The Vatican is possessd by Satan, says the Pope’s exorcist

Amidst a string of child sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church, the Pope’s chief exorcist has claimed that the Vatican is possed by the devil.

Father Gabriel Amorth, 84, who has carried over 70,000 exorcisms in 50 years, said that Pope Benedict “fully agreed” with him in a “casting out evil”.

In the last few months, the Catholic Church have been jolted by a series of sex scandals in Holland, Ireland, and, most recently, Germany.

Italian priest Fr Amoth, who has conducted 70,000 exorcisms in his 50-year career, said: “His Holiness fully believes in casting out the evil.

“The Devil lives in the Vatican. Naturally it’s difficult to find proof but the true consequences are visible.

“We have cardinals who don’t believe in Christ, bishops connected with demons.

“Then we have these stories of paedophilia. You can see the rot when we speak of Satan’s smoke in the holy rooms of the Vatican.”

Fr Amorth thinks the 1981 attempted assassination on late Pope John Paul II and the recent attack on Benedict were the work of the Devil.

He also criticized JK Rowling books, saying: “Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness”.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI has defended celibacy among young priests, saying on Friday: “Celibacy is the sign of full devotion, the entire commitment to the Lord and to the ‘Lord’s business’, an expression of giving oneself to God and others”.

He defended ”the value of scared celibacy, which in the Latin Church is… required for ordination and is held in great regard by Eastern Churches”.

German Bishop Robert Zollitsch apologised again to the victims of abuse by German priests.