As Governor Pat Quinn signed a law making Illinois the 16th state to legally redefine marriage to include same-sex couples Tuesday afternoon, the bishop of the Catholic diocese of Springfield held a rare public exorcism to pray for God to cast out the influences of evil in the state.

The service, held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, was called “Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of Same-Sex Marriage.” It was performed by Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who, in announcing the special event, called gay “marriage” a tool of the devil designed to confuse and destroy families.

What follows are highlights taken from the bishop’s lengthy remarks.
The bishop began by telling attendees that while he took no enjoyment in the fact that homosexuals and their supporters had been offended by the announcement of the exorcism, he felt he had no choice but to perform it.