'''Father Gabriele Amorth''' (born May 1, 1925, died September 16, 2016) is was an [[Italian]] [[Catholic]] [[priest]], exorcist and author.
Gabriele Amorth was born in [[Modena, Italy]] in 1925.
He is was the official [[exorcist]] of the [[Vatican]] in the diocese of [[Rome]]. He became an exorcist in 1986 under the tutelage of Father [[Candido Amantini]]<ref>''An Exorcist:More Stories'', Gabriele Amorth, Ignatius Press, 2000, page 9</ref> and states that he has personally carried out over 30,000 exorcisms. Father Amorth is the president of honour of the International Association of Exorcists<ref>[http://www.messengersaintanthony.com/messaggero/pagina_articolo.asp?IDX=174IDRX=56 ''The Exorcist'', Renzo Allegri, A Messanger of St. Anthony]</ref> which he and several others founded in 1990. He was the official president of the organization until 2000. He is a member of the Society of St. Paul, the Congregation founded by [[James Alberione]] in 1914.<ref>[http://www.messengersaintanthony.com/messaggero/pagina_articolo.asp?IDX=174IDRX=56 ''The Exorcist'', Renzo Allegri, A Messanger of St. Anthony]</ref>
Father Amorth takes took exorcisms very seriously. "It is very important today because there are so many requests for them," he said. "People have lost the faith," he said, "and superstition, magic, Satanism, or Ouija boards have taken its place, which then open all the doors to the presence of demons."<ref>[http://ncregister.com/site/article/508 National Catholic Register, Vatican exorcist: Hitler Knew the Devil, Edward Pentin, October 26, 2006.]</ref> Father Amorth also believes it is possible that [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Karl Marx]] and [[Josef Stalin]] may have been influenced by [[demonic spirits]] so as to effect millions of people by evil. He has also stated that "behind [[Harry Potter]] hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil", as the popular notorious children's books supposedly attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic.
The London Sunday Telegraph has reported that Amorth's favorite movie is ''The Exorcist'' - which deals with the exorcism of a demon from a young girl, which itself was based on a real-life exorcism performed in the 1950s in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]].
Father Amorth says said that people may need an exorcism after becoming spiritually possessed or obsessed after taking part in satanic rituals, fortune telling, practicing magic, using astrology and being cursed.<ref>''An Exorcist: More Stories'', Gabriele Amorth, Ignatius Press, 2000.</ref> On curses he states that, "A curse can originate from such things as maledictions by close relatives, a habit of blaspheming, membership in freemasonry, spiritic or magic practices, and so on."<ref>''An Exorcist: More Stories'', Gabriele Amorth, Ignatius Press, 2000, page 115.</ref> In his book ''An Exorcist Tells his Story'' he calls demons "Satan's monkeys".
== References ==