Church treads slowly on ‘evil possession’ case

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Archdiocese of Zamboanga on Thursday said it was treating with utmost care the reported evil possession of at least four women at Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) in Santa Barbara village here.

The alleged possession was reported on Tuesday by City Social Welfare Officer Francisco Barredo and Carmen Luna, head of WCC.

Barredo said the four women had manifested behavior “that indicated they were possessed by evil spirits.”

“They became so strong that four persons could hardly control them. Their voices became like that of men and they were uttering undecipherable words,” he said.

Luna said one of the women suddenly spoke fluent Filipino when she never spoke Filipino before.

Barredo said the supposed phenomenon was witnessed by city councilors Rudy Lim and Rogelio Valesco, who he called to help.

He said they brought the women to the nearby Sto. Niño Church, where “a prayer healing was performed and gradually the possession subsided.”

He said it was not the first time he witnessed such an incident at WCC.

The WCC building was constructed on what was once a burial ground of soldiers killed during World War I and II, according to Ayala parish priest Fr. Amado Vano.

Msgr. David Alonso, spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga City, said the Catholic Church believes in evil possession but it has to deal with any occurrence with skepticism.

He said anyone claiming to have been possessed by evil spirits had to be examined first.

“The patient has to seek medical attention first. It could just be a mental case,” Alonso said.

Barredo admitted that the woman sought shelter at  WCC after being abused and raped. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao