Vatican launches exorcism training course as demand for priests with skills to tackle demonic possession rises

The Vatican is launching a new international exorcism training course in response to a growing demand for priests skilled in tackling demonic possession.

A week-long course on exorcism will be held in April at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, a Catholic educational institute in Rome.

In 2011, the Catholic Church warned that a surge in Satanism, facilitated by the internet, had led to a sharp rise in the demand for exorcism, and a six-day conference on the subject took place at the institute.