Exorcism in the modern world...

... is a topic almost impossible for the modern reporter to accurately present.

Case in point, WaPo's "Ritual of Dealing With Demons Undergoes a Revival."

Quotes from the beginning and end of the article:

POCZERNIN, Poland -- This wind-swept village is bracing for an invasion of demons, thanks to a priest who believes he can defeat Satan.

The Rev. Andrzej Trojanowski, a soft-spoken Pole, plans to build a "spiritual oasis" that will serve as Europe's only center dedicated to performing exorcisms.

...

Trojanowski is a priest in the northwestern Polish port city of Szczecin. He said that he sees as many as 20 people a week who are under the influence of evil spirits, but that he needs more space to treat them properly.

At his exorcism center, he said, people could check in for a few days and receive ministrations.

Plans for the center were announced in December after an archbishop gave approval to build it on church land in Poczernin, a village surrounded by cabbage fields about 20 miles outside Szczecin.

The news came as a bit of a shock to the villagers, who said they hadn't been consulted and weren't sure they liked the idea of demons coming home to roost.

In between these two quotations is a great jumble of the usual:

• confused presentations of Church teaching
• "required" exorcism pop culture references (The Exorcist, etc.)
• wierd claims (e.g., John Paul II was "himself an occasional demon chaser" - huh?)

Now, the article does make a few helpful distinctions and observations, but really, the more I read reports on this topic, the more I'm convinced that accurate summaries are far beyond the average reporter's kenning.

I don't mean they are malevolent, I mean they are ill- (or non-)equipped to discuss the topic cogently.