Animal Afterlife?

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Hello, Bishop Manchester. Do you think some animals go to Heaven after they die? — Ruben H.

Animals possess a material soul which dies with the corporeal body. We have a spiritual soul which continues after death and does not die. Does this mean that animals will not be present in the afterlife? We really do not have the answer, but from a Christian perspective there are clear hints that God will restore the universe at the end of time. The visible universe is itself destined to be transformed "so that the world itself, restored to its original state, facing no further obstacles, should be at the service of the just," sharing their glorification in the risen Jesus Christ.

As animals belong to the visible universe, it seems possible that they too might share their glorification in the risen Jesus Christ. It might also be possible that God would re-create those animals who have been a pleasure and comfort to us in our earthly journey. I would like to think so, but, of course, we do not finally know in this life. It is something nonetheless for which we can hope.

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Disembodied Voices

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Dear Bishop, I am a co-founder of a ghost hunting group in the middle of America and something I've wrestled with explaining to myself and others is, what are the disembodied voices we capture on our digital recorders? Are they departed spirits, "holograms" of historical energy replaying itself or something more sinister. As a Christian, I believe souls go to heaven or hell when we die, so does that remove human spirits from being the cause of the voices we capture? I'd be very interested in your thoughts. May God bless you! — D.L.W

Disembodied voices can be attributed a variety of phenomena, and "ghosts" are certainly one of them.

The basic Christian premise of good souls going to Heaven and the bad ones go to Hell is strongly questioned by a belief in ghosts. Ghosts are considered by most who believe in them to be the spirits of people who have never departed the Earth. These spirits travel around continuing to do the same things that were done in life. This is completely against the fundamental tenet of Heaven and Hell as understood by most Christians. Paradoxically, many Christians still claim to believe in the existence of ghosts.
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The Catholic Church, however, believes that ghosts, ie spirits, do exist. There are even times when spirits appear to our benefit, but Catholics are warned against attempting to contact spirits.
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“Ghost” is simply another word for “spirit” (geist means “spirit” in German). Spirit is of three kinds: the human spirit which combined with body make up a human being; the defined spirit that has no body, such as angels; and the infinite Spirit, or God, of Whom the Third Person is the Holy Ghost. When someone asks whether ghosts exist, he usually has in mind the first kind, a human spirit. Hence Father John Hardon defines a ghost as “a disembodied spirit. Christianity believes that God may, and sometimes does, permit a departed soul to appear in some visible form to people on earth. Allowing for legend and illusion, there is enough authentic evidence, for example in the lives of the saints, to indicate that such apparitions occur. Their purpose may be to teach or warn, or request some favour of the living” - Fr John A Hardon SJ, Modern Catholic Dictionary (Garden City, New York: John A. Hardon, © 1980) published by Doubleday and Company, p. 229.
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The last sentence of Father Hardon’s definition implicitly gives the Church’s teaching on ghosts. Appearances of ghosts are understood with regard to our salvation. Ghosts can come to us for good, but we must not attempt to conjure or control spirits. The Church teaches that spiritism, ie seeking recourse or power from ghosts, is contrary to the virtue of religion (the Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me”):

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“All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others — even if this were for the sake of restoring their health — are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 2117).
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Thus, while the Church recognises the existence of ghosts, Catholics are not to intentionally seek them out — for good or for ill. Another theory about ghosts is that these spectres are actually a space-time-continuum replay of events that have happened in the past. This theory is possible, and is the most likely one that could fit into the belief system of the majority of Christians. Finally, there is always the strong risk that a "ghost" might, in fact, be a demon masquerading as a departed soul to torment and deceive the living. The Catholic Church unequivocally teaches that angels and demons are real personal beings, not just symbolic devices.
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Daemonolatreiae libri tres or Compendium Maleficarum? Or Malleus Maleficarum?

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Hello Bishop Manchester. Many books have been written on the subject of demonology and witchcraft. The three most famous books in my opninion are the Malleus Maleficarum (Kramer, Sprenger) Compendium Maleficarum (Guazzo) and Demonolatry (Remy). If you had to recommend just one of the three just previously mentioned to someone that is new the subject of demonology, which one would you pick? — Ruben.

You might want to try Daemonolatreiae libri tres by Nicholas Rémy before moving onto Compendium Maleficarum by Francesco Maria Guazzo. Guazzo was greatly influenced by Duke Charles III of Lorraine’s leading lawyer and demonologist, Nicholas Rémy, who produced one of the most important early works on demonology and witchcraft in 1595, Daemonolatreiae libri tres (aka Demonolatry). Malleus Maleficarum, written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer, an Inquisitor of the Roman Catholic Church, was first published in Germany in 1487. It was translated from the Latin into English by Montague Summers whose edition I thoroughly recommend. Between 1487 and 1520, twenty editions of Malleus Maleficarum were published, and another sixteen editions were published between 1574 and 1669. Jacob Sprenger is also often attributed as an author, but some scholars now question that claim.

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Donald Omand

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Hello dear Reverend Manchester! I recently heard about a book by Rev. Donald Omand (written in 1970). The title is: "Experiences of a Present Day Exorcist". Critics I have read (on amazon.com) are excellent. Have you heard about that book? And if so, would it be among those you would recommend to read? Wishing you all the best, — Hans Verschelden.

I have known and read about Dr Donald Omand for much of my life, though we never met, and, while not entirely convinced by his exorcism of the Bermuda Triangle, I would nonetheless recommend Experiences of a Present Day Exorcist to anyone fascinated by the subject matter this author's life was so dominated by.

I certainly feel Dr Omand to have been sincere in what he set out to do. He is also an exponent of some interesting theories, particularly on the Loch Ness monster not being an animal and the identity of UFOs etc.

Dr Omand, a retired vicar in the Church of England, is an interesting character, to say the least, but perhaps "present day" in the title of his book should now be revised?

Dr Omand being interviewed by BBC television during the re-enactment of an exorcism. 

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