Most Catholics have never heard of generational spirits. That is no surprise: they rose to prominence in some circles only recently, and belief in them is part of the spirituality of very few Catholics. Their existence is an open question, meaning Catholics are within Church teaching to believe or disbelieve in them. Some exorcists and other Catholics involved in so-called deliverance ministry seem to have certainty not only in their existence, but in their demonic methods of attack, and in the means to be freed from them.
What does the Church teach us about this possible type of evil spirit?
What is a generational spirit?
It is not easy to give a definition, since the Church has no doctrine on the subject. They are said to be demons that attach to particular families. They are not mentioned in the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the Catechism of the Council of Trent, in papal documents or in Church councils, or in the writings of Doctors of the Church (St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, etc.). Different people have different names for them, such as family spirits, familial spirits, and wounding of the family tree. They are described in different ways, as demons that cause particular problems or provoke particular sins and continue to do so for succeeding generations of the person to whom they first attached. Some think membership in the Freemasons is especially inviting to generational spirits, though why this is so remains unexplained.
Does belief in generational spirits contradict Catholic doctrine?
No, the topic is neither taught nor condemned by Church doctrine. It might or might not be the case that the demon tempting me today is the same demon that tempted my Aunt Elgisa or Great-uncle Vito or Great-grandfather Nikola.
Where does the idea of generational spirits come from?
Within the Catholic Church, the belief and alleged methods of dealing with generational spirits probably came from Pentecostal Christians in the 1960s. It is difficult if not impossible to find any mention of the topic by Catholic writers from before that time.
Some Catholics say that belief in generational spirits is found in Catholic teaching and tradition and point to the authority that parents have over their children. But parental authority comes from God, for the purpose of leading children to heaven. There is nothing in Church teaching or tradition that equates that authority with passing on a particular demon from one generation to the next.
Are generational spirits mentioned in the Bible?
No. Some who believe in them will point to Scripture verses such as Exodus 34:7, which states that God is “forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
But neither this nor similar verses mention generational spirits, and there are more traditional explanations. For example, St. John Chrysostom said the above verse is “not to be universally applied, but was made with regard to those going out of Egypt” (Homily 56 on St. John).
Certainly, God seems to clarify this in Ezekiel 18:20:
The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
A simple way to reconcile the two is that though God does allow parents’ sins to cause damage to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, those descendants are not punished as such for a family member’s sins. In any event, there is no mention of generational spirits in the Bible.
One writer, with regard to Mark 9, says that “Jesus exorcises a demon from a man’s son, who has been possessed from infancy. That means that either the son was cursed in the womb, or else is the victim of a generational spirit.” But those are certainly not the only explanations for this case of demonic possession. According to Mark 9:21, “Jesus asked his father, ‘How long has he had this?’ And he said, ‘From childhood.’” Jesus did not ask or receive an exact age; the father could have meant age seven or seventeen or anywhere in between, and the young man could have done something to open himself to demonic attack.
What about exorcists and deliverance ministers who say they have experience with generational spirits?
There are a few problems with this. Some claim to be able to sense the spirits; some make deductions based on one’s ancestry; some even claim the demons have revealed themselves. But there is no way to verify these claims.
As for demons alleged to have revealed themselves, this could be the imagination of persons who mistakenly believe they are possessed and have unfortunately been reading about spiritual warfare with generational spirits. If an actual demon were to admit to being a generational spirit, exorcists and deliverance ministers should remember three things: they lie, they lie, they lie.
Can any harm be done by those promoting the belief in generational spirits?
Yes, great harm can be done and has been done to individuals struggling with a range of mental, emotional, and relationship problems. All of these may result from mistreatment by parents, who in turn may have been mistreated by their parents, but this is not the same as saying a demon has attached itself.
The suffering individual may go to an exorcist or deliverance minister who claims to have a method to drive off the generational spirit. When the method fails, the individual believes that, on top of his other struggles, he has a generational spirit that even an alleged expert could not banish.
Does the Church have certain prayers or rituals to bind generational spirits, or break the generational demonic bonds, or heal the family tree?
No. Again, there is no mention of generational spirits in Church teaching, and certainly no specific prayers or rituals dealing with them. Those who believe in them write their own prayers. There is nothing wrong with that, unless they try to tell people these prayers have special power against these demons, or even that these specific prayers must be said if the alleged generational demon is to be driven off.
In fact, the Rite of Exorcism specifically tells the exorcist, “During the exorcism, he shall preferably employ words from holy writ rather than forms of his own or someone else.” Bible verses are more powerful against demons than prayers we write ourselves.
The Church has the Rite of Exorcism for demonic possession. What does the Church say to do about demonic attacks that fall short of possession?
We use the spiritual weapons the Church has given us: sacraments, sacramentals, Scripture, and prayer.
For example, the Rite of Exorcism states that both the exorcist and the possessed person should go to confession and receive Holy Communion. The rite includes Gospel readings (Mark 16:15-18; Luke 10:17-20, 11:14-22; John 1:1-14) and Psalms (3, 10, 12, 21, 30, 34, 53, 67, 69, 90, 117); it also includes the St. Michael prayer and the Litany of the Saints. It tells the exorcist to have a crucifix and holy water.
We can and should use these frequently to protect against demonic temptation and attack. I think it important to note this instruction to the exorcist: “It will also help to say devoutly and often over the afflicted person the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Creed.” As these are the very prayers of the rosary, clearly praying the rosary with the specific intention for protection against demons is a powerful weapon.
Satan tried to tempt Jesus, so we can be certain that he and his minions are tempting us. While in this world, we are part of the Church militant, fighting the battle against them. But we should not get too caught up in the mindset and language of fighting demons.
Jesus talked about this battle sometimes, but he did not talk about it all the time, and he never mentioned or hinted at generational spirits. The Lord’s Prayer forms the basis of all our prayers, and only in the last petition do we ask God’s help against the evil spirits: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”