The week that bookmaker's tipped Harry Potter as the best-selling toy this Christmas, a Catholic organisation urged parents not to dress their children as witches or wizards for Hallowe'en. "The Church in the catechism utterly forbids all witchcraft as work of the occult so to dress a child up in clothing such as that used by black witches is very sinister and sick," explained Damian Stayne from Cor et Lumen Christi.

"Black witchcraft blends in with Satanism so effectively this is like dressing a child as an arch-enemy of the Church."

Mr Stayne said many Catholics were ignorant about witchcraft and did not therefore realise the potent symbolism of dressing their offspring as witches.

"What people don't understand about witchcraft is that it is a whole belief system," he said. This is our children dressing up as the kingdom of darkness. I wouldn't want a child dressed as a Nazi at a fancy-dress party to come because I understand the symbolism of Nazism, what it is about."

Instead, Cor et Lumen Christi suggests Catholics attire their children as saints: "The model for kids are the saints. Hallowe'en has got hijacked so we don't think of the beauty and glory of the Church and the saints or what Jesus had done for us on the cross.

"Effectively, the powers on the other side want to conceal the saints and the beauty of the Church: so people won't be attracted to Jesus."

Mr Stayne, who founded the Surrey-based Catholic lay community, added: "We feel the Pope has had such a strong call away from the culture of death. Hallowe'en is a celebration of the ages of death. This is a positive alternative."

He warned against the popular Hallowe'en practice of 'trick-or-treating'.

"By all means give children bags of sweets, or let them apple-dunk but trick or treating gives out a subtle message that if you dress up as something ghastly you have authority to do dreadful things to adults, to have authority over the authority figures," he said.

Mr Stayne also claimed Hallowe'en had effectively domesticated images of the occult.

"When Page 3 came out, even women were saying: 'It is just a bit of fun.' But it took pornography and domesticated it. That is what is happening here at Hallowe'en with images of the occult.

"Witchcraft is really about rebellion against God."

Cor et Lumen Christi has dubbed Hallowe'en a "Night of Light" and invite all Catholic families and parishes to make October 31 a celebration of the saints, in anticipation of the traditional Catholic feast of All Saints on November 1.

Last year, 1,000 Catholics celebrated the Night of Light, which was supported by Bishop Ambrose Griffiths of Hexham and Newcastle. This year, citizens of ten countries including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, Estonia, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the US will join the initiative.

"We're encouraging people to attend a Mass for the feast of All Saints the night before, to have a collection for pro-life work and do an all night vigil in front of the Blessed Sacrament or spend at least half an hour of adoration if they can't do all night."

Cor et Lumen Christi has a web-site listing positive suggestions for children on Hallowe'en such as carving a cross into pumpkins, an activity to help them understand the transfiguration.

Source: Catholic Times, Sunday 14 Oct 2001, Reporter: Bess Twiston Davies

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