Why does the Catholic church deny the existence of ghosts yet train priests as exorcists?

Question

The new pope Mr Ratzinger has had at least a couple hundreds of priests trained as exorcists since he took office.

Answer 1

Another sillyness as
does God have a belly button?
Or many others.

Answer 2

The Catholic church does not deny the existence of ghosts. I went to a Catholic college, and one of the buildings on campus was supposedly haunted. Many people, including the priests, reported seeing ghosts in this building.

Answer 3

+ Ghosts +

To the best of my knowledge the Catholic Church has no official position on ghosts. The doctrine of heaven and hell would seem to negate any reason for ghosts to be the souls of dead people.

However paranormal phenomena seems to exist. These phenomena may come from sources other than the souls of people in heaven, hell, or purgatory. We simply do not know.

The Church is very suspicious of people who claim to talk to the spirits dead people.

+ Exocism +

Catholics have been casting out demons ever since Jesus and the Apostles did it.

Modern psychology says that in biblical times most of the people who had demons cast out of them were probably miraculously cured from schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. But their cures were still miracles.

The Catholic Church believes that real demonic possessions are rare but possible, so they keep a few exorcists around just in case.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 4

A ghost is popularly held to be the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased individual. Popularly defined as insubstantial and in part clear, ghosts are said to hang-out particular places that they were linked with in life or at time of death. A revenant is a deceased individual getting back from the useless to hang-out the residing, both as a disembodied ghost or regardless of this as an lively ("undead") corpse. A appropriate idea is the poltergeist, actually a "rumbling ghost" said to take position itself by transferring and influencing products. Phantom armies, ghost-animals, ghost airmen, ghost planes, ghost trains and phantom ships have also been said. also appropriate is the theory of a fetch, the seen ghost or spirit of someone yet alive, a idea wide-spread in shamanistic cultures. Necromancy is the useful summoning of the spirit of a useless individual for the needs of divination. The be conscious "ghost" could also search for suggestion from from any spirit or demon. A pollconducted in 2003 confirmed that more suitable than 0.5 of adults interior america trust in ghosts and/or demons. In literature, outstanding ghosts have regarded in works of Aeschylus in Classical Greece by Shakespeare, Dickens, Oscar Wilde etc. Cinematic depictions were different, and ranged from Casper the pleasant Ghost to Beetle Juice and Freddy Krueger, in comedy and youngster's genres besides as horror.

Answer 5

The Catholic church no longer trains priest as exorcists. Their ghost-busting squad was dismantled years ago.

Answer 6

Exorcists cast out demons not ghost

Answer 7

Ghosts and evil spirits are two different things. Satan was not a ghost. And yes, they most certainly do have exorcists. Pope John Paul II exorcised an evil spirit at one of his audiences.

Answer 8

What's your source on the denial of "ghosts"....plus you really have to define ghosts......I don't think we can know all the different spiritual entities that could exist....so, who cares about these silly definitions, anyway.....whether they deny/approve ghosts, spirits, souls, fairies, spirit guides, angels......whatever, use common sense and treat people fairly and you are on the right path.

Answer 9

there is a difference between a ghost and a demon.