Parents, media attack priest who removed Harry Potter from school library on exorcists’ advice
by Claire Chretien, LifeSite:
A Catholic parochial school has drawn international media attention after its pastor removed the Harry Potter series from its library, citing the concerns of several exorcists.
The Washington Post, The Guardian, Business Insider, and Newsweek all published articles on an email Father Dan Reehil wrote to faculty at St. Edward Catholic School providing them with his detailed reasons for removing the books. The Telegraph produced an article about the history of “Harry Potter-inspired ‘satanic panic.’”
The Washington Post breathlessly reported on the concerns expressed by “parents” in “an anonymous letter,” which “suggested that the decision raised larger questions about the priest’s ‘fringe’ views and his ability to ‘critically assess and discern fact from fiction,’ and complained that the decision had been made unilaterally without input from parents or other school administrators.”
However, the reasons Fr. Reehil gave for removing the books are some of the same reasons Pope Benedict XVI and various exorcists, including the late chief Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth, have cautioned against the series.
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception,” wrote Fr. Reehil. “The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells, which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”
Read also: Priest pulls Harry Potter books from school for ‘curses’ and ‘spells’ by Jules Gomes, Rebel Priest
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