Young people are increasingly feeling a sense of spiritual affliction and are turning to the church for guidance, the Archbishop of Hobart, Julian Porteous, told Sydney Catholic youth.
The special guest speaker at the Archdiocese of Sydney’s latest “Fidelis” event sees a deeper spiritual search among many young Catholics.
But they are not always best-served by sensational material on “spiritual warfare” they encounter online.
“They are aware of living in a world with many distractions and temptations, and they feel the need for a stronger spiritual foundation, which is a very encouraging sign,” he said, speaking to The Catholic Weekly before “Fidelis” at Campion College in Toongabbie.
There is a “lot more” spiritual affliction today because society has “abandoned Christianity to a large extent and people have dabbled in various neo-pagan spiritualities and things,” he added.
Unlike the late Fr Gabriele Amorth and Fr Chad Ripperger—celebrity exorcists who attracted large followings with their open discussions of warfare with demons—Archbishop Porteous said he prefers to tap into young people’s interest in the topic by focusing on the basics of Christian life.
“Certainly, there is a national curiosity around demonic possession and exorcism as it’s all a bit esoteric and engages people’s fascination,” Archbishop Porteous told The Catholic Weekly.
“While it’s not wrong to talk about that, rather than these very exceptional circumstances the focus should be on our own struggles to be faithful to Christ in the face of various forms of temptation, and how we can resist temptation and engage effectively spiritually against it.”
More than 200 people gathered for cocktails and canapes at Campion on 28 August before the archbishop’s address: “Spiritual Warfare: Fact or Fiction?”
He then joined Campion President Dr Paul Morrissey for a panel discussion.
The young Catholics were interested to know how to help their friends with addictions, how to discern the spiritual safety of books, movies and other media, at what point looking after the body might become selfish or prideful, and about the reality of evil.
The archbishop shared the church’s teaching that temptation is a daily reality for Christians and comes from either “the world, the flesh or the devil.”
He encouraged them to develop their personal prayer life and a devotion to Mary, attend Mass and Eucharistic adoration, make regular confessions and read the Scriptures.
In 2012, Archbishop Porteous published a manual of prayers for minor exorcisms, to assist priests in situations where “where the possibility of the presence and activity of demonic spirits is suggested.”
While he has performed major exorcisms “a couple of times” he said he would not consider himself an exorcist and would always seek input from a mental health professional before proceeding with one.
Sydney Catholic Youth Team Leader Milad Khalil said he was pleased with young Catholics’ continuing engagement with the Fidelis events.
“We are seeing a generation of real critical thinkers emerging, who are discovering sooner than later that there exists a very real and definite difference between good and evil, and discerning within themselves which of these two masters they will serve,” he said.
“They are seeking the wisdom of the church and the saints to guide them towards a life of virtue. This is why topics such as this are proving very popular.”
Attendee Patrick Harrison said he appreciated being reminded to “come back to the basics of the inherently simple Catholic faith.”