Editor’s Note: In 1614, the Catholic Church officially established the exorcism ritual, and the Vatican described the specific implementation methods in detail in the article Rituale Romanum. In modern times, the Vatican has held exorcism training courses. The first World Exorcists’ Congress was held in Mexico City in 2004. Pope Johannes Paul II invited nearly 200 exorcists to Italy in 2003, and Pope Benedikt XVI encouraged exorcists to “drive the Vatican forward with their valuable profession” in 2005. In 2014, the Vatican recognized the International Association of Exorcists, which is active in more than 30 countries, allowing it to be officially registered under canon law.
According to the Roman Catholic tradition, an exorcism ritual typically consists of several steps, including threatening the demon, asking for the demon’s name, reciting exorcism prayers, and repeating prohibitory prayers. Anneliese Michel (born on September 21, 1952, in Leiblfing; died on July 1, 1976, in Klingenberg am Main) was a German Catholic who died from severe malnutrition. Her death attracted significant attention because, in the months before her passing, two Catholic priests had performed the major exorcism on her several times.
Her Background
Anneliese Michel was born into a strict Catholic family in the wine – growing region of Klingenberg am Main in the Bavarian – Franconian Untermain area, where the social atmosphere was also deeply influenced by Catholicism. Her father came from a long – established family of civilians and craftsmen. His devoutly religious mother, whose three sisters were nuns, had hoped he would become a priest. After completing a three – year carpentry apprenticeship under his parents’ guidance, he was conscripted into the Reichsarbeitsdienst, the Wehrmacht, and sent to fight on the Western and Eastern Fronts. He returned from an American prisoner – of – war camp in the summer of 1945, attended a construction trade school in Munich, and passed the master – craftsman examination in 1948 to take over his father’s business.
Anneliese’s mother attended a lyceum for three years and a trade school for another three years. She then worked in the office of her father, who owned a sawmill. This was how Anna Michel met her future husband, Josef Michel, and they got married in 1950. When Anna Michel was engaged to Josef Michel, she already had an illegitimate daughter born in 1948. The child died of a kidney tumor in 1956 and, as an illegitimate child, could not be buried in the family grave but was instead buried in a separate grave by the cemetery wall.
Her Early Life and Studies
Anneliese Michel attended the local primary school in Klingenberg from 1959. In the sixth grade, she transferred to the Karl – Theodor – von – Dalberg – Gymnasium in Aschaffenburg. She was considered highly intelligent but also attracted attention due to her nervous problems. In 1968, during a seizure, she bit her tongue, and was subsequently diagnosed with Grand Mal – type epilepsy. She was prescribed anti – convulsive medication for this condition. Anneliese regularly attended Mass, recited the rosary, and sometimes slept on the floor as a form of penance. She was a member of a sports club and took piano and accordion lessons. After a tonsillectomy, pleurisy, and subsequent pneumonia, she contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. As a result, she spent six months in 1970 at a lung sanatorium called Mittelberg in the Allgäu region. Anneliese was extremely good at school and aspired to become a teacher. Her parents supported her in this ambition. After graduating from high school in 1973, she began studying at the Würzburg University of Education in the autumn of the same year and lived in the Ferdinandeum, the Catholic dormitory of the university.
The Exorcism Incident
Anneliese was diagnosed with Temporallappenepilepsie (a type of epilepsy) by several doctors and was treated with the anti – convulsant Carbamazepin. It seems that a psychiatric examination with a psychopathological assessment was never carried out on her, so it’s unclear whether she also suffered from a mental illness, such as a neurological disorder like trance and possession states (ICD 10 F 44.3). She died in 1976 due to malnutrition and weakness. During the autopsy, pneumonia was confirmed, but no pathological changes were found in the temporal lobe area, although this doesn’t prove she didn’t have epilepsy.
In the last months of her life, with the permission of Bishop Josef Stangl of Würzburg, Father Arnold Renz (died in 1986) and Priest Ernst Alt performed the major exorcism on her according to the Rituale Romanum. For several years, she had eaten very little, and in the final months, she refused all food. At the time of her death, she weighed only 31 kg. Shortly after her death, Priest Alt took the initiative to contact the public prosecutor.
According to those present, Anneliese caused serious injuries to herself, including hematomas in the eye area. In the last weeks of her life, she was intermittently tied to the bed to prevent more severe injuries. There were also other injuries on her body, such as broken teeth and scars, and claims of her frequent communication with Jesus Christ. These injuries were most likely the result of self – harm and uncontrolled actions during spontaneous seizures, which were documented in photos.
