Some spiritual troubles require exorcism - Pope Francis

Pope Francis has said that some spiritual problems require an exorcist. This he said at a hearing of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary on Friday.

According to him, one of the three tribunals of the Roman Curia or Vatican administration, the Penitentiary has jurisdiction over issues such as the confession of sins.

The pontiff in a statement from the Vatican was quoted as saying that;

"In cases in which the confessor were to become aware of the presence of real and actual spiritual disturbances ... he must not hesitate to turn to ... exorcists."

The confessor should first rule out the possibility that the person is afflicted by psychological problems "through a healthy collaboration with the human sciences" before deciding that the problem is due to "supernatural circumstances" and turning to an exorcist, Francis said.

In a letter by then-cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1985 to bishops, he stated that Catholic priests must be "endowed with piety, knowledge, prudence and integrity of life" before being allowed to conduct exorcisms.