Seven Types of Ghosts: A Catholic, Biblical Perspective
by Bro. John-Paul Ignatius
The Bible doesn’t delineate how, why or if God places spirits on the earth other then visits by Gabriel, the Archangel Michael, or Elija and Moses.
ANSWER: Let me use another example from tradition that responds to “if God places spirits on the earth anywhere.” I qualify this example to say that it does not necessarily prove anything regarding “hauntings,” but is one of many documented examples of ghostly apparitions.
“We read the following in the Life of Father Nicholas Zucchi, written by Fr. Daniel Bartoli, of the Company of Jesus …
”… a fortnight afterwards, this young man died, carried away by a rapid death, that left him little time to put the affairs of his conscience in order, so that there was everything to fear for his salvation.
"One evening, whilst the three novices were engaged together in holy conversation, the youngest was called away to the parlour. There she found a man wrapped in a heavy cloak, and with measured steps pacing the room.
‘Sir,’ she said, ‘who are you? and why did you send for me?’ The stranger, without answering, drew near and threw aside the mysterious mantle which covered him. The Religious than recognized the unfortunate deceased, and saw with horror that he was entirely surrounded by chains of fire that clasped his neck, wrists, knees, and ankles. ‘Pray for me!’ he cried, and disappeared." (Fr. F.X. Shouppe, S.J., “Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints,” 1893)On an anecdotal side note, Padre Pio’s first visit from a deceased human’s soul was that of a monk who had died 300 years before in the cell Padre used at the time. The man had been guilty of some infraction of his duties as a monk, and so God sentenced him to remain in his cell until a monk would offer up some prayers and sacrifices on his behalf. I forget what laxity the monk had been guilty of, but I found it interesting that his “sentence” very much fit the “crime.”
