Originally published at Churchpop
Do Catholics believe in ghosts?
Believe it or not, the Catholic Church does not have an official doctrine on ghosts. However, there are a few things that the Catholic Church holds to be true that can point us in the right direction.
Do Catholics Believe in Ghosts?
According to Douglas M. Beaumont from Catholic Answers,
“Ghost comes from an Old English word related to the German geist, meaning ‘spirit,’ and Christians certainly believe in spirits: God, angels, and the souls of deceased humans all qualify.”So, at the most basic level, yes, Catholics do believe in ghosts.
The Catholic Church believes that the soul is eternal. So, when we reach the end of our lives on earth and our bodies die, our soul remains. Our soul is reunited with our body at the end of time.
As long as this doctrine guides your beliefs, you can certainly believe in ghosts as a Catholic.
Furthermore, the lives of the saints are filled with stories about spiritual encounters, mystical conversations, bilocation, and dramatic visions of Heaven or Hell.
Let us also remember how years ago, Catholics referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Holy Ghost.”
However, nowadays when people talk about ghosts, they are referring to souls of the dead who appear
