Bishop: Don’t be afraid of ghosts

Believing in ghosts is no sin and good Catholics must react with fear when specters appear, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said yesterday.

Should the souls of your dearly departed drop by for a visit, then the living should sit up and listen to the important message these apparitions are trying to convey, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Teodoro Bacani said over the weekly CBCP on Air radio program.

"Frightening people is not a valid reason" for ghosts to appear, Bacani added. He also said the appearance of ghosts is not contrary to Catholic teachings.

"It may be difficult to prove, but the alleged appearance of dead people to their living relatives is possible," he said.

Bacani explained that the soul of a person is immediately separated from that person’s body soon after death. The dead person’s soul then goes to face God’s judgment.

However, before the final judgment of the Almighty, God may permit the deceased person’s soul to return to earth and appear before living people for important reasons.

Bacani urged all Catholics to remember their deceased loved ones on All Saints’ Day by going to the cemeteries and praying for their souls. – Mayen Jaymalin