Exorcism in Christianity
Exorcism in Christianity is the practice of casting out demons from a person they are believed to have possessed. The person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a member of the Christian Church, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills. The exorcist may use prayers and religious material, such as set formulas, gestures, symbols, icons, amulets, etc. The exorcist often invokes God, Jesus and/or several different angels and archangels to intervene with the exorcism. A survey of Christian exorcists found that most exorcists believe that any mature Christian can perform an exorcism, not just members of clergy. Christian exorcists most commonly believe the authority given to them by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Trinity) is the source of their ability to cast out demons.
Tanacu exorcism
The Tanacu exorcism was a case in which Maricica Irina Cornici, a mentally ill nun at the Romanian Orthodox Church monastery of Tanacu in Vaslui County, Romania, was killed during an exorcism led by priest Daniel Petre Corogeanu and four Orthodox Christian nuns who were a part of the Order of the Holy Trinity. The case was widely publicized in the Romanian media and, following a lengthy trial, the priest was sentenced on appeal to 7 years, one nun to 6 years and the other three nuns to 5 years. They were all found guilty of deprivation of liberty resulting in the victim's death. They received a relatively lenient sentence, compared to the original desire of the prosecution who sought life imprisonment for the priest. Many of Tanacu's residents, including Cornici's brother, believed her to have suffered from demonic possession. The exorcism took place in June 2005.