The Real Devil: Catholic Priest Recounts Chilling Encounters with Demons
Catholic priest Father Carlos Martins has spent 20 years performing exorcisms, cleansing people possessed by demons. He claims that he has come face-to-face with the Devil himself, and has witnessed countless horrors, including levitation, dramatic changes in facial features, and an aversion to God.
One of the most chilling encounters was with a middle-aged woman who, during an exorcism, suddenly threw a man over her head like a rag doll and then pointed her finger at a light switch, causing one of the screws to unscrew itself and enter her hand. She then struck Father Martins in the face with such force that he needed two surgeries to repair the damage.
Despite the horrors he has witnessed, Father Martins believes that the demonic behavior depicted in the famous 1973 film “The Exorcist” is accurate, except for the three hundred sixty-degree head turn by the possessed. He has written about his experiences in his new book, “The Exorcist Files: True Stories About the Reality of Evil and How to Defeat It.”
Father Martins has also recounted the stories of his battles with demons, including an encounter with a childless woman who became obsessed with collecting dead insects and animals, which she believed would help her become pregnant. After performing an exorcism, she was cleansed, and Father Martins wrote, “In the end, it took the pain, humiliation, and powerlessness of demonic possession to convince Cheryl to look to God—rather than motherhood—for meaning.”
Another of his encounters was with a firefighter who, during a blackout, would experience strange and unexplained injuries. After performing the Catholic Church’s Rite of Exorcism, the young man was freed from the demon’s grasp.
Father Martins has also spoken about the importance of moral certainty before performing an exorcism, which involves a variety of prayers, including the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and the Athanasian Creed, with the priest using holy water and a cross.
Despite the horrors he has witnessed, Father Martins remains committed to his work, saying, “Though it is a joy to do this work, I have never enjoyed meeting the Devil and his minions.”
