Paul Silvano

"They have no authority. My orders come from God."

Father Paul Silvano is a serial killer and vigilante who appears in Season Four of Criminal Minds.

Background
Silvano was a Catholic priest who was sanctioned by the Vatican to perform exorcisms. He and his colleague, Father Del Toro, attended Seminary together in Galicia, Spain. Eventually, Silvano decided to commit a series of murders, believing he was avenging the death of another priest who had died under suspicious circumstances.

Demonology
In the episode, Silvano is first seen performing an exorcism on an unknown man who is thrashing and screaming wildly. It is then learned that Prentiss' childhood friend, Matthew Benton, had died during an earlier exorcism. He and two others had been in Galicia, Spain at the same time as Father Silvano. Later, in a small, dark room, with a single bed, one small window, and a sink, Silvano sits on the bed and stares at the photograph of a young man. After a moment, he holds the photo to the candle's flame and watches as it burns, remembering the screams. After investigating the previous murders, the BAU is able to get the name of the exorcist, Silvano, and discover that he is staying at a local hospital. This conclusion was drawn from Father James' statement that an exorcist would seek medical care after performing so many exorcisms because the procedure is very taxing on the mind and body.

Silvano is later confronted at the hospital. While dressing, he tells Prentiss to look in the top drawer of the end table; according to the paperwork she finds, Silvano has diplomatic immunity, meaning the FBI cannot touch him. Later, Silvano is seen confronting Patrick Cavanaugh, insisting that he is possessed and in need of an exorcism. The priest rises to confront Patrick, the man from the photograph, holding the crucifix firmly before him. Patrick demands that he leave his house as Silvano intones that he is casting out an unclean spirit. Then, two young priests and another man drag Patrick, screaming, from the room. Later, John Cooley opens the door of his home and is confronted by Silvano. Cooley tells him that the authorities are going to stop him, but the priest calmly responds that they cannot, as he has been ordained by God. John continues to argue, telling the priest to leave his home, but he is grabbed by Silvano's accomplices. The BAU finally catches up with Silvano just before he could kill Cooley. Hotch had spoken to the Italian Consulate in an attempt to revoke Silvano's immunity, and the Consulate agreed, allowing the agents to arrest him. Silvano is walked away in cuffs and is presumably extradited back to Italy, possibly to Vatican authorities.

Profile
Silvano appears to be performing fatal exorcisms as revenge for the death of another priest. The priest was seemingly killed with a powerful drug that induced a heart attack. Silvano believes that Valentine, Cooley, Benton, and Cavanaugh had killed him to suppress a series of pilgrimages. He is also using the same drug in his Holy Water during the exorcisms.

Modus Operandi
Silvano targeted people that he thought were responsible for the death of a priest who was also a friend of his. He used a powerful drug during his exorcisms that induced a heart attack on the victim. The unnamed drug is invariably fatal. Silvano would then blame the deaths on the person's own dark soul. He tells the families of his victims that the subject is now in the hands of God and is safe from damnation to convince the families that they had made the right choice.

Known Victims

 * 2009:
 * February 24: Thomas Valentine
 * March 8-9: Matthew Benton
 * March 10: Patrick Cavanaugh
 * March 11:
 * John Cooley
 * Emily Prentiss

Appearances

 * Season Four
 * Demonology