In 1815 the Vicar Apostolic of the London District, William Poynter, became embroiled in a case of alleged demonic possession. In the face of considerable pressure from the family of Peter Moore, the alleged demoniac, Poynter prevented a proposed exorcism on the grounds that it would bring adverse publicity to the still fragile Catholic Church in England. Drawing on the surviving correspondence between Poynter and his officials and Peter Moore’s family, this article examines the stance adopted by Poynter on the issue of exorcism within the wider context of ‘Catholic Enlightenment’ thought on demonic possession, and argues that the political circumstances of Catholics in England ensured that Poynter’s cautious approach to exorcism ultimately won out against the desire of other Catholics—including another Vicar Apostolic, John Milner—to publicise the rite as a means of promoting the Catholic faith.

中文翻译：

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威廉·波因特主教和英格兰摄政时期的驱魔

1815 年，伦敦区的副主教威廉·波因特 (William Poynter) 卷入了一起涉嫌恶魔附身的案件。面对来自被称为恶魔的彼得摩尔家族的巨大压力，波因特阻止了提议的驱魔，理由是这会给仍然脆弱的英格兰天主教会带来不利的宣​​传。本文借鉴波因特与他的官员和彼得·摩尔家人之间尚存的通信，考察了波因特在“天主教启蒙”思想关于恶魔附身的更广泛背景下对驱魔问题所采取的立场，并认为天主教徒的政治环境在英格兰确保了波因特对驱魔的谨慎态度最终战胜了其他天主教徒的愿望——包括另一位宗座代牧，