What is the Church's view on ghosts? (Mar. '02)
In short, the Church does not believe in ghosts. The devil may plant the suggestion in a person’s mind that he sees things or people that aren’t there. Many of us have creative, and sometimes, destructive and dangerous imaginations. I have heard numerous stories of people convinced they have seen ghosts or spirits. To the best of my knowledge, none of them had anything to do with God. They were the result of overactive imaginations and fears, which can only be the work of the devil.
This is not to say that there are not legitimate visions that God presents to a select few. If we look back at the time of our Lord’s death, as accounted in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, we are told that “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the Saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after (Jesus’) resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52-53). This happened so that the glory of God might be made known. So ask yourself when you think about such things as ghosts, does it offer glory to God? If you can answer yes, then you know it is authentic and pleasing to God. That is all we truly need to know.
