Introduction
This girl’s story has been very controversial since she died
in 1976. This happened seven months after the Lutz family fled from the
Amityville horror house. The German authorities believed she died of an
exorcism. She began experiencing seizures at 16. Even with medical
interventions, her condition worsened. Before the first exorcism was performed,
she was in varying degrees of possession.
Despite the attempts by medical doctors & psychiatrists,
her health continued to deteriorate from 1973-76. The local district attorney
claimed that because of the exorcism ritual, the girl was denied food and water
and died of malnutrition and dehydration. If her death was caused by exorcism,
then what about the initial years of hospital treatment?
Why wasn't she cured with medicines? Exorcism seemed to be
the last resort. Do you believe that she died because of priests and parents'
negligence or was she possessed by demons?
About Her
Annaliese Michel was a young girl from a devout Christian
family. She was born in West Germany on September 21st, 1952. Her parents were
Joseph & Anna Michel. She had three siblings. She did no wrong to anyone.
In 1968 at the age of 16, she began experiencing seizures. She studied at the
University of Wurzburg, West Germany where she experienced possession's initial
stages.
As a young girl, she had many ambitions in life, but no one
expected her life to end so dramatically. It is believed that God had a reason
for her death.
Medical Intervention
Michel had an episode at school where she blacked out and
appeared in a trance-like state. Later that night she had difficulty breathing
and uncontrolled urination. A year later she had another blackout at school
which was followed by paralysis.
She was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. In 1970 the
third episode took place. After the fourth episode, she was diagnosed with
epilepsy. She was given psychotropic medications. She also suffered from
euphoria. She heard various sounds, the voices of people speaking. She
developed a hatred for religious objects.
There was an episode where her mother saw her eyes become
black while gazing at the image of the Holy Mary. She became even more angry,
started throwing objects, and drank her urine.
Initially, the priest did not think an exorcism was
necessary and left the case to medical professionals. But later they realized
that this was due to demons and an exorcism was necessary. Fr. Ernst Alt wrote
a letter to the bishop asking for approval of an exorcism. The bishop approved
an exorcism and appointed Fr. Wilhelm Renz for it.
Exorcism
The exorcism ritual was the last hope for the Michel family.
Two Roman Catholic Priests Fr. Ernst Alt and Fr. Wilhelm Renz were involved
during the exorcism. The first exorcism was performed on August 3rd, 1975. A total
of 67 exorcisms were performed by the priests. The last exorcism was carried
out on 30th June 1976.
The fact was that for the last six months, during the entire
exorcism process, she existed without food and water. The demons had officially
left her body during the last exorcism. She died because she was exhausted from
possession and had not eaten or drunk anything for several months. The priests
had not instructed her to avoid solids or liquid foods. Thus her death was
neither the fault of the priests nor that of the exorcism.
She came under demonic possession not because she did
something wrong, but because she was too good. The demons seized her because
she was devout. It possessed her body deliberately to impure her.
Though the girl’s family lived in anguish every minute of
every day for several years, they understood what was happening and their faith
never faltered. Because of this, the diabolic entities subjected the girl to
mental and physical torment, such that the only remaining alternative was an exorcism.
Fr. Renz had performed several exorcisms. When he visited
Annaliese Michel, after examining her he concluded that this case was not
psychological but supernatural. Thus an exorcism was necessary.
What Happened After The Final Exorcism?
Annaliese Michel died on 1st July 1976. The German
authorities filed charges of negligence against the priests and the girl's
parents. The local district attorney claimed that the girl had been denied
sustenance and therefore she died of ‘undernourishment and dehydration’.
Both the girl’s parents and the priest were found guilty of
manslaughter and sentenced to six months in jail. The sentence was later
suspended, and they served three years of probation as a result.
The German authorities believed she died of malnutrition and
dehydration. They were convinced that it was the priests' negligence and her
parents' negligence that killed her. If the girl’s medication had continued,
she would have been saved, according to authorities. Since the girl was
religious, she tried to link her epilepsy with spirituality and believed she
was possessed by demons. Therefore, they were arrested.
Final Remarks
A movie named ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’ was released on
September 9th of 2005. The names of the characters are changed (for example-
Annaliese Michel was changed to Emily Rose) to not reveal their identity. The
movie is based on true events. The movie doesn’t show the entire horrors that
happened in Annaliese Michel's life.
It is more focused on defending the exorcist and making
people believe she was possessed. This girl's story shows that not all
exorcisms have happy endings. So, it is now your choice to believe whether she
died due to the priest's negligence or was truly possessed?
Written by Claton Suares Borges
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