I’m all for waging war against Satan, you know, metaphorically. But according to the Daily Mail, the Vatican is taking the concept … uh … literally: Pope’s exorcist squads will wage war on Satan. It might be cool if James Woods was the leader.

The Daily Mail illustrates their article with the inevitable, inexorable photo from The Exorcist.

(Hat tip: Tammy Bruce.)

UPDATE at 12/29/07 3:18:09 pm:

According to UPI, the Vatican is already denying this wacky report: Vatican denies exorcist expansion.

VATICAN CITY, Dec. 29 (UPI) — The Vatican is denying reports it plans to install more exorcists around the world so possessed people can get help quickly.

“Pope Benedict XVI has no intention of ordering local bishops to bring in garrisons of exorcists to fight demonic possession,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters in Rome Friday.

On Thursday, the Roman Catholic Web site Petrus said the pope planned to install more exorcists in every diocese next year and reintroduce a prayer during mass to St. Michael the Archangel, believed to be the prime protector against evil, The Telegraph in Britain reported Saturday.

Paolo Scarafoni, a priest at Vatican University who teaches how to recognize and expel Satan, said exorcists increasingly are in demand because devil worship has become so common, reported ANSA, the Italian news agency. “Priests are being bombarded,” Scarafoni told ANSA.

It’s hard to tell from the article, but it sounds as if the Vatican University’s Satanic expulsion instructor may have been responsible for the rumor.