DUMAGUETE CITY -- At least two priests of the Diocese of Dumaguete are now ministering to some students of a school in the nearby island-province of Siquijor after they allegedly exhibited signs of “demonic possession.”
Fr. Ronnie Ablong, parish priest of Larena town, said Tuesday, October 16, he is assisting Fr. Gerry Flores of San Juan town in saying the necessary prayers and performing other religious rites on the students.
He, however, said they still could not conclude whether the incident was a result of demonic attacks or merely psychological in nature.
“Muagi man ni siya ug proseso sa pag evaluate mao nga dili usa ta mu conclude apan duna usab kitay giya aron makita kung trabaho ba kini sa devil (this will have to go through a process of evaluation so we won’t conclude yet although there are guidelines to follow to determine if this is, indeed, the work of the devil),” the priest said.
Reports on Monday said more than 10 students of a school on the island showed signs of being perturbed, appeared to be in a trance, and displayed other unusual behavior associated with demonic attacks.
According to Ablong, he still has to determine what could have triggered the incident, such as perhaps engaging in occult practices like the “Spirit of the Glass.”
“Once people are engaged in the occult, there are now openings that would make them vulnerable to demonic attacks,” he explained.
Other triggering events include a person living a sinful life and the absence of prayer in their lives, he said.
The priest added that a prayer of deliverance is done for mild cases while exorcism is performed for severe cases of demonic possession, which only a priest can do. (PNA)