Fr. Fortea, how can one tell if a vision is demonic in origin or is a psychiatric problem? The best way to discern if something is demonic in origin or merely a psychiatric problem is through the passage of time. If something that seems extraordinary (e.g., a vision or a locution) is a mental illness,
Dear Fr. Fortea, can a demon cause a physical illness? First, we need to clearly understand that physical illnesses nearly always have natural causes. The belief that sickness has its cause in the demonic world is rooted in a pre-scientific, superstitious worldview in which myth is substituted for reason. This being said, if demons exist,
Dear Fr. Fortea, can a demon cause a mental illness in a person? Demons can tempt us, and they sometimes do so in a continuous way with great intensity. As such, a demon could provoke an obsession, phobia, depression, or another type of mental illness in a person. This can seriously disturb a person’s ordinary
Dear Fr. Fortea, can a person make a pact with the devil? Many think that pacts with the devil only exist in literature, but they are mistaken. There are those who consciously, with full awareness and intentionality, make a pact with the devil and devote their souls to him in order to get something in
Dear Fr. Fortea, who are the most evil of all the demons? One might logically assume that the most perverse demons would be those of the highest angelic choirs, but this is not the case. There is no relation between nature and sin. A demon of the lowest choir can be much more perverse than
Dear Fr. Fortea, do demons experience pleasure? If so, how? Yes, but only in a spiritual sense. As a pure spirit, a demon can derive pleasure only with his intelligence and will. Intellectual pleasures might seem less intense or real than the pleasures of the senses, but this is not the case. Pleasures of the
Dear Fr. Fortea, can a demon perform a good act? We need to remember that demons are not engaged in doing evil 100 percent of the time. Sometimes, they just think. Doing this is not evil at all; it is merely an act of their nature. Nevertheless, demons cannot perform a supernaturally moral act (for
The Future: Do Demons Know in Advance? Dear Fr. Fortea, do demons know the future? No. Demons do not have knowledge of future events. In addition, what belongs to human freedom is undetermined; they do not know in advance our free choices. However, since their intelligence is far superior to ours, they can often
Dear Fr. Fortea, where are demons located? Demons–like the souls of deceased human beings–do not occupy space. This does not mean, though, that they are in some other physical dimension. What does being or not being in a dimension mean for a spirit? They are not anywhere. They exist, but they are not “here” or
Dear Fr. Fortea, what does a demon think about? Every demon retains the intelligence of its angelic nature. Demons know and inquire with their minds about the material and spiritual worlds, the real and conceptual worlds. As spiritual beings, demons are eminently intellectual; there is no doubt that they are deeply interested in conceptual questions.
