Nine clergymen of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church were defrocked for conducting exorcisms without a corresponding blessing. This decision was made by Pope Francis on the proposal of Metropolitan Basil (Semenyuk). Ejected from their dignity are forbidden in the ministry, and, moreover, they are deprived of the right to wear monastic vestments. 'His Holiness Father Francis approved the decrees of Archbishop and Metropolitan Vasily (Semenyuk) on the deprivation of the monastic rank of nine monks. These persons are former members of the monastery of St. Theodore the Studite in the village of Kolodiyivka, Ternopil region,' the official website of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church comments on the incident. Let us recall that Western Christians have strictly formalized the rituals of exorcising unclean spirits since the beginning of the 17th century; only clergy who have undergone special training and have received the blessing of the ruling bishop have the right to perform them. In Rome, at the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum, there are even special courses for clergy to train exorcists. At the same time, the international association of exorcist priests has the status of a voluntary association of believers and is not formally included in the structure of the Catholic Church.
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