Her university classmates said that Anneliese had participated in a rosary – praying group during her time in the dormitory. When her condition worsened, the group prevented the calling of an emergency doctor and instead invited an exorcist who pretended to be her family doctor. Thus, she lacked proper medical care at an early stage.
According to the audio recordings, Anneliese spoke with a highly variable voice and repeatedly shouted suddenly. The priests attributed her vulgar and offensive language to demons. They claimed that human – like demons, such as those pretending to be Hitler or Nero, had also affected the girl.
In the world – famous “Aschaffenburg Exorcism Trial,” on April 19, 1978, the public prosecutor requested punishment for the defendants for “manslaughter by negligence.” The two priests were supposed to be fined, and no punishment was demanded for Anneliese’s parents because the loss of their daughter was considered sufficient punishment. However, Judge Elmar Bohlender did not follow this request. On April 21, 1978, he sentenced the parents, Father Renz, and Priest Alt to six – month prison terms, suspended for three years. The court accused them of failing to seek medical help and not involving a doctor.
On February 25, 1978, Anneliese’s body was exhumed. Her parents explained that she had been buried in a cheap coffin due to haste and now needed to be re – buried in a zinc – lined oak coffin. This was likely because a nun from the Allgäu region claimed that Anneliese had possessed her and announced that her body would not decay. However, the official autopsy result was “limb decay consistent with the time period.” None of the defendants saw the nun. Archbishop Renz said he was not allowed to enter the morgue.
Interpretations
Medical and Psychological Interpretations
- Treating Doctors: For the doctors involved, the five or six major seizures between 1968 and 1972 were signs of epilepsy. Anneliese was treated with medications to prevent nervous system convulsions until shortly before her death. Two of her many electroencephalograms (EEGs) showed signs of “focal brain damage in the left temporal area,” but this could not be confirmed during the autopsy. EEG changes can only be detected during a seizure. The doctors mainly searched for physical causes. Anneliese confided in the first specialist doctor in Aschaffenburg, saying she saw terrifying faces. In a 1977 interrogation, the doctor noted that “the statements did not match the corresponding experiences.”
- Court Experts: The first court – appointed expert concluded that Anneliese had suffered from an epileptic seizure disorder. Through medication, the disease had transformed into a paranoid psychosis, which was also confirmed by the exorcism audio recordings. It is an established fact that epilepsy patients can exhibit exaggerated or pathological religious attitudes, as well as depressive and paranoid phases. The deterioration of her health since April 1976 was due to self – suggestion resulting from a complete loss of control. Her death was ultimately caused by starvation. Further causes of this severe and complex illness may lie in misdiagnosed, untreated, severe schizophrenia (as suspected by the second group of experts), combined with undiagnosed, extreme anorexia nervosa, which eventually led to her death. At the request of the defense, the court ordered a second expert opinion, which basically reached the same conclusions but specifically refuted the diagnosis of brain damage. The two authors of the second expert opinion also suspected a schizophrenic component in her illness. All three experts believed that the two priests involved had certain psychological defects related to possession and exorcism, but these were not considered pathological and thus not grounds for leniency.
- Uwe Wolff: Uwe Wolff, an evangelical theologian specializing in angelology and demonology, largely agreed with the experts. His interest was less in the scientific – psychological explanation and more in the question of why Anneliese Michel got sick. He attributed it to her strict Catholic upbringing, which was authoritarian and morally overwhelming, causing fear. Unlike most of her generation, she couldn’t free herself from this upbringing through rebellion. In her hometown, the only way to break free seemed to be by being possessed. As a possessed person, she could curse Catholicism, her parents, and the surrounding culture without fear of punishment. Wolff explained that the extreme traditional statements during the exorcisms (such as those against a certain form of communion) were suggestively induced by Priest Alt and Father Renz. At the same time, he proposed another explanation: her deep – rooted Catholic piety made her distrust the help of doctors because none of them could give meaning to her suffering. In religion, she could understand her suffering as vicarious atonement, which could shorten others’ time in purgatory or even save them from hell. On the other hand, the Catholic Church forbade suicide, which would have destroyed the meaning of atonement. So, the only remaining option was death from her existing suffering. Therefore, she gradually starved herself to death after Easter 1976.
