A shocking report out of Italy is generating newfound headlines and conjecture about demonic possession according to Faithwire. The story involves a 28-year-old woman (though The Times reported her age to be 26) who purportedly went through a nine-hour exorcism Sunday after attacking a priest during confession.
The situation is said to have unfolded when the woman went to the Church of Saint Mary of Mount Berico in Vicenza, Italy, with family members, the Corriere del Veneto reported.
According to a report from The Times, Police and medics alerted by startled worshippers were asked to wait outside the Church of St Mary of Mount Berico in Vincenza, northeast Italy, during the intense prayer ritual that ended when the woman fell into a deep sleep.
The exorcist was assisted by monks as he repeatedly prayed at the side of the woman, with a second priest giving advice remotely by video. “This was a truly genuine case of possession,” Father Carlo Rossato, the rector, said.
According to more details from the Daily Mail, witnesses said the unnamed woman began to scream and swear inside the basilica and spoke in different voices and languages, including Latin.
The woman ran through the confession rooms on the ground floor of the church, slapped her mother, and attacked the priest running the confession, according to local news reports. Four friars reportedly intervened and held a nine-hour-long exorcism for the woman, who they claimed was possessed by the devil.
The exorcism did not finish until 8.30 pm when the woman collapsed and was taken home by her parents and younger brother, local media reported. Father Rossato said: ‘It was a real possession and it was only in the evening that the situation was resolved when the girl physically collapsed.’