Fatima, Portugal ¨C A woman closes her eyes as a young man dressed as a priest places both hands on her forehead. Moments later, she falls to the floor in front of dozens of worshipers.
The scene unfolds not in a church but in the basement of a small shopping center a short walk from the vast esplanade of Portugal¡¯s Fatima shrine, one of the Catholic Church¡¯s most visited pilgrimage sites.
The gathering was part of a series of monthly so-called exorcism retreats held in Fatima that have raised concerns among Catholic authorities, who say they operate outside official church oversight by self-styled religious figures and risk exploiting vulnerable believers.
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