Whether or not you go along with the theology of the Church of Rome and its belief in "a Devil", it is still rather instructive to note that the Vatican's chief exorcist, Gabriele Amorth, believes that "the Devil is at work inside the Vatican".

Amorth, a seasoned exorcist and president of honour of the Association of Exorcists, seems highly skeptical of the spiritual condition of the Vatican. He has been the Vatican's chief exorcist for 25 years and has handled some 70,000 cases of alleged demonic possession.

Amorth's comments can't be going over well with the Pope. In 1998 the Vatican published De Exorcismus et Supplicationibus Quibusdam (Concerning Exorcisms and Certain Supplications). The document reflects the traditional Catholic conviction that the Devil is alive and well and on the prowl - it's just that his beat doesn't normally include the Holy See, at least in the opinion of insiders.

According to Amorth the Devil's recruits include no less than top clergy in the Vatican itself.

The chief exorcist regards the abuse scandal, clerical pedophilia and stories of violence as evidence that evil has infiltrated the inner sanctuaries of Catholicism. He said: "When one speaks of 'the smoke of Satan' [a phrase coined by Pope Paul VI in 1972] in the holy rooms, it is all true – including these latest stories of violence and pedophilia." He goes further to assert that some of the clergy are in the grip of Satan: "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon".

Amorth also raised the "cover-up" over Swiss Guard deaths in 1998 as an example of 'satanic behavior'. Former commander of the Swiss Guard, Alois Estermann, his wife and a Swiss Guard named Cedric Tornay were all found shot dead in a case that has never been satisfactorily explained.

Timesonline notes that:

A remarkably swift Vatican investigation concluded that Corporal Tornay had shot the commander and his wife and then turned his gun on himself after being passed over for a medal. However Tornay's relatives have challenged this. There have been unconfirmed reports of a homosexual background to the tragedy and the involvement of a fourth person who was never identified.

Amorth's comment on the Church's handling of the affair was blunt and to the point: "They covered up everything immediately. Here one sees the rot."

Gabriele Amorth has just published Memoirs of an Exorcist based on a series of interviews with the Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti.

For story in full link to - Timesonline.