Interpretations of Possession
- People Involved: When Anneliese was alive, some of her close – ones were convinced of her demonic possession. This circle included her mother, Priest Alt, Thea Hein (who considered herself Anneliese’s “discoverer”), Father Renz, and Anneliese’s father, who remained convinced of her possession until her death. Of particular significance was the judgment of Father Adolf Rodewyk SJ, the author of two standard works in the theological field of demonology. His expert opinion was crucial for the exorcism to take place, and he also defended this view in court. At the end of the first week of the trial, Father Rodewyk, called as a witness, said it was impossible for someone to die during an exorcism. He was completely convinced of Anneliese’s possession. Father Rodewyk had extensive experience in this area, as he often performed major exorcisms and was a theological advisor to the German Bishops’ Conference in the field of demonology. Anneliese’s sister, Roswitha, later adopted a worldly – psychological interpretation.
- Felicitas D. Goodman: Felicitas D. Goodman, a German – American professor of anthropology at Denison University in Ohio, tried to explain the events based on her own cultural – anthropological research. She proposed that in all religions, there is a so – called “religious exceptional state” that can occur in a positive or negative way. This state is innate in humans, but different people have different abilities to reach it. When experienced positively, it affects the pleasure center of the brain; otherwise, it reaches the punishment center. A special sign of this state is speaking in a specific, recurring vocalization, following certain rhythms and melodies, which could be proven by the exorcism recordings. Goodman believed that in all religions, there are remedies for when this state is experienced negatively. The Catholic Church has the refined major exorcism ritual. The intense psychological shock during the exorcism is meant to guide the brain of the possessed to shift this state from the punishment center to the pleasure center. This is what happened to Anneliese: on October 31, 1975, all demons were driven out after she had many visions and auditory experiences of the Virgin Mary, various saints, angels, and even Christ himself. However, the medication had a fateful effect. From the beginning, the neuro – chemical drugs calmed her brain, hindering the desired brain reaction to the exorcism and eventually causing the demons to return shortly after being expelled. From that moment on, the drugs took effect. The demons, previously known by name, spoke less and less, and after February 29, 1976, they fell silent completely. Even the positive voices disappeared after Good Friday 1976. After Anneliese could no longer swallow, she couldn’t take the anti – epilepsy drug Tegretal (Carbamazepin) anymore. According to Goodman’s theory, withdrawal symptoms of the drug then appeared, which were strikingly similar to Anneliese’s symptoms. Eventually, Anneliese died from damage to red blood cells caused by Tegretal.
- Joseph Kardinal Höffner: Joseph Kardinal Höffner, the then – chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference and the highest representative of the Catholic Church in Germany, confirmed the fundamental possibility of demonic possession in a press statement on April 28, 1978, regarding the Klingenberg case. He referred to the church’s unbroken doctrine of invisible beings created by God, called angels. Some of them, by their own free will, turned against God, the source of all good, and became evil. Such evil spirits, or demons, tried in many ways to exert an unhealthy influence on the world and people, and one possible manifestation was possession.
- Harald Grochtmann: Harald Grochtmann, a judge at the Rheda – Wiedenbrück District Court, criticized that the officials in the Klingenberg case judged religious issues in an inappropriate way and pointed out the specific consequences for the court proceedings. The fact that a state court seriously questioned the religious doctrines of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches gave this court case lasting controversy. Grochtmann specifically cited a sentence on page 55 of the judgment, stating that the trust of the people involved in an external change was an expression of a miracle – belief that went against common sense. He also found it inconceivable that the judgment considered the defendants’ unwavering belief in the personal existence of the devil as a possible reason for reduced criminal liability according to § 21 of the German Criminal Code. The personal existence of the devil is not only a clear doctrine of the Catholic Church but also a fundamental belief of the Orthodox and Protestant churches, even if the teaching authority in these churches functions differently from that in Rome. It’s unreasonable to assume that all Christians who follow their church’s doctrine might have reduced criminal liability.
Influence and Adaptations
- Film Adaptations: These events served as the basis for Scott Derrickson’s 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Felicitas Goodman was involved in the making of this film, ensuring that the exorcism and possession scenes were depicted according to her theory. Additionally, the events around Anneliese Michel were used as the basis for a fictional story in Hans – Christian Schmid’s 2006 film Requiem.
- Theater: Commissioned by the Burgtheaterverein in Freudenberg, near Klingenberg, Bernhard Setzwein wrote the play Fremde Stimmen (Strange Voices), inspired by the Anneliese Michel case. It was performed at the Burg Freudenberg in the summer of 2005.
- Musical References: The group Public Image Ltd. incorporated Anneliese Michel’s death into the song “Annalisa” on their 1978 debut LP. The Austrian black – metal group Seduced used the original exorcism recordings as the intro for the song “The Expulsion of the Devil.”