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She was possessed and died during an exorcism.

It happened four days ago, but they're being arrested and charged now.

- For murder. - Why murder?

Because the autopsy report said it was a homicide.

Really, Nic, a possessed nun story?

She was tied to a cross for three days, given no food or water.

They crucified her.

She was only 23.

Actually, I managed to speak to the priest's lawyer this morning

and he said he could set up an interview for me.

Rule number one: editors assign stories.

Good journalists find them. You taught me that.

- We both know why you're doing this. - It's a good story.

No, it's another chance for you to nail faith to the wall,

and it's not gonna bring your mother back.

We're talking about a priest who murdered a young woman in the name of religion.

People deserve to know about that.

For a journalist, you don't sound too objective.

Okay, Uncle Phil, you want both sides of the story?

How about is this a madman who murdered a nun

or a holy man who lost a fight with a demon?

Come on.

Let me find out.

Please?

All right, you got your shot.

- But you're checking in with me. - Thanks, Phil.

Mmm. You have your mother's persistence, I'll give you that.

Ms. Rawlins.

The doctor had good intentions,

but you can't take the devil out of people with pills.

God and I both know where the truth lies.

But you're the one in jail.

Perhaps he feels I'm needed behind these walls,

where many have lost their faith or have none to comfort them.

How do you feel about not getting the Church's support?

I expected it.

They never liked how I was doing things, but that's okay.

I was never doing it for them.

I was doing it for God and my congregation.

So why do you think she was possessed in the first place?

She told me about a sexual experience she had.

She had given herself to a boy in Germany.

It got her to question her faith, making her a target.

I'm sure his seduction was influenced by the devil.

You know, demons are everywhere, waiting for their opportunity.

They're saying you crucified her.

Only because we had to put her on the cross.

No!

The demon knew our intent

and had become incredibly violent against Adelina.

So we took Adelina into the church.

We wanted her to feel as close to God as we could get her.

It took a while to get the name of the demon possessing her,

but we finally did.

Agares! Agares!

I knew I was dealing with an incredibly powerful demon

because it could use the name of God and Mother Mary.

Lesser demons can't.

It was at the end of the third day

when I could finally feel the demon starting to give up.

The moment I looked into her eyes,

I knew the exorcism was over.

The demon had seen the conflict between the bishop and myself,

and that destroyed everything I had done up to that moment.

And it wasn't worried anymore.

She'd be alive today if he hadn't interfered.

So what happened?

She was worn out, vulnerable.

The demon took her life on the way to the hospital.

If I only had a little more time, she would have been saved.

I understand an exorcist needs years of experience

in order to recognize and deal with the possessed.

But you haven't had any.

And neither did Moses,

but with God's strength he parted the Red Sea.

I quit my studies because following the strict rules of the Church

wouldn't allow me to help those who needed it most.

Thanks. That's all I need.

God told me you were here to help.

Because she was so unresponsive, she was given a high dose of adrenaline

when the ambulance arrived.

The autopsy was to determine if perhaps

- that was the cause of death. - So how did she die?

Well, basically, her larynx had collapsed, cutting off the air supply.

Because she was dehydrated?

It might have been some factor, but not usually.

In most cases, it's strangulation that causes a collapsed larynx.

She was choked?

There were no bruise marks.

When I dissected the neck area, actually I thought she might have had

some sort of oral or pharyngeal cancer,

which, in some cases, could impinge on the larynx.

But the tissue samples and the biopsies came back inconclusive,

as I thought they might.

Why was that?

'Cause I'd never seen anything like it.

I hope you've got a strong stomach.

So if you don't know what this is,

how can you ever have a conclusive cause of death?

If we have enough contributing factors,

we can make an educated guess.

And in this case, what that girl endured for three days

definitely contributed to her death.

The photos tell us that much.

How's it going? Did you get to speak to the priest?

Father Dumitru, yeah. He's adamant the only reason the nun died

is 'cause Bishop Gornik prevented him from completing the exorcism.

But the coroner I met with thinks it's murder.

It's her funeral today, so I'm heading up to Tanacu to see what I can find out.

All right, you take care of yourself, and. um, call me later.

- Excuse me, Sister? - Yes?

You were close with Sister Marinescu?

Since we were children.

My name's Nicole Rawlins and I'm a journalist.

Please just leave us alone.

Look, I'm just curious about what happened, that's all.

I don't understand how Father Dumitru could kill her.

They didn't kill her.

What are you doing?!

- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. - You have to leave now.

- I was just wondering if you could help me... - This way.

...by answering a few questions about the death of Sister Marinescu.

This way. Now.

Hi. Do you have a room available?

