The net tightens

This in from Open Europe:

French Europe Minister Jouyet: "More Europe is needed"

In an interview with La Croix, French Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet says that Paris is in favour of creating European regulatory authorities for each main sector of financial activity. He told the paper, "The idea today is to advance together on all these sectors to arrive, in time, with the emergence of specific authorities for each of these." He suggested that, "more Europe is needed in the financial sector."

Something popped into my mind when I read this. I don't remember which book it was, but some time ago now, maybe 15 years ago, I went through a phase of being interested in what the Church has to say about exorcism and demonic possession. I have always remembered the description one person gave of what it is like, on the inside, to be possessed.

The person receives a suggestion and gives some measure of consent. The suggestion is never to possession, but to some smaller, less obviously threatening thing that gives the demon a foothold in the person's soul. Then the influence spreads and strengthens, gradually overcoming the person's will and ability to resist.

The passage I particularly recall was that of a woman who said that the final moment came when she felt a kind of net surround her, wrapping itself around her like a web of immense strength. In a few moments, she said that it had entirely engulfed her and was tightening all over her so that she could not move or take any action that the net itself was not directing. She was trapped.

In the final stages, I remember reading, a complete possession is often undetectable since nothing of the person's will remains and little of the original personality is able to be expressed.

I don't know quite why, but the news snippet about the Eurocrats demanding more control of the European financial markets reminded me of this story.