A Catholic priest who has spent two decades performing exorcisms has detailed some of the cases that have convinced him the Devil is real.
Father Carlos Martins has built up his unusual skillset through almost two decades of ministry, teaching and working in exorcisms, with his career earning him the title of an 'expert' on exorcism, demonology, and spiritual warfare, according to his website.
The priest has been credited with 'freeing people all over the world' through his work, but there are certain exorcisms he's performed that have left a bigger mark on him than most.
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An exorcism turned violent
During one ordeal, Martins claimed he witnessed a woman grab one of the men who had been tasked with trying to 'restrain' her, and proceeded to throw him 'over her head as if he were a rag doll.'
To be fair, I'd get pretty angry if someone was trying to restrain me too, but it wouldn't necessarily be the work of the devil.
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That wasn't the only instance that convinced Martins, however, as he claimed the man was more than six feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds, meaning it would have been very unlikely the woman would have been able to throw him across the room.
Things only escalated from there, according to Martins' account, which has been cited by the Mail Online.
He continued: "The woman then pointed her finger at the nearest light switch on the wall, about twelve feet away. One of the screws holding the switch's cover plate unscrewed itself and darted into her open right hand through the air,.
"She drove it into her left forearm. Later, in the same session, she struck me in the face with such force that I needed two surgeries to repair the damage I sustained to my skull."
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Having witnessed what he did, Martins resolved: "The Devil is real."
A firefighter
Another instance which built on Martins' belief of the devil came when he encountered a firefighter, given the pseudonym Jeremy, who went to Father Martins' church when he was in his late 20s to look for help after he began experiencing blackouts and unexplained injuries.
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Martins has described how Jeremy was 'polite, soft-spoken, and gracious', prompting the priest to perform a variety of prayers to determine whether he was really possessed.
The priest also spoke with the firefighter about what had happened before the strange instances began occurring, and learned that when he was eight years old he had taken part in playing with a Ouija board.
Jeremy claimed he later saw a dark figure in his room, with Martins explaining: "The figure was so black that, although the lights were off, everything else in the room looked like it was in broad daylight. Besides being intensely black, the only additional detail he recalled was that it had a human body but a cat's head."
Jeremy claimed the figure offered to give him anything in return for his soul. He dreamed of becoming a firefighter.
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Martins recalled then giving Jeremy a book with a small drop of Holy Water on the cover, and claimed that when he touched it he 'shot up out of his chair and arched his upper body backward'.
Jeremy then allegedly shouted: "F**k you, priest! He is mine. He gave himself to me. You will never have him!"
Martins said he wanted to 'speak to Jeremy', to which the man responded with a slow laugh.
Martins then doubled down, saying: "In the name of Jesus, I command you to bring forth Jeremy." He then ordered Jeremy to 'claim Jesus as [his] Lord' and renounce the demon - an instruction that he says successfully banished the demon from his body.
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Martins has shared his experiences in his book, The Exorcist Files: True stories about the reality of evil and how to destroy it.
However, when looking back over his career, Martins admitted he would have enjoyed having a job in which he never encountered a single demon.
He said: "Though it is a joy to do this work, I have never enjoyed meeting the Devil and his minions."
Topics: Religion
Emily Brown