- Yes, of course. - Great.

You don't know what's going on outside, do you?

What's with all the masks?

They are setting up for the Strigoi Festival.

And what's that?

A long time ago, once a year,

villagers would exhume the body of someone they thought

to be an evil person and remove the heart.

Then they would burn it, mix the ashes with water from the local well and drink it.

They wore masks to cover their faces...

...protecting their identity from dead souls.

But now it's just another celebration to drink and have fun,

I suppose a lot like your... how do you say...

- Halloween. - Yes.

And how many nights will you be staying?

Can I kind of let you know as I go?

Yes, of course.

By lighting the prayer candles, we not only pray,

but our prayers become symbols of the one light of Christ.

Light also affirms the power of goodness

over the darkness of evil.

I'm Father Anton.

Nicole Rawlins.

Is there someone you'd like to pray for?

Actually, I came in here hoping to talk to you.

I saw you at Sister Marinescu's funeral.

You mind if I ask you a few questions?

Do you think Father Dumitru was responsible for her death?

I don't think it would really be fair for me to say anything,

because I wasn't there.

Do you think it would be fair to say

that if he truly felt she was possessed,

then it was his faith that killed her?

You sound like you don't have a lot of faith in faith.

Faith is taught, it's not something you're born with,

so whatever you end up believing defines your actions.

Yes, but God gave you free will.

It's your choice to accept those teachings or not.

There was a nun with brown hair crying over the casket.

- Yes, Sister Vaduva. - And the man standing next to her?

The man was Adelina's brother, Stefan Marinescu.

- Do they live nearby? - Yes.

He owns a vineyard north of town.

Sister Vaduva said that "they" didn't kill her.

Is there something going on here that the Church doesn't want her to talk about?

I think if you want to know the Church's response to all of this,

you should speak with Bishop Gornik.

Father Dumitru's monastery was under his governance

and sanctifying responsibility.

You can find him at the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest.

I'm curious...

Is it normal to tie someone to a cross during an exorcism?

No. I hope you find what you're looking for.

Good night.

Please, take a seat.

I appreciate you seeing me.

I'm sorry about yesterday.

It wasn't the right time or place for either of us.

I apologize as well.

What happened has been very disturbing for all of us.

I understand that you have some questions.

Yes, um...

I'd like to know why the Church isn't defending

Father Dumitru's actions.

Exorcisms aren't out of the ordinary within your Church.

Why don't we take a walk.

After the collapse of Communism 20 years ago

and people could practice religion again,

there was a surge of monasteries and churches being built...

so many that the Church couldn't train clergy fast enough.

Father Dumitru was one of them.

I'm actually the one who ordained him.

Had he ever performed an exorcism before?

Yes, and that was another issue we had with him.

Some priests might perform one or two exorcisms a year,

and many none at all.

He's done four in the last ten months.

Why so many?

Mostly because the poor in that area

often turn to the Church to cure ills

before they go to Romania's broken-down healthcare system.

Sister Marinescu wasn't possessed.

She was mentally ill.

I-I should have just terminated his services a long time ago.

Then none of this would have happened.

You have no idea how hard I prayed

that he would see the light and change his ways.

It sickens me that deceit

sometimes hides in the garments of the holy.

- Hey. - Getting anywhere?

Yes, I spoke to Bishop Gornik and he said he stopped the exorcism

because the nun wasn't possessed and it looked like Father Dumitru was killing her.

Didn't the priest need to get the Church's approval for the exorcism first?

Supposed to, but apparently they've had a lot of problems with him in the past.

Phil, this isn't the first time he's performed an exorcism on someone who didn't need it.

I guess this is beginning to look more like a madman who murdered a nun story, huh?

I'd say so.

It's brutal what happened to her.

Anyway, I'm heading back over to the monastery to see what else I can find out.

All right, you take care of yourself, and, uh, call me later.

I am so going to hell.

I almost didn't recognize you.

Have you got a minute?

I'm still having a hard time believing

they couldn't see she was dying, how they could do that to her.

Because from their perspective, they weren't doing anything to her.

They were trying to stop the demon from doing it.

No exorcism is the same,

but there are different stages to follow

once we know that the victim is, in fact, possessed.

The first is what we refer to as the "presence."

It's important to find out who the demon is

so you can cast it out.

In most cases, it has control of the body,

like denying it food and water.

The second we call the "breakpoint."

There's usually complete panic, confusion,

accompanied by hallucinations, noises and odors.

The next is called the "clash."

The exorcist is now in direct battle with the demon,

as it wants to stay in the victim as a resident

or it must return to hell.

The last and final stage is referred to as the "expulsion."

