formal prayer ritual in which a trained priest invokes the Holy Spirit to expel demonic forces believed to be afflicting a person. Church officials stress, however, that confirmed cases of demonic possession are extremely rare. Screenings conducted by clergy and medical professionals indicate that more than 99% of people who believe they are possessed are actually experiencing mental health conditions.

Grant Kaplan, a theology professor at St. Louis University, said the Church takes a deliberately cautious approach. “The Church doesn’t allow just anyone to perform exorcisms,” Kaplan told Straight Arrow News. “There’s specific training and an understanding of what’s involved. It’s a dangerous realm, so they’re careful to avoid abuse or misunderstanding.”

Before an exorcism is authorized, priests typically explore other pastoral and medical responses, including counseling and the Anointing of the Sick. Kaplan said this process reflects a long-standing effort by the Church to balance spiritual beliefs with modern medicine.

“There’s a tendency to reinterpret biblical exorcisms as modern mental or physical health issues,” Kaplan said. “But Catholic teaching maintains that supernatural phenomena like demonic possession can’t always be reduced to biochemical explanations.”

The renewed interest in exorcism comes at a time when Catholic Mass attendance remains low. Recent polling suggests that about 13% of Catholics seldom or never attend church. Kaplan described this as a paradox, noting that fascination with the supernatural appears to be rising even as institutional religious participation declines.

“Religious observance has dropped, but trends among young people are starting to show a rebound, especially after COVID,” he said.

Kaplan pointed to broader cultural and sociological factors to explain the phenomenon. He referenced thinkers such as Harvey Cox, who predicted declining religiosity as science advanced, and Max Weber, who described modern society as increasingly “disenchanted,” or stripped of belief in the supernatural.

“Despite fewer churches and lower attendance, people still seek a sense of magic,” Kaplan said. “People want to live in an enchanted world, even if it’s not always positive.”

Mental health challenges may also play a role. Kaplan noted that while medications and therapy help many people, others feel their struggles are not fully resolved through clinical treatment alone.

“From a mental health perspective, while medications help many, some people feel their struggles are more complicated and can’t be solved chemically,” he said. “If they’re not finding relief, some may look to spiritual explanations, including demonic influence.”

Popular culture has further fueled interest. Kaplan cited films such as The Conjuring and renewed attention to the real-life 1949 St. Louis exorcism that inspired The Exorcist. A forthcoming book, Theology of a Diary: The 1949 St. Louis Exorcism, based on the original priest’s journals, has generated additional attention, particularly because much of the historical event took place at St. Louis University.

Kaplan also connected this fascination to a broader cultural openness to supernatural beliefs. He noted that interest in phenomena such as UFOs has reached historically high levels, suggesting that many people continue to search for meaning beyond strictly scientific explanations.

While requests for exorcisms continue to grow, Church leaders maintain that caution remains paramount. Mental health evaluation, theological training, and strict oversight remain central to the process, reflecting an effort to respond compassionately to human suffering without reinforcing fear or misunderstanding.