Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. Today is Day 4 of Blogtober. I hope you are enjoying the blogs so far. Today, we are talking about the very famous case of Anneliese Michel, otherwise known as ‘Emily Rose’ in Hollywood. Let's get into the blog.
**** WARNING: IF YOU ARE RELIGIOUS OR TRIGGERED BY EXORCISM AND RELIGIOUS FAITH, PLEASE USE DISCRETION WHEN READING THIS BLOG****
"Men are so beastly stupid! They believe that after death all is finished. But life goes on, either up or down" –Adolf Hitler
I would normally post a quote from spiritual or positive people. When you read on, you’ll see why I posted this quote from this evil man.
Anneliese Michel was born on September 21, 1952, in Leiblfing, Bavaria West Germany to a Roman Catholic family. She was raised with her three sisters by her parents Josef and Anna. Anneliese was religious and went to mass twice a week. When she was sixteen, she suffered a seizure convulsion and was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. In June 1970, Anneliese suffered a third seizure at a psychiatric hospital where she has been staying. She had been prescribed anti-convulsion drugs for the first time, including Dilantin (to treat and prevent seizures), but, the medication didn’t alleviate any problems. That same month, she was prescribed another medication called Aolept, similar to chlorpromazine (treats mental illness behavioral disorders, tetanus, blood disorders, severe nausea, and vomiting) and is used in the treatment of various psychosis including schizophrenia, disturbed behavior, and delusions. She Joined the University of Wurzburg in 1973. Her classmates described her as withdrawn and very religious.
In 1973, Anneliese suffered from depression and began hallucinating while praying. She complained of hearing voices telling her she was “damned” and would “rot in hell.” Her treatment in the Psyche hospital didn’t help or improve her health, it worsened her depression. Long-term treatment also didn’t help, and she grew increasingly frustrated with medical intervention. She began to point it to demonic possession. She became narrow-minded of sacred Christian places and objects such as churches and crucifixes. Anneliese went to San Damiano with a family friend, who regularly organized Christian journeys. Her escort concluded that she was suffering demonic possession because she was physically unable to walk past a crucifix and refused to drink the water of a holy spring.
Anneliese told me—and Frau Hein confirmed this—that she was unable to enter the shrine. She approached it with the greatest hesitation, then said that the soil burned like fire and she simply could not stand it. She then walked around the shrine in a wide arc and tried to approach it from the back. She looked at the people who were kneeling in the area surrounding the little garden, and it seemed to her that while praying they were gnashing their teeth. She got as far as the edge of the little garden, then she had to turn back. Coming from the front again, she had to avert her glance from the picture of Christ [in the chapel of the house]. She made it several times to the garden but could not get past it. She also noted that she could no longer look at medals or pictures of saints; they sparkled so immensely that she could not stand it. —Father Alt
Both Anneliese and her family became convinced and began consulting priests asking for an exorcism. The priests declined and recommended to continue medical treatment. Priests informed the family that exorcisms required the bishop’s permission. In the Catholic Church, official approval for an exorcism is given when the person strictly meets the set criteria such as an intense dislike for religious objects and obtain ‘supernatural powers.’ Anneliese worsened physically, showing aggression, self-injury, drinking her own urine and eating mice and insects. Father Earnest Alt, who is quoted above, stated that she ‘didn’t look like an epileptic.’ Father trusts that she was suffering from demonic depression and urged the local bishop to allow an exorcism. Anneliese wrote a letter to Father Alt in 1973. In the letter she stated:
"I am nothing; everything about me is vanity. What should I do? I have to improve. You pray for me" and also once told him, "I want to suffer for other people...but this is so cruel.”