In the supreme triumph of God's will,

the demon leaves in the name of Jesus

because it's been identified.

But Adelina died. Why would he kill her?

He didn't need her any more.

One dead nun, five other clergy in jail for murder,

another dark stain on the fabric of the Church.

And not being exorcised, it was free to possess again.

Demons can possess again?

It's called transference,

the demon moving from one vessel to another.

Sometimes it's merely through physical contact with the possessed,

but most often, it possesses through a weakened soul.

The possessed reflect the demon's anger and its black soul.

It has some pretty good information about demons that you might find useful.

What are these?

Sometimes demons have help.

My mother used to say rays of sunshine

are the fingers of God,

giving guidance and showing the way.

What?

Come on.

Hi.

I told you yesterday that I don't want to speak with you.

I know, and I'm sorry.

But you said to me it wasn't Father Dumitru...

There's nothing more to be said.

It's God's will.

What about your will?

Father Dumitru killed your friend.

There is nothing I can do.

It's Stefan, right?

If Father Dumitru didn't kill Adelina, who did?

What do you care?

All you people want to do is to print lies about my sister.

You don't care what we have to say.

And what is that?

She wasn't sick in the head.

Look, if you've got something to say, then I want to help you.

Please, if Father Dumitru and the nuns

didn't kill your sister, then who did?

Tell me.

It was the demon.

It spoke to me.

Adelina?

Adelina.

Adelina.

Adelina!

Whatever was inside of her was challenging me too.

Testing my faith.

I've never felt anything so evil in my entire life.

Adelina had been in Germany for the last year,

working as a nanny for a family

who had just adopted two kids from the orphanage.

Before she went to work for them, the German embassy

asked her to take a complete psychological exam.

It's the country's policy.

She passed.

Why'd she come back?

She wanted to return to the monastery.

She wanted to work at the orphanage.

And nothing had happened in Germany?

No.

It all started when she got back.

The first thing Adelina wanted to do

was go see Father Gabrielle and give him a gift.

He liked to collect porcelain figurines of animals.

I'm sorry, who's Father Gabrielle?

He was a priest who really looked out for us

when we were young at the orphanage.

He and Adelina were especially close.

When we left and he became a bishop,

we never saw him any more,

except when he would come and stay at the monastery

for work and prayer.

Stefan!

Adelina!

He performed exorcisms.

We wish he could have helped Adelina.

No!

Father Gabrielle threw himself off the bell tower.

We don't know what could have driven him to commit the ultimate sin.

We watched as Adelina cradled him in her arms as he died.

We were all devastated.

But Adelina took it the hardest.

He'd been like a father to her.

We don't know why he was even up there.

He never rang the bell before.

Afterwards, I'd always find Adelina in the church, crying.

She was so upset.

Then one time, we were all heading in for Mass...

...she refused to go in.

It got a lot worse after that.

Phil, she described some really

disturbing things that happened.

Did you believe her?

Well, I believe she believes what she saw.

I guess when you're in the land of vampires and werewolves,

- anything could happen. - Yeah, I guess so.

I read your piece on unanswered prayers.

I went online.

Thank you.

For someone who doesn't believe in God,

I'm curious why you are trying so hard

to convince others to believe the same.

Free will, remember?

It was interesting, the number of people you quoted

who had prayed to God to help them

but their prayers went unheard.

What about the prayers that were heard?

The miracles, the miraculous healings

that have occurred over the centuries?

So it's a selective process whose prayers God responds to?

Whether it be Satan or people's wills or disbelief,

I think it's important for people to understand

that it's not God who seems so unpredictable.

He's not the one who failed to answer.

We are the ones who have failed to receive.

Why is this so important to you?

I think people only pray

because they believe they can't fix things themselves.

Hmm.

When I was working away a couple of years ago,

I got a call from my dad,

telling me that my mom had cancer.

What he didn't tell me was that she'd been diagnosed two years earlier

and had been trying to beat it without saying anything to me.

They didn't want me to worry.

I'd been travelling a lot for work, so I hadn't really been around much.

When I came home, I discovered that she was done...

with the drugs, the chemo, the needles...

...and was ready to be, as she put it,

"cradled in the arms of the Lord."

And my dad was somehow okay with that.

I wasn't so ready to let her go, so I started researching

and I found this new treatment program that sounded great for her.

She wouldn't even try it.

Said she was in God's hands.

I begged my dad to change her mind, but he wouldn't do it.

Said we had to honor her wishes.

Said they'd prayed about it together.

So we watched her slowly die.

I was really pissed.

If she didn't have such faith in a stronger afterlife,

she'd probably be alive today.

That treatment program ended up having a 90 percent success rate.

