Benigno Palilla, a Sicilian priest and a trained exorcist, said that demand for priests who can suppress evil spirits had tripled over the past few years.
Mr Papilla claims that at least 500,000 cases of demonic possession had been recorded in Italy in the past year alone.
He told Vatican Radio that Tarot card readers and fortune tellers were to blame as they “open the door to the devil and to possession”.
He said: “A self-taught exorcist certainly meets errors. I will say more: it would also take a period of apprenticeship, as happens for many professionals.”
Exorcism is recognised under Canon law and in 2014, the Vatican gave its backing to the International Association of Exorcists, which has 200 members.
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The Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, a Catholic educational establishment in Rome, is set to hold an exorcism course in April to explore the topic further.
The association was formed by a group which includes the Vatican’s former chief exorcist – father Gabriele Amorth – who died last year aged 91.
Exorcism in the Catholic Church received more attention after Pope John Paul II repeatedly sought to convince skeptics the devil was very much active in the world.
During his papacy, the Vatican issued guidelines for driving out devils and stressed the power of evil.
In a 2006 interview with Vatican Radio, Mr Amorth said that “exorcism is something which you believe in because deeds happen that reason cannot explain,” but which teaching in the Bible can help understand.
He described evil spirits as “angels, created as good by God, who rebelled, and due to hatred of God they tempt man toward evil.”
Mr Amorth added that the devil can possess groups of people, not just individuals.
He said: “For example, I am convinced that the Nazis were all possessed by the devil.
“If you think about what types like Stalin, Hitler did … certainly they were possessed by the devil.”