Background
Anneliese Michel was born on 21 September 1952 in Leiblfing, Bavaria, into a devout Catholic family. As a teenager she was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy and was later treated for depression. Years of medication did not improve her condition.
Her family and some people around her began to interpret her difficulties in religious terms.
What happened
In September 1975, Bishop Josef Stangl authorised Salvatorian priest Arnold Renz to perform an exorcism under the Roman Ritual. The first session took place on 24 September 1975, with local priest Ernst Alt having urged the rite. About 67 sessions were held over roughly ten months, during which her parents stopped seeking medical care.
Anneliese Michel died at home in Klingenberg am Main on 1 July 1976, aged 23. The autopsy pointed to malnutrition and dehydration.
The Michel family and the priests did not see the events in exactly the same way. During the proceedings the role of the Church also came under scrutiny, and the discussion after Michel's death raised, in Germany, the question of where religious belief ends and medical responsibility begins. Her grave in Klingenberg is still visited today. The case is often cited in discussions of mental health, faith and the duty of care.
The Michel family and the priests did not see the events in exactly the same way. During the proceedings the role of the Church also came under scrutiny, and the discussion after Michel's death raised, in Germany, the question of where religious belief ends and medical responsibility begins. Her grave in Klingenberg is still visited today. The case is often cited in discussions of mental health, faith and the duty of care.
Investigation and trial
Her parents, Josef and Anna Michel, and the priests Alt and Renz were charged with negligent homicide. The trial began on 30 March 1978. Doctors testified that she was not possessed, while the defence played recordings of the sessions and invoked religious freedom.
In April 1978 all four defendants were convicted of negligent homicide and received suspended prison sentences.
Where it stands today
The case prompted long debate in Germany about the Church's role and about the refusal of medical care. The story inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), Requiem (2006) and other productions. Those films are interpretations; the heart of the case is that a young woman living with a treatable health problem did not receive adequate medical help.