Oscar Winning Director of "The Exorcist," William Friedkin, Passes Away | EWTN News Nightly

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William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director of "The Exorcist" died earlier this week in Los Angeles. Friedkin directed both "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection" in the 1970s, making him one of the most highly sought after Hollywood talents. "The Exorcist" was released in 1973. It tells the story of a 12 year old girl possessed by the Devil. It received 10 Oscar nominations, winning 2. Friedkin died following a long illness. He was 87 years old. Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, President and Founder of the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a non-profit Catholic organization that oversees exorcisms and the author of "Diary of an American Exorcist," joins to share what the lasting legacy of "The Exorcist" is and how realistic it is. Friedkin appeared to be fascinated by exorcisms throughout his career, later directing another movie starring Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth in 2017. Fr. Amorth is also the subject of a movie released earlier this year called "The Pope's Exorcist." Msgr. Stephen tells us what he thought of the film and how faithful it is to Church teaching. Another film based on exorcisms released this year is the American Christian film "Nefarious." It is a fictional account of a prisoner awaiting his execution and some claims he makes about the Devil. Msgr Stephen discusses what he thinks of that movie. ------------ EWTN News Nightly provides the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Join host Tracy Sabol, our Capitol Hill, White House and Rome Correspondents, as well as many other diverse guests daily, to get the latest from the U.S. and the Vatican on topics regarding our Catholic faith and interests. ------------- EWTN News Nightly airs on EWTN weekdays at 6pm & 9pm ET. ------------ Don't miss an episode of EWTN New Nightly. Get updates here: https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/ewtn-news-nightly ------------- Sign up today to receive the EWTN News Nightly newsletter: https://www.ewtn.com/enn ------------- Follow EWTN News Nightly on Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ewtnnewsnightly Twitter: https://twitter.com/EWTNNewsNightly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewtnnewsnightly/ ------------- Subscribe to EWTN YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/EWTN ------------- You can support the EWTN News mission: https://bit.ly/3qDR1qf