The library at St. Edward Catholic School will no longer have books from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The Pastor at St. Edwards initiated the removal after saying it's pages include spells that could "conjure evil spirits".
Rev. Dan Reehil consulted actual exorcists who recommended he have the books removed from the school's library. Fox17 obtained email from Danhill that said:
"The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text," Reehil wrote. "The books also glorify acts of divination; of conjuring the dead, of casting spells among other acts that are an offense to the virtue of religion – to the love and respect we owe to God alone. Many reading these books could be persuaded to believe these acts are perfectly fine, even good or spiritually healthy."
Rev. Dan Reehil madee his personal decision for his parish school as the church has no position on the Harry Potter books or movies.
A representative from the Catholic Diocese of Nashville clarified:
The books have never been part of the curriculum and were only made available in the school library for enrichment reading. Students who obtain the books from other sources are still able to read the books at school; the school library will simply not offer them as part of its selection.
Over the years this series has received attention over its presentation of magic and witchcraft. While the Catholic Church has expressed no formal position on the books and related movies, many voices in the Church, even at higher levels, have expressed that the subject matter may be appropriate when due consideration is given to the maturity of the reader. We leave these decisions to you as your children’s primary educator.
Exorcisms of demons or the devil who've taken possession of people are still quietly happening today. This is a raw and uncut video of an interview with Fr Gary Moore, an exorcist for the Catholic church. The questions are being quietly asked off screen, because his answers would later be used in the documentary. It's long, but it is fascinating.