I Need an Old Priest and a Young Priest

Today's Los Angeles Times features an article on the Vatican's top exorcist(link requires registration), Fr. Gabriele Amorth.

My first thought on seeing this was 'how come he gets to be the top exorcist? Does the Vatican score these kind of things, in the same fighter pilots score their kills?' I read on a little further to find out that:

He co-founded the International Assn. of Exorcists, an organization of priests that meets in secrecy every two years, and he remains its president emeritus. Author of numerous books on the subject, he has had a hand in recruiting, training or inspiring most of today's exorcists.

On the one hand I find this vaguely amusing; I picture in my mind a union hall for the I.A.E Local 143, with a bunch of exorcists meeting to vote dollars for various local charities and maybe griping about the current rate per demon. Yet it sounds vaguely sinister as well, what with Fr. Amorth founding a secret society - sounds almost like a plot for a movie or book.

All told, an interesting article. I imagine that most people who are believe they are possessed are in fact in need of medical care. On the other hand, I admit to a belief that evil can manifest itself in this world in a tangible form (I assume that's my Irish Catholic background at work.)