College Students Required to Attend Lecture on Exorcisms
A publicly funded college in Spain has reminded their students that it is “compulsory” to attend a course given by a priest who is an expert in exorcisms. As reported by The Local: Spain’s News in English:
The University College of Barberán and Collán … is requiring its 196 students – who are all members of military families – to attend a theological conference focused on “the fields related to the devil, exorcisms, being possessed and hell”, according to newspaper El Diario.
The seminar called “The Evil” is set to take place on Thursday evening and will be led by Father José Antonio Fortea Cucurull, author of such works as “Summa dæmoniaca” – a treatise on demonology which includes a manual for exorcists.
The session is part of a series of lectures, which fall under organized activities that the students are required to attend, unless they have a valid excuse – as signs announcing the “obligatory” exorcism lecture remind students.
Because there were no official complaints registered on behalf of any students, it would seem that every student who chooses to attend this college knows about these attendance requirements prior to enrolling. One can’t help but wonder if any students knew ahead of time that a lecture on modern medieval practices, or the unsubstantiated “field” of “demonology” would be part of that series.
It also makes you wonder what other lecture subjects the students will have to endure.
I don’t know about Spanish students, but if this was tried on Aussie kids they would be biting off more than they could chew.
Thanks for posting this little gem, Evan
Cheers
Interesting that they’re al l military families. The Army and the Church go a long way back in Spain. I wonder if this has been a common occurrence?
Just a clarification: it is in fact a student residence, affiliated to a major university, but not the university itself. Embarrassing it is, but nevertheless completely outside of the university’s jurisdiction.