Scholion II. On Spiritism

I. Notion. Spiritism is the art, whether true or pretended, of evoking spirits and communicating with them. The evocation and communication ordinarily does not take place except through a medium, as it is called; and indeed this medium at the time of the communication is held in hypnosis induced by the spiritistic leader. As to the phenomena which are reported to have happened in spiritistic gatherings, it is certain that very many are frauds and are to be ascribed to the dexterity of the trickster or medium. Yet certain things seem to have taken place which seem to require diabolical intervention.

II. Morality. Spiritism, or the act of evoking spirits and communicating with them, involves, or must be reduced to, commerce with the devil, and therefore is superstitious. The antecedent is clear from the fact that angels and holy souls do not respond to foolish evocations of this kind. But the souls of the damned, neither of themselves nor commonly from divine providence, can communicate with men; and besides, commerce with the damned is equated with commerce with the demon. Nor is it sufficient for one evoking a spirit to protest against diabolical commerce, since the fact is contrary to the protestation.¹ There are added the testimonies of Sacred Scripture,² of the Councils,³ of the Supreme Pontiffs,⁴ and of the Holy Office.⁵⁶⁷

Corollary I. It is gravely unlawful to attend spiritistic gatherings, whether one attends with a spiritistic intention, that is, from a desire of seeing, hearing, or consulting spirits, or without that intention. For in the former case there is the same sin as in the act of evoking spirits. In the latter case there underlies grave scandal, and not at all rarely danger to faith, etc. Moreover, the Holy Office prohibited attendance, even merely passive attendance,⁶ and finally, to the doubt: "Whether it is lawful through a Medium, as they call it, or without a Medium, hypnotism having been used or not, to attend any spiritistic locutions or manifestations whatever, even those presenting an appearance of honesty or piety, whether by interrogating souls or spirits, or by hearing responses, or only by looking on, even with a tacit or express protestation that one wishes to have no part with malignant spirits"; to that doubt, I say, it responded: "In the negative in all cases."⁷ But if someone judges that he has a grave reason for departing from this norm, for example a learned man who wishes to attend a spiritistic gathering for the sake of study, he will usefully consult the Ordinary before carrying out his proposal.

Corollary II. With explicit evocation of spirits always excluded, it is not unlawful for a just cause to attend, even actively, gatherings, especially private ones, which have the appearance of spiritistic gatherings to this extent, that wonderful things are produced there, such as the rotation of a table, etc., provided nevertheless it is probable that all things are to be ascribed to a natural cause (n. 597). Apply these things also to ouija boards, as they are called. Nevertheless it is preferable to turn the faithful away from gatherings and experiments of this kind, because a passage to spiritistic things is to be feared.

Corollary III. What has been said about the morality of spiritism must also be applied to occultism. These seem to differ to this extent, that spiritism openly professes the evocation of spirits and teaches that responses are obtained and wonderful things are done by evoked spirits; occultism insists more on pseudo-scientific explanations. But under the moral aspect there is scarcely any difference.

¹ Cf. Holy Office, April 1, 1898 (Collectanea, n. 1994).

² Deut. 18:9.

³ Cf. Decretum Gratiani, Causa III, q. 5, c. 9; Causa XXVI, q. 5, cc. 1 and 2; 5-10; likewise Decretals, V, 21, cc. 1-3.

⁴ John XXII, Super illius specula, 1326; Gregory XV, Omnipotentis, 1623, etc.

⁵ August 4, 1876 (Collectanea, n. 1128).

⁶ April 1, 1898 (Collectanea, n. 1994).

⁷ April 24, 1917 (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 1917, p. 268).