Do Roman Catholics believe in ghosts?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church acknowledges that ghosts do exist. They are rare examples of God allowing a spirit to return to earth for some reason such as to warn. They are not evil and will cause no harm. However, the Church warns us against trying to call up spirits of the dead or using a medium to do so and to do so is considered a serious sin. It can also open us to Satanic obsession or possession.

Answer 2

Yes they do.

It depends upon the religion, some do some don't. Also 'ghost' can encompass many things from a reglious stand point. Muslims do to a degree, most Christians don't but some (Catholics) do.

Answer 3

The only ghost that Catholics believe in is the Holy Ghost. Catholics believe that the souls of the dead travel immediately to heaven, hell, purgatory or limbo - - they do not roam the earth. Demons impersonate dead people and pretend to be ghosts.

.

Answer

The Catholic Church teaches that any time you think you see a ghost, you should pray for them. Of course there is a very real possibility that if you see a ghost it is either a demon trying to tempt you, or an illusion due to a host of possible reasons. In the rare case of actually seeing a ghost, most of the verified and recorded instances of this have been people in purgatory pleading for prayers to help them in their sufferings. The most famous ghost, of course, is in the 28th chapter of 1 Kings (1 Samuel in many newer Bibles) where Saul consults the witch of Endor, who summons the ghost of Samuel for Saul. Regardless, you should always have recourse to prayer. In the very rare instance of being tormented by a ghost, you will need to call a priest, if your parish priest is not well versed on such things, call the Chancery and ask to speak to the appointed exorcist for the diocese. Not every diocese has one, but they are all supposed to, if your diocese doesn't have one, you may need to call a neighboring diocese. In any case, you will never go wrong with prayer, if you are interested in the cases of demons, consult Fr. Gabriele Amorth's book An Exorcist Tells His Story. If you are interested in the souls of purgatory, there have been several excellent books, including Hungry Souls - Supernatural Visits, Messages, and Warnings from Purgatory,, by Gerard J.M. Van Den Aardweg

from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Ghost. A disembodied spirit. Christianity believes that God may, and sometimes does, permit a departed soul to appear in some visible form to people on earth. Allowing for legend and illusion, there is enough authentic evidence, for example in the lives of the saints, to indicate that such apparitions occur. Their purpose may be to teach, or warn, or request some favor of the living.

Answer 4

Taken from catholicexchange.com: In fact, the Church believes that ghosts, or spirits, do exist. There are times when spirits appear to our benefit, but we are warned against attempting to contact spirits. "Ghost" is simply another word for "spirit" (geist means "spirit" in German). Spirit is of three kinds: the human spirit which combined with body make up a human being; the defined spirit that has no body, such as angels; and the infinite Spirit, or God, of Whom the Third Person is the Holy Ghost. When someone asks whether ghosts exist, he usually has in mind the first kind, a human spirit. Hence Fr. John Hardon defines "ghost" as

"a disembodied spirit. Christianity believes that God may, and sometimes does, permit a departed soul to appear in some visible form to people on earth. Allowing for legend and illusion, there is enough authentic evidence, for example in the lives of the saints, to indicate that such apparitions occur. Their purpose may be to teach or warn, or request some favor of the living" (Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, Modern Catholic Dictionary (Garden City, New York: John A. Hardon, ©1980) published by Doubleday and Co., p. 229).

The last sentence of Fr. Hardon's definition implicitly gives the Church's teaching on ghosts. Appearances of ghosts are understood with regard to our salvation. Ghosts can come to us for good, but we must not attempt to conjure or control spirits. The Church teaches that "spiritism," seeking recourse or power from ghosts, is contrary to the virtue of religion (i.e., the Commandment "You shall have no other gods before Me"):

"All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others - even if this were for the sake of restoring their health - are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another's credulity" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2117).

Thus, while the Church recognizes the existence of ghosts, we are not to intentionally seek them out - for good or for ill. United in the Faith, Eric Stoutz Information Specialist Catholics United for the Faith 827 North Fourth Street Steubenville, OH 43952 800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)