In September of 1975, Bishop Josef Stangl granted Father Arnold Renz permission to exorcise but ordered total secrecy. Father Renz performed the first exorcism on September 24, 1975. Anneliese began talking increasingly about ‘dying to atone for the wayward youth of the day and the apostate priests of the modern church.’ Anneliese refused to eat towards the end of her life. Her parents stopped consulting doctors on Anneliese’s request and relied solely on her exorcisms. Over the course of ten months from 1975-1976, sixty-seven exorcism was performed; one or two being performed each week and lasting up to four hours each. On July 1, 1976, Anneliese died in her home. The autopsy report stated the cause of death was malnutrition and dehydration due to being in a semi-starvation state for almost a year, while her exorcisms were being completed. At death, Anneliese weighed 68 pounds (30 kilograms) and suffered broken knees due to the continuous genuflecting. She was unable to move without assistance and reported to have contracted pneumonia.
In 1976, the State charged Anneliese’s parents, Father Alt, and Father Renz with negligent homicide. Anneliese’s body was exhumed and taped were played to the court of the exorcisms over the ten months that led to her death. The State recommended that no involved parties be jailed. The recommended sentence for the parties was a fine, while the prosecution determined that the parents should be exempt from the punishment as they had ‘suffered enough.’
The trial started March 30, 1978. Before the court, doctors testified that Anneliese was not possessed, stating that it was a psychological effect. Her parent’s lawyer, Erich Schmit-Leichner, said that the exorcism was legal and that the German Constitution protected citizens in the unrestricted exercise of their religious beliefs. The defense played the tapes that were recorded at the exorcisms. Both Father Alt and Father Renz said some of the demons identified themselves as Lucifer, Cain, Judas Iscariot, Hitler, and Nero, among others. Both priests have stated that Anneliese finally felt freed because of the exorcism, just before her death.
With the tapes being played, the recorded evidence produced what was said during the exorcisms. The demons mentioned above said some pretty disturbing things. I will post some below. But just a word of caution, some of what was said is controversial. It may make you hold your breath. I know while researching this case, I held mine.
Lucifer said:
"I want to conquer the earth for myself. In the meantime, I make a rich booty. I am filling up my kingdom. I take whatever I can take, I must convince you of this".
"The majority have abandoned the Nazarene. How foolish! Those still faithful are a small flock".
"I took Judas with me! He is always at my service. He is damned. He could have saved himself, but he has not followed the Nazarene".
"The enemies of the Church belong to us".
"O, if you had an idea of how things stand below! The visionary children of Fatima have seen it. If you had an idea..... you would be on your knees day and night at the tabernacle. I had to say it because the High Lady compels me to". The 'High Lady' refers to Our Lady.
Nero said:
"You should follow the message of Fatima!"
"Humanae Vitae is decisive, the whole Humanae Vitae!"
"The rosary should be recited, or else it is the end!"
Miscellaneous things the demons said:
"The modernists are killing the Church. We are hard at work at this".
"No one speaks any longer of us, especially the parish priests".
"The bishops are so foolish as to believe the theologians like Kung rather than the Pope."
"This is the month of the rosary but very few recite it because the parish priests think it's not modern. They are so foolish! If they knew its importance! It is a strong weapon against Satan and against us."
Nero said, "The Dutch bishops are heretics. They have become unfaithful to the Pope!"
"Catholics have the true doctrine and they run after the Protestants like prostitutes!"
"There in the synods, they continue to deliberate. The bishops already know what they should do. There would be no need of synods if they followed the Pope. For them the Pope is foolish! They are those who let that thing (the host) be given in the hands!"
"The doctrine is falsified in the Church!"
"Many do not go to church any longer. No one kneels down to the Blessed Sacrament. And the Church is not doing well since the time it was founded. The churches are so modern! The Nazarene and His Mother are now attacking!"
"People should go to confession".
There are more to post but I feel like this was enough to stomach
The Bishop stated he was not aware of Anneliese’s health condition when he approved the exorcism. The accused were found guilty of manslaughter resulting from negligence and were sentenced to six months in jail (which was later suspended) and three years of probation. It was a lighter sentence than anticipated, but it was requested by the prosecution that the priests only be fined, and the parents be found guilty but not punished. According to Judge John M. Duffy, the case was a misidentification of mental illness.
This case inspired the movie, ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’
That wraps up Day four of Blogtober. Stay tuned for Day 5 tomorrow. Tomorrow's blog still haunts me that this case happened somewhat close to home and it is still unsolved.