The Exorcist: Priest performs mass exorcism on hundreds of people who paid up to a month’s wages to rid themselves of demons at Ethiopian ceremony
Hundreds queue up to meet with a priest and ‘exorcist‘ at a rural church outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Exorcism rituals to ‘rid the body of demons‘ sometimes take place in the Ethiopian Orthodox church
This instance saw 150 line up to see a priest charging up to one-month’s wages for an ‘exorcism‘
Images show the priest touch believers on the forehead with a cross and spraying them with ‘holy water‘
A mass exorcism ritual involving hundreds of Ethiopian Christians, who paid up to a month’s wages to be punched by a priest and doused in ‘holy water‘, has been captured in a fascinating photo series.
Some 150 people had been queuing up at a church outside the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in order to meet a local celebrity healer whom they believe would be able to free them from ‘demons‘.
The photos show people of all ages crying hysterically as a cross touches their forehead, or being held down by relatives as they try to avoid being ‘exorcised‘, kicking and screaming.
Set me free: A woman is being held in place by two men as she screams while being sprayed with holy water
‘God’s work‘: A man is seen crying hysterically as priest and healer Memehir Girma Wedimu touches him with a cross
Other striking shots show a woman seemingly screaming with all her might as she is brought up to the priest, grown men in tears, and dozens of people being hosed down with holy water.
They were taken by Czech photographer David Tesinsky who had ventured to Ethiopia specifically to capture exorcism rituals.
After two weeks of trying to convince locals to let in photograph the religious events, he found the Yerer Selassie church, not far from Addis Ababa, where locals were lining up to meet Ethiopian Orthodox priest Memehir Girma Wedimu.
‘People were crying, screaming and Memehir was punching them,’ said Tesinsky. ‘Memehir, I learned, had rejected all other churches, because he earned more money than the church itself.
‘He kept asking for money – I saw one very old woman give him a $100 (£76) bill to ‘expel’ her of demons and he still wanted more, even though that $100 was most likely all she could earn in one month.’
Popular past-time: Some 150 people had lined up at the church outside Addis Ababa to meet with the priest
Rain in abundance: A young woman who had lined up to be ‘freed‘ from evil spirits is doused in water
Fear and faith: A man needs to be held in place and struggles as Memehir Girma Wedimu performs a ritual
Price for freedom: Memehir Girma Wedimu reportedly charged those who turned up for an exorcism up to one-month’s wages for a ‘spirit cleanser‘ ritual
Strong beliefs: Nearly three quarters of Christians in Ethiopia claim to have experienced or witnessed an exorcism
‘These exorcism rituals are usually performed if someone is not responding to modern medicine or if they are misbehaving.
‘Their families think they are possessed by a “demon spirit” or “buda” – the power of the evil eye. They must be performed by a local priest.’
Ethiopia has had a significant Christian population for centuries, and the Ethiopian Church is the largest pre-colonial Christian church in Africa.
The belief in demons and the devil found across the religious spectrum is strong, in particularly in rural areas, and according to a 2010 survey, nearly three quarters of Christians in Ethiopia claim to have experienced or witnessed an exorcism.
„‘People were crying, screaming and Memehir was punching them,’ said Tesinsky. ‘Memehir, I learned, had rejected all other churches, because he earned more money than the church itself. „
My Note:
What a load of crap, pack of lies, woow! Now they send a wicked Czech Photographer to mess up with Ethiopians, huh!
[John 8:44]
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. „