Her faith made her give up hope.

I think her faith made you lose yours.

She was fine with it.

Her relationship with God is just that, hers.

You shouldn't judge it.

I was trying to save her life.

For you, not her.

I think the problem is, if you actually found out God existed,

then you'd have no one to blame.

You need to be careful.

Your rage against God and lack of faith makes you an easy target,

especially looking into what happened to Sister Marinescu.

Has something already happened?

Whether you believe it or not, demons are real.

There is a heaven and there is a hell,

and here, now, what's happening around this incident,

is a battlefield. You need protection.

Without faith, you don't have any.

What about Sister Marinescu?

Did her faith protect her?

Listen to me...

It's okay. I know my own way back.

Are you okay?

That boy standing outside, you know who he is?

It's Tavian Amanar. He's a Gypsy.

He's slow in the head.

He said to me...

What's that mean?

"It's watching you." But that's impossible.

He can't speak. He was born without a tongue.

Does he live nearby?

Yeah, he lives on a farm with his father.

You passed it coming into Tanacu.

Please stay away from them. They are Gypsies.

They're liars and cheats.

Tourists are easy targets.

He wants something from you.

Hey, Nic, is everything all right?

- Hey. - Must be three in the morning there.

Yeah...

I don't know, it's hard to make sense out of something

- that doesn't make sense. - How do you mean?

Earlier I was...

I just...

I guess I'm just tired is all.

You know what, I'll call you back in the morning, okay?

All right.

You get some rest. We'll speak then.

You had me a little worried last night.

Yeah, sorry about that.

Seriously, Nic, if this is too much for you,

we don't need this story that badly.

No, I'm fine, really.

Actually, I'm already on my way to go see this Gypsy boy

who seems connected to what's going on,

and, uh, and then I'm gonna head back to Sister Vaduva's place.

All right. Let me know how it goes.

Okay, no problem.

Thank you for coming back.

We just want people to understand the truth.

Adelina was ashamed of what it was making her do.

She said that the devil kept telling her

what a sinful person she was.

And was she?

Stefan doesn't know this.

But I got a letter from Adelina

a couple of months before she came home.

She had met a boy in Germany and fell in love.

He said he wanted to marry her.

She was torn between her feelings for him

and her commitment to God.

She ended up giving herself to him.

Afterwards, she realized he was just lying

to trick her into bed.

She came back here to ask for God's forgiveness.

Instead, she got the devil.

We didn't know what to do.

So Sister Lina and I

put all sorts of crosses, icons

and jars of holy water in the room where she was sleeping.

How did she get diagnosed with schizophrenia?

One night, after we had all gone to bed...

Stefan rushed Adelina to hospital.

He was upset with what had happened,

so he told the doctors everything that had been going on.

They were the ones who insisted she see Dr. Funar.

She was the psychologist who said that Adelina

had been suffering from schizophrenia.

Were you part of the exorcism?

Not directly, no.

But I was there.

I was terrified.

Water was falling everywhere.

What do you mean?

The demon was making it rain,

mocking our use of holy water.

Your article...

You'll tell them the truth, right?

Thank you for talking to me.

Whatever was inside of her

was challenging me too, testing my faith.

I've never felt anything so evil in my entire life,

or seen such darkness in anyone's eyes.

Adelina had been in Germany for the last year,

working as a nanny.

Hi.

Are you okay?

The... The power went out.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.

Um... I wasn't happy

with the way our conversation ended the other night.

I wanted to apologize.

It's fine.

A peace offering.

Are you trying to trick me into communion?

I forgot the bread.

If you have any more questions,

you know where to find me.

Okay.

How about I open it?

Actually, uh, you open it and I'll get dressed.

Thank you for making time to see me, Dr. Funar.

You have to understand something about rural Romania.

Diseases of the mind, such as schizophrenia, Tourette Syndrome

and other forms of psychosis are typically regarded

as sure-fire signs that some sort of diabolical infestation is taking place.

Well, her brother said she'd never shown signs of anything like this before.

There may not be any family history of schizophrenia,

but there is definitely some mental history

that played into my diagnosis.

I believe that Father Gabrielle's death reignited

all those old fears of her early childhood,

with what happened with her father's suicide and her mother's abandonment.

Her father killed himself?

Yes, and she saw him do it.

That's how Adelina ended up in an orphanage.

The death of the parent is one of the most difficult experiences

a child can go through, let alone abandonment.

It was in this ward that we treated Adelina.

Father Gabrielle's death triggered delusions

and hallucinations and ultimately schizophrenia,

which should have surfaced a long time ago.

She was having episodes right here in the hospital.

