By LINDA MORRIS - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Added: Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:00:00 UTC

Thanks to Hobbit for the link.
Original link

THE appointment of a new exorcist by Sydney's Catholic Church precedes a warning by a senior clergyman that generation Y risks a dangerous fascination with the occult fuelled by the Twilight and Harry Potter series.

Julian Porteous, the auxiliary bishop of Sydney, warns that pursuing such ''alternative'' relaxation techniques as yoga, reiki massages and tai chi may encourage experimentation with ''deep and dark spiritual ideas and traditions''.

Bishop Porteous, who is second to Cardinal George Pell in the Australian Catholic hierarchy, told The Sun-Herald the Twilight and Harry Potter books and films ''are attractive to adolescents and can be innocent enough.

''However, they can open up a fascination with this mysterious world and invite exploration of various phenomena through the use of occult practices like seances.''

Exorcism is no fantasy according to the church, with the Sydney archdiocese last month appointing an as-yet unnamed priest, suitably ''endowed with piety, knowledge, prudence and integrity of life'' to conduct exorcisms, as required by Catholic canon law.
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TAGGED: IRRATIONALITY, RELIGION