Spain: Exorcism classes made mandatory in defence ministry-aided college

A college in Spain made it mandatory for its 196 students to learn more about exorcism, demons, hell and evil spirits through a lecture series. The publicly-funded college wanted its students to attend these exorcism classes as part of organised activities.

The seminar titled "The Evil" was announced by the University College of Barberán and Collán, which is partly funded by the Spanish Defence Ministry, and all its students hail from military families. In an unprecedented move, the college declared the seminar "obligatory" for all its students, unless they have a valid reason to excuse themselves of the lecture.

Notice announcing the exorcism lecture stated that the session was part of a series of lectures, which fall under organised activities, Spain's The Local reported citing Spanish daily El Diario.

The lecture was conducted on Thursday (5 May) by Father José Antonio Fortea Cucurull, who has authored "Summa dæmoniaca" — a treatise on demonology which includes a manual for exorcists. The session focused on "the fields related to the devil, exorcisms, being possessed and hell".

The college's decision to make the lecture mandatory reportedly caused a stir, with many students expressing displeasure. However, no student is reported to have submitted any formal complaint yet.

The college, called Colegio Mayor Universitario Barberán y Collán in Spanish, is connected to the public research institute Complutense University of Madrid. The college receives financial aid in the form of a subsidy from the defence ministry and through fees paid by the students.

The Local reported that a woman at the college confirmed over the phone that the said seminar was scheduled to be held in the college. However, she could not confirm the other details.