Does the Devil exist in reality?

The Devil is not simply the dark side of our thoughts in the subconscious of humans but a real created being that fell in evil from primordial time according to Christian faith. It is true that some illnesses diagnosed now as psychological disorders were considered the work of the Devil in ancient civilizations, but it does not follow that every manifestation of evil is necessarily a psychological or physical disorder. Pending a more comprehensive reply, I can only point to two undeniable facts: 

1. there is more evil in the world than can be attributed solely to human intelligence, greed and violence. Horrible wars and aggression of only the 20th century point to a powerful evil force at the root of conflicts. There are examples of mutilation, torture, destruction, annihilation, and genocide in many conflicts beyond human comprehension. This is even seen in individual people crimes, and certain acts of suicide that go beyond any one's belief and intelligence and are marked by a dark will for division and destruction. And beyond divisions in human history, we sense a mysterious "divider", the Devil.

A high ranking SS-officer and general of the "Waffen-SS", Karl Wolff, wrote in a letter in August 1942: "I have noted with particular joy in your communication that now, for the last two weeks, a train with 15000 members of the Chosen People is going to Treblinka every day ..." (a concentration camp in the Third Reich). Is a human being really capable of such evil? By whom and through what is he driven to it? Thinking of the crimes committed in those concentration camps, do we not have the impression that this type of malice is no longer human, that there is a stronger spiritual power behind it, something superhuman, diabolical? Scriptures call this spiritual power which negates the will of God, the Devil. They call him "diabolus", meaning the "confuser", who puts all values upside-down and makes sin appear desirable.

2. exorcism and casting out of evil spirits, still practiced by the Catholic Church when more than phsychological illness has been found in afflicted people, is an evidence of the existence of evil spirits. The Church now is careful in distinguishing between possession by evil spirits and what are more commonly called psychiatric disturbances. But there are a few cases where the cause of such disturbances is ruled out by medical professionals as phsychological or physical illness, and the symptoms continue to be too violent or utterly evil. Here the Church investigates the possibility of a diabolic possession. Signs that a person is under the influence of the devil include speaking unknown languages and having physical strength disproportionate to a person's age or body. Other manifestations may include change in voice, extreme violence and levitation. Fr. Gabriele Amorth, the official exorcist of the Vatican in the diocese of Rome, has claimed that he carried over 30,000 exorcisms. He wrote his experience in "An Exorcist Tells his Story", with Nicoletta Mackenzie in 1999 and further "An Exorcist: More Stories" in 2002. Not every priest can be an exorcist. Pope John Paul II performed 3 exorcisms during his tenure.

Here is a real news story witnessed and reported by a reporter of El Mundo newspaper, Madrid September 22, 2002. It may shed some light on the reality of the Devil. But equally importantly the source is a secular publication, i.e. not influenced by Christian belief:

MADRID, Spain, OCT. 6, 2002 (Zenit.org) - A newspaper reporter went to an exorcism as a skeptic -- and came away a believer. José Manuel Vidal, religious affairs correspondent of the newspaper El Mundo, attended, "incredulous," an exorcism carried out by a priest authorized by the Vatican. His account, "The Exorcism I Witnessed in Madrid," recently appeared in the periodical, which is not known for its pro-clerical bent. Vidal, together with the religious affairs correspondent of EFE news agency, witnessed the exorcism in Madrid, carried out by Father José Antonio Fortea, 33, a parish priest at Our Lady of Zulema. The rite took place in a chapel. The possessed was a 20-year-old woman, whom the newspaper called Martha. She was "rather small and of gentle features," Vidal said in his description. "I sense the rite is about to begin," he wrote. "I sit down with anticipation on the bench. The exorcist stretches out his right hand and holds it over her face, without touching her. Then, he closes his eyes, lowers his head, and whispers an unintelligible prayer several times. A frightening shriek, the first, breaks the chapel's silence, it penetrates my soul and gives me goose bumps." "It isn't human," Vidal added. "A startling shrill and deep sound comes out of Martha's throat. But it cannot be her; it isn't her tone of voice. It is hoarse and masculine. Father Fortea continues praying and the roars well up, one after the other. Little by little the girl's body shakes intensely. Her head turns from one side to the other, first slowly and then with unheard-of speed." "As the exorcist recites the psalmody, the girl groans and twists nonstop," the journalist continued. "All of a sudden, the groaning becomes a frightening roar, high-pitched and furious. The exorcist has just placed the crucifix on her abdomen and chest, while sprinkling her with holy water. She kicks with such fury that the crucifix falls down and her mother picks it up again and again, placing it on her and handing her a rosary that Martha hurls away furiously." "My mind is spinning," the reporter admitted. "We are at the climax of a ritual that, up to now, did not fit my scheme, despite the fact that in the seminary, the priests continued to nourish my childish fear of the Evil One, always ready to take possession of a soul." "After the Second Vatican Council, the dogma of the devil's existence became an 'embarrassing part of doctrine' and, as so many other Catholics, I also dispensed with it," Vidal recalled. The screams stop the minute the priest leaves the chapel. "I notice a certain disappointment on the mother's face," the reporter wrote. "I had the feeling she hoped it would be today. She has spent close to three hours on her knees, but there is no sign of exhaustion on her face, only of a certain disappointment." "I pray for Martha and her mother. What I saw was not a setup," the report concluded.

When El Mundo published the story Sept. 22, it ran an editorial that described Vidal's narrative as consistent and concluded: "Each one is free to look for the explanation he/she wishes of events like the one described today by José Manuel Vidal."