Cha1¡ws R. Meyer
Speak. of the Devtl Fr. Meyer sets one of the most ancient of man's religious beliefs against the background of our current scientijic mythology.
William Blatty's book The Exo1¡cist was on the best-seller list for over a year because it brought into focus a question that haunts the peripheral consciousness of even today's highly sophisticated man. The movie based on it was a huge financial success for the same reason. But even more telling was the reaction of so many people who refused to see the movie or read the book because, as many openly admitted, they were afraid. The proliferation of books, movies, shops and even college courses dealing with the occult is the best indicator of popular interest in the subject and demand for information or titillation; and, of course, from time immemorial such matters have been the concern, if not the stock-inCtrade, of religion, and in a particular way of Roman Catholicism. I t is a "bit ironie that at the very time interest in the devil is mounting in American society if not in the world at large the ¡new Roman ritual has chastened its references to his Satanic 1\'[ajesty and the church has eliminated from its ministry the ancient order of exorcist! Every parish priest is aware of the fact that his people exhibit even today quite a bit of interest in the devil. Among the throngs at the showing of The Exorcist in theater after theater were great numbers of Catholics. If the movie was not billed as a "Catholic picture" at least those who saw it realized that the Catholic Church alone seemed able to cope with the evil menace around which the plot was constructed. So rectory 7