Exorcism blamed for child abuse

May have to re-work the Father Malachi post. From The Guardian:

On Friday, the issue of spiritual belief within the African community was highlighted once more when Sita Kisanga and her brother Sebastian Pinto were found guilty at the Old Bailey of aiding and abetting the physical abuse of an eight-year-old girl. The girl's aunt, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of child cruelty. The court heard that the child, who was brought to Britain from Angola by her aunt after her parents died, had been beaten, cut and had chilli peppers rubbed in her eyes to 'beat the devil out of her'. Kisanga, 35, accused alongside the child's 38-year-old aunt, and Pinto, 33, attended a Combat Spirituel church in Dalston, east London. The church belongs to a fundamentalist wing of Christianity and is believed to be one of at least 300 in the UK, mostly in London and mostly supported by people who originated from west Africa. Many such churches sanction aggressive forms of exorcism involving physical contact with the possessed subject, though the Pastor at Combat Spirituel told police he did not condone the actions of Kisanga and the others. Dr Richard Hoskins, an expert on African religions who gave evidence at the trial, told The Observer that these so-called 'breakaway churches' have much in common with other evangelical institutions. 'The services are usually exuberant and energetic. The congregation do not meet in a traditional church building. Instead they come together in a garage or someone's home. 'The key difference takes place when it comes to the practice of exorcism and it is here that potential abuse can occur. There will be shouting and the person being exorcised will often have convulsions. It is a lengthy process that can go on for hours. Another problem is that there seem to be two elements driving those at the head of these churches. One is money, the other is power and, unfortunately, these are opposing forces.'