Anneliese Michel

Anna Elisabeth (Anneliese) Michel (21 September 1952 – 1 July 1976) was a German woman who died of malnutrition and dehydration after Catholic priests did 67 exorcisms on her.

Anneliese's parents and the priests were convicted of negligent homicide because they did not bring Anneliese for medical treatment before she died. She suffered from epilepsy, and had done a number of psychiatric treatments, which were largely ineffective.^[1]

When she was 16, Michel had a seizure and was diagnosed with psychosis caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Shortly afterwards, she was diagnosed with depression and was treated in a psychiatric hospital. By the time she was 20, she had become intolerant of various religious objects and began to hear voices. Her condition worsened despite medication, and she became suicidal. She also had other conditions for which she took medication.

After taking psychiatric medications for five years failed to improve her symptoms, Michel and her family became convinced she was possessed by a demon.^[2][3] As a result, her family appealed to the Catholic Church for an exorcism. While rejected at first, two priests got permission from the local bishop in 1975.^[3] The priests began performing exorcisms and the family stopped consulting doctors. Michel stopped eating food and died of malnourishment and dehydration after 67 exorcism sessions.^[4] Michel's parents and the two Roman Catholic priests were found guilty of negligent homicide and were sentenced to six months in jail (reduced to three years of probation), as well as a fine. In a conference several years later, German bishops retracted the claim that she was possessed.^[5]

Because of the trial, her case became known even outside Germany. The psychiatrist who testified for the prosecution suggested that^[1] one of the priests, Arnold Ernst Alt, had an "abnormal personality in the widest sense of the term". The psychiatrist even suggested that Alt had an undiagnosed condition, possibly from psychosis, or schizophrenia. His parents said they entrusted the fate of their child to the Church. The court ruled that the people should have gotten medical help when it was necessary. The verdict was mostly accepted.

After this case, the church changed the way in which exorcisms are handled. In 2005, the Church said that Anneliese essentially died of extreme malnutrition. Now, to decide about possession, a panel of experts is needed. The panel incudes doctors and psychologists. A new rite, introduced in 1999, says that the exorcism has to stop if a person refuses medical attention or refuses to have a doctor present at the rite.

Several movies are based on her story. Among them are The Exorcism of Emily Rose of 2005 , the award-winning 2006 film Requiem and the 2011 film Anneliese: The Exorcist Tapes.

In 2013 there was a house fire where Anneliese Michel lived. German news "Regional" covered the story. Believers claimed they could see the ghost of Anneliese on the balcony. The police stated the fire happened due to arson (meaning someone purposely set the fire).