Camille Naredo

This photo taken on March 18, 2026, shows an outside view of the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Makati, Metro Manila. Jam Sta. Rosa, AFP

This photo taken on March 18, 2026, shows an outside view of the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Makati, Metro Manila. Asia's only dedicated exorcism centre -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila. (Photo by Jam STA ROSA / AFP) / To go with 'Philippines-Religion-Culture-Catholicism' Focus by Chad Williams and Pam Castro

Article (news)

Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1784470242945AFP__20260719__A42L428__v1__MidRes__PhilippinesReligionCultureCatholicism.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="This photo taken on March 18, 2026, shows an outside view of the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Makati, Metro Manila. Jam Sta. Rosa, AFP"/>This photo taken on March 18, 2026, shows an outside view of the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism in Makati, Metro Manila. Jam Sta. Rosa, AFP</div>MANILA -- Asia&#x27;s only dedicated exorcism center -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.Inside, neatly made-up rooms for visiting priests line warmly lit halls that lead to a chapel where the 400-year-old ritual takes place.Holy relics employed in the proceedings line one wall, another features a one-way mirror that allows family members and novice exorcists to observe.The Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism -- five months old this week -- was built because &quot;cases were piling up&quot;, Father Jose Francisco Syquia told AFP.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/06/07/22/asias-first-center-for-exorcism-to-rise-in-ph">READ: Asia&#x27;s first &#x27;center for exorcism&#x27; to rise in PH</a></div>Trauma driven by bullying, sexual abuse and the pain of separation as family members leave for work abroad has increasingly opened the door to spiritual attacks, he said.&quot;We had to find a more permanent and secure and private place to pray over people,&quot; Syquia said.The center&#x27;s function as an effective school for exorcists, however, is what makes it unique.&quot;I don&#x27;t know of any other center in the world that trains exorcists,&quot; Syquia said of the two-storey facility built largely with donations from local families of the previously afflicted.Priests from countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and India were already lining up for training, Syquia added.A key element of that training is discerning the difference between psychological and spiritual problems, he said.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/07/31/20/his-ministry-on-hold-exorcist-sought-by-pandemic-weary-folks">READ: His ministry on hold, exorcist sought by pandemic-weary folks</a></div><div> </div><div>- &#x27;Beyond science&#x27; -</div>While the center operates without strict Vatican oversight, it follows long-standing Church rules governing exorcism, including mandatory vetting by mental health professionals.&quot;We have clinical psychologists. We have a psychiatrist... There are also neurologists, so they work hand in hand with us,&quot; Syquia told AFP on a visit to the center.Still, he insists he knows a demonic possession when he sees one.&quot;You will see a change in behaviour... a different consciousness. Something else takes over a person,&quot; Syquia said, noting he had personally exorcised a demon only a week earlier.&quot;When it comes to the spiritual world, we need something beyond science.&quot;But attempts to draw that distinction have long worried the mental health community.&quot;If a condition isn&#x27;t recognised as medical, it delays appropriate treatment,&quot; Christopher French, a psychologist and emeritus professor at the University of London, told AFP.&quot;It&#x27;s more dangerous to accept the supernatural explanations,&quot; he warned, noting that conditions ranging from schizophrenia to Tourette&#x27;s syndrome were once interpreted as spirit possession.<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/09/27/22/cebus-pioneering-exorcist-passes-away">READ: Cebu&#x27;s pioneering exorcist passes away</a></div><div> </div><div>- &#x27;A lot of stigma&#x27; -</div>The Philippines has roughly one psychiatrist for every 200,000 people in the archipelago, according to the World Health Organization. Some provinces have none at all.Given the choice between an exorcist and a mental health professional, many in the heavily Catholic country will choose the former, Dr. Kathryn Tan, a Manila-based psychiatrist, told AFP.&quot;It&#x27;s a lot of stigma when somebody is brought to a psychiatrist,&quot; she said.&quot;If it&#x27;s an exorcism... you&#x27;re a victim, but if you&#x27;re brought to a psychiatrist, there&#x27;s a lot of shame,&quot; she said.Many of her own patients came only after first visiting indigenous healers, Tan said, viewing psychiatry as a &quot;last resort&quot;.Tan, who said alleged possessions are often accompanied by symptoms of psychosis, insisted Philippine psychiatrists were not seeking to &quot;compete with the Catholic Church&quot;, but rather to bridge the gap between culture and science.&quot;It&#x27;s about... compassion and empathy and trying our best to understand without judgement what our patients are experiencing,&quot; she said.Both Tan and French agreed that cultural sensitivities need to be respected in treatment.&quot;You can shape a treatment to fit the belief system without explicitly endorsing it,&quot; French said, conceding an exorcism might even have a beneficial placebo effect in some cases.Tan, who said she keeps an &quot;open mind&quot; about the supernatural, said it was not surprising when people seek spiritual explanations for something they cannot readily define.&quot;Perhaps this is our way of trying to control the unknown,&quot; she said.Inside his office, Father Syquia told AFP he was confident science and faith could coexist.&quot;We&#x27;re... focusing on the spiritual dimension. But of course, the body is always part of that,&quot; he said.A greater national investment in mental health care might even lighten his own load, he conceded.&quot;If psychology and psychiatry, if proper mental and emotional health (are) fostered in our country, there will be (fewer exorcism) cases,&quot; he said.&quot;Science is a gift from God.&quot;

Asia's only dedicated exorcism center -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.

Asia's only dedicated exorcism center -- designed to train not only Philippine priests but clergy from across the region -- sits just off a busy thoroughfare in Metro Manila.

Faith vs therapy: Inside the Philippine school for exorcists

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

BINI

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Faith vs therapy: Inside the Philippine school for exorcists

Chad Williams and Pam Castro,

Agence France-Presse

Published July 19, 2026 10:13 PM PHT

Read More:

Manila

Philippines

religion

exorcism

Catholic Church

Michael Center for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism

Jose Francisco Syquia

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.