Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican’s chief exorcist
Yoga is the work of the devil, says Vatican’s chief exorcist
Father Gabriel Amorth has carried out more than 70,000 exorcisms in his capacity as Chief Exorcist at the Vatican.
The 85-year-old can boast 25 years in the post after being appointed by the late Pope John Paul II.
At a conference today, he surprised the delegates by revealing some of his greatest dislikes – yoga and Harry Potter.
Father Amorth, a colourful and often outspoken personality, said:’Practising yoga brings evil as does reading Harry Potter. They may both seem innocuous but they both deal with magic and that leads to evil.’
He added:’Yoga is the Devil’s work. You thing you are doing it for stretching your mind and body but it leads to Hinduism. All these oriental religions are based on the false belief of reincarnation.’
Father Amorth, speaking on the subject of People And Religion at a fringe event at the Umbria Film Festival in Terni, spoke of his distaste for JK Rowling’s young wizard.
He said:’People think it is an innocuous book for children but it’s about magic and that leads to evil. In Harry Potter the Devil is at work in a cunning and crafty way, he is using his extraordinary powers of magic and evil.
‘Satan is always hidden and the thing he desires more than anything is for people to believe he does not exist. He studies each and everyone of us and our tendencies towards good and evil and then he tempts us.
‘My advice to young people would be to watch out for nightclubs because the path is always the same: alcohol, sex, drugs and Satanic sects.’
It is not the first time that Father Amorth has raised eyebrows with his forthright views – last year he said that the ongoing child sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church were evidence that ‘the Devil was at work in the Vatican.’
While in 2006, Father Amorth, who was ordained a priest in 1954, gave an interview to Vatican Radio in which he said that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Russian dictator Josef Stalin were both possessed by the Devil.
According to secret Vatican documents recently released the then wartime Pope Pius XII attempted a ‘long distance exorcism’ of Hitler but it failed to have any effect.
It is also not the first time that Father Amorth, who is president of the International Association of Exorcists, has spoken out against Harry Potter saying in the past that it opens children’s minds to dabbling with the occult and black magic.
Today Vanda Vanni, of the Italian Yoga Association, said:’A Satanic practice? Pardon the pun but that is an accusation that is neither in Heaven or on earth. Father Amorth’s accusation is completely without foundation.
‘It is an outrageous thing to say – yoga is not a religion but a spiritual discipline. It is about freedom and a search to find one’s inner self. It does not touch religion and has nothing to do with Satanic sects nor does it encourage people to join them.
Giorgio Furlan, who runs the Yoga Academy in Rome, said`:’There are some paths of yoga which do lead towards Hinduism but other paths are more philosophical but their is no direct link with religion and certainly no link with Satanism.
‘To say such things shows you have no idea of what you are talking about – yoga controls violent impulses of the nervous system and subconscious – to be honest with me it had the effect of bringing me closer to Christianity and in particular the Catholic Church which I had abandoned as a youngster.
Dec 02, 2011 @ 15:11:18
OK, let me see if I get this straight. Harry Potter is of the devil because of magic and spells. Got it. Yet most fundies I know like the Narnia series, and I have even met a few who refer to the whole wonderful FANTASY series as an allegory. Even though it has magic, spells, magic rings, talking animals, all the things that they hate Harry for. Ummm….yeah. Makes perfect sense to me, guys. (And just for the record, I happened to think Harry Potter a little….meh, but hey, anything that gets kids reading and discussing and being as creative as Harry did, well, I am all for it!)
Dec 02, 2011 @ 21:14:34
The rantings of an old man still clinging to ancient myths……
Dec 04, 2011 @ 09:41:56
I first read the line as “Yoda is the work of the devil, etc.” and I was not surprised.
Dec 04, 2011 @ 14:20:14
Rom 5:12-21
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
NIV
Dec 05, 2011 @ 09:51:31
Not surprising. The Vatican has long desired to reclaim its stranglehold on superstitious nonsense.
Dec 21, 2011 @ 21:24:11
If yoga is the “devils work” being critisized by an old, delutional liar for jebus wearing a dress, I’m starting yoga right away!!!!!!!!!!!!
The title “Chief Exorcist of the Vatican” immediately calls into question this man’s qualifications as anything resembling an “authority” on anything resembling reality. I find it hard to believe these liars continue to invade places like Africa, prey on innocent peoples (who are obviously mentally challenged or sick) and proclaim they are “healed” via Jesus. Only the ignorant in poor, third world countries would fall for this bullshit. Instead of Africa, try bringing your bullshit to the mental health ward of any hospital in America or Britain and performing an “exorcism” to heal one of the patients. I guarantee you’ll be locked up with the rest of the patients on the ward.
To those Christian trolls who comment here, sad to say you are just as ignorant as the victims of this assholes’ “exorcisms”. Utterly deviod of any facts or reason, you continue to quote a 2000 year old book of fables while pretending you have an imaginary friend at your back. Silly and childish. I’m ashamed at the progress of homo sapien evolution. Perhaps after abandoning this religious foolishness then, and only then, can our species move beyond the stasis we are currently trapped in.