She thought we were all demons, trying to kill her.

Demons are everywhere, waiting for their opportunity.

Sister Marinescu wasn't possessed.

She was mentally ill.

It's called transference, the demon moving from one vessel to another.

But most often it possesses through a weakened soul.

God told me you were here to help.

You're not far. I won't be long.

Thank you.

Nicole! Hey!

Are you okay?

Running away from this is exactly what it wants,

because somehow you're part of it.

I'm not staying.

You think it's going to go away?

Embracing fear is exactly what the darkness wants.

But by embracing faith...

...you have something to fight it with.

A shield.

God's been reaching out to you.

- He wanted you here. - To do what?

I don't know. Maybe just forgive yourself.

But you're not going to find any answers running away.

Let me help you.

That was the rental company.

They said there was nothing wrong with your car.

It started right up.

They're going to drop it out front for you.

You're safe here, I promise.

I was in the hospital, with my mom the night she died.

She knew how I felt about God.

But she took my hands in hers

and asked me to accept Jesus as my savior,

so the two of us could spend eternity together.

Even with her dying, I said no.

And she took that with her.

I'd do anything to tell her how sorry I am.

Whatever's going on here, I don't want to be a part of it any more.

I'm coming home.

What really happened?

Is an innocent man in jail?

I don't know what to think.

All right.

I'll have a ticket waiting for you at the airport.

Nicole?

Yeah, I'll call you back in a bit.

Did you know Father Gabrielle?

No.

It's the same date my mom died.

Can you tell me what the inscription reads?

"Now cradled in the arms of the Lord."

Demons can possess again?

It's called transference,

the demon moving from one vessel to another.

Sometimes it's merely through physical contact with the possessed.

Phil, Dumitru's innocent.

Somehow Father Gabrielle is a part of all this.

I've gotta go back to the monastery and figure this out.

Are you looking for something?

Is it true Father Gabrielle died in Sister Marinescu's arms?

Yes.

He used this office when he stayed here.

What was the last exorcism he performed before he died?

No, no, I don't know.

He used to keep his appointments in here, and we can look.

And the last person was...

- Tavian Amanar. - Oh, yes.

He's a boy who lives around here.

Yeah, I know who he is.

Mr. Amanar?

- Do you speak English? - Little.

Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?

- What about? - About Father Gabrielle

- and what he did for your son. - He do nothing for Tavian.

Father Gabrielle didn't come out here to see your son?

No, Tavian brought him for me. Why you here?

I think Father Gabrielle's death is connected to something that happened here.

The father tell me my Tavian is very special.

Strong with God.

My head have bad, dark thoughts.

Nothing make me happy.

My sister tell me it's a curse and we try to break it,

but everything got worse.

The voice from my head tell me kill my son.

Almost did.

Tavian bring me to church for help,

but voices said it kill me if I go inside.

So Tavian bring father here.

I thank God every day for what father do for me.

Did Father Gabrielle get the name of the demon?

Don't know. Me don't remember anything.

It took a while to get the name of the demon possessing her.

Agares!

Do you have a phone I can use?

Anton, I figured it out. The last exorcism

that Father Gabrielle performed was on Tavian's father.

The name of the demon was Agares.

If Father Gabrielle became possessed by the demon,

he must have transferred it to Adelina.

Anton, it was transference.

Nicole!

Nicole!

You like preying on the weak, don't you, demon?

You're wasting your time. She has no faith to corrupt.

You're gonna need more than this to fight me, demon.

Anton, it's killing me!

Nicole, ask for God's help.

You need to have faith to fight this demon.

Shut up, demon!

Be silent!

I adjure you. You can make it stop!

You can make it stop, Nicole.

Leave her, demon!

Leave her now!

I don't need the Romana or crucifix

to send you back to hell, demon.

I already know your name. Agares!

You are done with her, Agares.

I adjure you by the living God, by the Holy God,

who so loved the world that he gave up his only son.

Begone, Satan's helper, inventor and master of all deceit.

Stop deceiving human creatures

and pouring out to them the poison of eternal damnation.

Begone, Satan's helper, enemy of man's salvation.

Give place to the one Holy Church,

acquired by Christ at the price of his blood.

You've got to fight back or you'll never see your mother again.

You told me she taught you to be a fighter.

You can do this. Fight back!

Don't let this demon drag you to hell.

I can't do this without your help.

Stoop beneath the all-powerful hand of God.

Tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy name of Jesus,

this name which causes hell to tremble.

Holy is the Lord, the God of armies.

Be gone, demon.

Agares, be gone.

Nicole?

Come on, Nicole.

Breathe!

Nicole. Breathe.

I saw my mom.

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