A Catholic priest in Ukraine is reportedly preparing to conduct an exorcism ritual to free Russian President Vladimir Putin from “an evil spirit” he believes is motivating the leader’s actions.
Father Tykhon Kulbaka reportedly took to Facebook Feb. 25 to announce plans to combat Putin with a daily exorcism rite.
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“As of today, I am committed to performing the exorcism ritual daily aimed at Vladimir Putin,” Kulbaka said, according to CNS and The Pilot. “I believe that an evil spirit may inspire the actions of this man.”
Exorcism is a spiritual effort to drive out evil from individuals believed to be afflicted by demonic influence. The end goal is to free a person from the sway — or in some cases the total control — of these sinister forces.
Kulbaka purportedly made it clear he believes Putin requires this sort of spiritual intervention to stop some of his diabolical actions.
“I ask the merciful God either to free this person from demonic influence and make them renounce evil and stand up for good (or) destroy such a devil bodily so that the soul may be saved in the day of the Lord,” he purportedly wrote. “I will be happy if one of the fellow priests joins me. Also, I would be delighted if some of the faithful supported us, the priests, in the way available to them.”
It should be noted that there are two forms of exorcism in the Catholic Church: a major and a minor exorcism. The former is the type with which most people are familiar.
“While both forms of exorcism are directed against the power of the devil, the Rite of Major Exorcism is employed only when there is a case of genuine demonic possession, namely, when it is determined that the presence of the devil is in the body of the possessed and the devil is able to exercise dominion over that body,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops noted.
The latter — a minor exorcism — is a prayer used to try and “break the influence of evil and sin” in a person’s life. You can read more about that here.
The exorcism announcement comes as Putin continues to send Russian forces into Ukraine, killing innocents and dismantling cities and towns along the way in a shocking spectacle that has stunned the world.
This isn’t the first time Kulbaka has made headlines. He became well-known in 2014 when he was captured and faced mock executions in addition to being denied medical treatment. He was released after a few days, and his story gained much attention.
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