The Crucifixion Page #2

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I suppose a lot like

your... how do you say...

- Halloween.

- Yes.

And how many nights will you be staying?

Can I kind of let you know as I go?

Yes, of course.

[indistinct chatter, laughter]

[man] By lighting the prayer

candles, we not only pray,

but our prayers become symbols

of the one light of Christ.

Light also affirms the power of goodness

over the darkness of evil.

I'm Father Anton.

Nicole Rawlins.

Is there someone you'd like to pray for?

Actually, I came in here

hoping to talk to you.

I saw you at Sister Marinescu's funeral.

You mind if I ask you a few questions?

Do you think Father Dumitru

was responsible for her death?

I don't think it would really

be fair for me to say anything,

because I wasn't there.

Do you think it would be fair to say

that if he truly felt she was possessed,

then it was his faith that killed her?

You sound like you don't

have a lot of faith in faith.

Faith is taught, it's not

something you're born with,

so whatever you end up

believing defines your actions.

Yes, but God gave you free will.

It's your choice to accept

those teachings or not.

There was a nun with brown

hair crying over the casket.

- Yes, Sister Vaduva.

- And the man standing next to her?

The man was Adelina's

brother, Stefan Marinescu.

- Do they live nearby?

- Yes.

He owns a vineyard north of town.

Sister Vaduva said that

"they" didn't kill her.

Is there something going on here that

the Church doesn't want her to talk about?

I think if you want to know the

Church's response to all of this,

you should speak with Bishop Gornik.

Father Dumitru's monastery

was under his governance

and sanctifying responsibility.

You can find him at the Saint

Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest.

I'm curious...

Is it normal to tie someone

to a cross during an exorcism?

No. I hope you find

what you're looking for.

Good night.

- [door clicks]

- [hinges creak]

[fly buzzing]

[wind blowing]

[bell tolling in distance]

[clears throat]

Please, take a seat.

I appreciate you seeing me.

I'm sorry about yesterday.

It wasn't the right time

or place for either of us.

I apologize as well.

What happened has been very

disturbing for all of us.

I understand that you have some questions.

Yes, um...

I'd like to know why the

Church isn't defending

Father Dumitru's actions.

Exorcisms aren't out of the

ordinary within your Church.

Why don't we take a walk.

[bell tolling]

[Gornik] After the collapse

of Communism 20 years ago

and people could practice religion again,

there was a surge of monasteries

and churches being built...

so many that the Church couldn't

train clergy fast enough.

Father Dumitru was one of them.

[chuckles] I'm actually

the one who ordained him.

Had he ever performed an exorcism before?

Yes, and that was another

issue we had with him.

Some priests might perform

one or two exorcisms a year,

and many none at all.

He's done four in the last ten months.

Why so many?

Mostly because the poor in that area

often turn to the Church to cure ills

before they go to Romania's

broken-down healthcare system.

Sister Marinescu wasn't possessed.

She was mentally ill.

I-I should have just terminated

his services a long time ago.

Then none of this would have happened.

You have no idea how hard I prayed

that he would see the

light and change his ways.

It sickens me that deceit

sometimes hides in the

garments of the holy.

- Hey.

- [Phil] Getting anywhere?

Yes, I spoke to Bishop Gornik and

he said he stopped the exorcism

because the nun wasn't possessed and it

looked like Father Dumitru was killing her.

Didn't the priest need to get the

Church's approval for the exorcism first?

Supposed to, but apparently they've had

a lot of problems with him in the past.

Phil, this isn't the first time he's performed

an exorcism on someone who didn't need it.

I guess this is beginning to look more

like a madman who murdered a nun story, huh?

I'd say so.

It's brutal what happened to her.

Anyway, I'm heading back over to the

monastery to see what else I can find out.

All right, you take care of

yourself, and, uh, call me later.

[dog barking in distance]

- [faint rustling]

- [gasps]

[faint whispering]

[whispering continues]

[hinges creak]

[exhales]

[loud thump]

[breathing heavily]

[man whispering in Romanian]

[Nicole breathing heavily]

[engages parking brake]

[shuts off motor]

[quietly] I am so going to hell.

[motorcycle starts]

I almost didn't recognize you.

Have you got a minute?

I'm still having a hard time believing

they couldn't see she was dying,

how they could do that to her.

Because from their perspective,

they weren't doing anything to her.

They were trying to stop

the demon from doing it.

No exorcism is the same,

but there are different stages to follow

once we know that the victim

is, in fact, possessed.

The first is what we

refer to as the "presence."

It's important to find out who the demon is

so you can cast it out.

In most cases, it has control of the body,

like denying it food and water.

The second we call the "breakpoint."

There's usually complete panic, confusion,

accompanied by hallucinations,

noises and odors.

The next is called the "clash."

The exorcist is now in

direct battle with the demon,

as it wants to stay in

the victim as a resident

or it must return to hell.

The last and final stage is

referred to as the "expulsion."

In the supreme triumph of God's will,

the demon leaves in the name of Jesus

because it's been identified.

[Nicole] But Adelina died.

Why would he kill her?

[Anton] He didn't need her any more.

One dead nun, five other

clergy in jail for murder,

another dark stain on

the fabric of the Church.

And not being exorcised, it

was free to possess again.

Demons can possess again?

It's called transference,

the demon moving from

one vessel to another.

Sometimes it's merely through

physical contact with the possessed,

but most often, it possesses

through a weakened soul.

The possessed reflect the

demon's anger and its black soul.

It has some pretty good information

about demons that you might find useful.

- [teacup clatters]

- [spoon stirring]

What are these?

Sometimes demons have help.

[Nicole] My mother used

to say rays of sunshine

are the fingers of God,

giving guidance and showing the way.

[whispers] What?

[grunts]

[exhales]

[sighs]

[whispers] Come on.

[garbled static]

[indistinct, garbled voices]

[gasps]

[panting]

[sets down glass]

Hi.

I told you yesterday that I

don't want to speak with you.

I know, and I'm sorry.

But you said to me it

wasn't Father Dumitru...

There's nothing more to be said.

It's God's will.

What about your will?

Father Dumitru killed your friend.

There is nothing I can do.

[speaks Romanian]

It's Stefan, right?

If Father Dumitru didn't

kill Adelina, who did?

[Stefan] What do you care?

All you people want to do is

to print lies about my sister.

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