By Nick Squires
Forty years after The Exorcist scared the wits out of cinema audiences around the world, the Catholic Church is training up a new generation of priests to meet a growing demand for exorcism.
Dioceses across Italy, as well as in countries such as Spain, are increasing the number of priests schooled in administering the rite of exorcism, fabled to rid people of possession by the Devil.
The rise in demonic cases is a result of more people dabbling in practices such as black magic, paganism, Satanic rites and Ouija boards, often exploring the dark arts with the help of information readily found on the internet, the church said.