Neil-Smith, Christopher (1920-)
Neil-Smith, Christopher (1920-)
Vicar of a Church of England parish church in London, and a leading British exorcist. He was born November 11, 1920, ordained in 1944 and soon after became aware of a healing power, which he has since used for dealing with possessed individuals. He performed his first exorcism in 1949, and has since performed as many as 500 exorcisms in a single year. By 1974, he had performed some 2,200 exorcisms, one of which was filmed for television.
He became well known in the public debates about exorcism in the mid-1970s following the popular response to Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. He has appeared on radio and television programs in North America, continental Europe, and Africa as well as in the United Kingdom. He describes his experiences and beliefs in his 1974 book, The Exorcist and the Possessed.
Sources:
Deutsch, Richard. Exorcism: Possession or Obsession? Foreword by Christopher Neil-Smith. London: Bachman & Turner, 1975.
Neil-Smith, Christopher. The Exorcist and the Possessed: The Truth about Exorcism. Cornwall, England: James Pike, 1974. Reprint, New York: Pinnacle Books, 1974.