The Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, has issued a stern warning against a purported “exorcism” that is scheduled for live television broadcast on October 30. The “Destination America” cable channel has announced that an exorcism will be aired on Friday night, from the St. Louis home associated with the story that formed the basis for the William Blatty novel, The Exorcist, and the film with the same name. The St. Louis archdiocese issued a statement to clarify that it is “not involved in this dangerous endeavor.” Bishop Robert Hermann, a St. Louis auxiliary, remarked: “We cannot play games with Satan and expect to win.” Bishop Hermann said that an exorcism can only be attempted under the authority of the local Catholic diocese, and Archbishop Robert Carlson has not given his permission for this event. The archdiocesan statement said that the staging of an exorcism for entertainment purposes “trivializes this ancient rite of the Roman Catholic Church and the very real danger of evil.” The statement continued: Anyone involved in this production who claims to be a member of the Catholic clergy is not affiliated with the Archdiocese of St. Louis nor are they operating under the authority of the Vatican. Destination America announced that the exorcism would be conducted by Bishop James Long, a former Catholic seminarian who now claims to lead the schismatic “Old Catholic Church” in the St. Louis area. Long is also the founder of the Paranormal Clergy Institute, whose leadership team includes two men who style themselves as shamans.

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