1. Warning Against Unreliable Homilies

His Holiness begins by emphasizing that some homilies circulating about the soul’s journey after death (on the third, seventh, or fortieth day) contain many myths and cannot be used to form doctrine. Not every homily attributed to a saint is authentic, since many were written in later centuries without verification or ecclesiastical approval.

2. The Need to Verify Manuscripts

The Pope explains the importance of examining the origin, source, and language (Coptic or Arabic) of manuscripts before relying on them. He adds that some Western institutions publish these texts not to confirm them, but to study the superstitions found in popular Coptic traditions.

3. Rejection of Non-Theological Tales

He criticizes imaginary stories claiming that souls rise and descend repeatedly, visit their old places, or worship God and then are cast into hell — saying such ideas have no basis in Scripture or the early Church Fathers. Doctrine cannot be built on unsupported legends.

4. The True Meaning of Memorial Days

The Pope clarifies that the third, seventh, and fortieth-day memorials are spiritual customs meant to remind the living of death, not to describe stages of the soul’s journey. They are like daily prayers that keep believers mindful of repentance and eternity.

5. Rejection of Pagan and Pharaonic Practices

He notes that customs like sprinkling water on places or belongings after death come from ancient Egyptian traditions, not from Church teaching. The soul does not cling to material things — it rests in God’s hands alone.

6. Refuting Reincarnation

The Pope rejects reincarnation, explaining that talent or brilliance in children comes from God’s grace or inheritance, not from a previous soul. He cites examples like St. Athanasius and St. Shenouda, who were gifted from childhood by divine purpose.

7. The Impossibility of a Human Soul in a Body or Animal

He teaches that a human soul cannot inhabit an animal, since the human soul is rational and spiritual, while animals are not. Such an idea would contradict the natural order. The story of demons entering pigs does not apply to human souls.

8. Answering Modern Superstitions

His Holiness rejects claims that gender changes or sudden love or hatred are caused by previous incarnations, explaining these are physiological or psychological matters unrelated to reincarnation. True faith depends on God’s wisdom, not myths.

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