By Simone Orendain • Catholic News Service • Posted October 28, 2015

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (CNS) — The Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism is looking for qualified priests in other Philippine dioceses to be exorcists. These should be priests who:

— Can quickly discern powers that come from the preternatural (Satan) versus powers from the supernatural (God).

— Can determine afflictions whose roots are psychological versus spiritual.

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— Always invoke prayers for protection before doing anything related to performing an exorcism or a prayer of deliverance.

— Can determine, from a potential core of lay volunteers, who has “false charisms” versus “true charisms.”

Dominican Father Winston Cabading, a Manila exorcist, said in early training sessions with potential exorcists, they found priests from provincial dioceses had brought in psychics whose gifts for detecting spirits did not appear to have come from the Holy Spirit. He said psychic abilities and so-called powers of “the third eye” find their roots in the occult and they give a person powers that, really, only God should be using.

Father Cabading said there is a very specific time and space for people who can detect certain evil spirits to use that gift, and it involves deep prayer to the Holy Spirit to open up such gifts.

“And then during prayer sessions, when we’re doing the exorcism, then these people who have received the gift can see what’s happening around, (and) if they can see spirits, what kind of spirits these are,” he said.

After the session is over, said Father Cabading: “After the prayers, the cleansing and the closing blessing, they’re back to normal. They don’t see anything.”