DonÂ’t confuse souls with ghosts--Catholic priests
By Beverly T. Natividad
Inquirer.net
Last updated 06:42pm (Mla time) 11/01/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The Catholic Church is calling on the faithful to offer sincere prayers for the souls of their departed relatives on All SoulsÂ’ Day (November 2), instead of scaring themselves with the usual ghost stories.
Noting that Filipinos have become fond of sharing ghost stories and even trying to communicate with the dead during All SoulsÂ’ Day, leaders of the Catholic Church reminded the flock on Thursday that souls in purgatory need prayers, not the livingÂ’s growing curiosity for the occult.
According to Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, spokesman of the Catholic BishopsÂ’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), belief in ghosts and paranormal activities are not Catholic beliefs since the faith teaches that souls are kept intact in purgatory after death.
The Catholic doctrine teaches that purgatory is the spiritual place where the soul is purged of all sins and unsettled issues before it goes to heaven and reunites with God.
Quitorio reminded Catholics that ghost stories are focused on entities other than their dearly departed and it would be against their faith to confuse the souls of their loved ones with ghosts.
Ghost stories, which are usually about creatures who cannot cross over, are either products of psychological projections or products of evil, according to Quitorio.
This is why the Catholic Church has exorcism rites to free a person of evil possession by Satan himself, Quitorio explained.
“A soul cannot do that [scaring the living or taking control over another person’s soul]. It has no capability of doing that. In fact, our soul’s direction is to be with God in heaven. They don’t meddle anymore in our affairs,” said Quitorio.
“These souls leave these world’s affairs for a higher purpose that is God,” said Quitorio.