Chapter I: Of the Previous Censorship of Books

§ 1. Unless ecclesiastical censorship has preceded, the following are not to be published, even by lay persons:

1° Books of sacred Scriptures or annotations and commentaries on the same.

2° Books which regard the divine Scriptures, sacred theology, ecclesiastical history, canon law, natural theology, ethics, or other religious and moral disciplines of this kind; books and booklets of prayers, devotion, or doctrine and instruction, religious, moral, ascetical, mystical, and other things of this kind, although they seem to conduce to fostering piety; and generally writings in which there is anything which particularly concerns religion and uprightness of morals.

3° Sacred images to be printed in any manner, whether they have prayers joined, or are published without them.

§ 2. Permission to publish the books and images of which in Sec. 1 can be given either by the proper local Ordinary of the author, or by the Ordinary of the place in which the books or images are made public, or by the Ordinary of the place in which they are printed, yet in such a way that, if one of these Ordinaries has denied permission, the author cannot seek it from another Ordinary unless he has made him certain concerning the permission denied by the other.

§ 3. Religious, moreover, must beforehand also obtain the permission of their major Superior.

§ 1. Secular clerics are forbidden, without the consent of their Ordinaries, and religious, moreover, without the permission of their major Superior and of the local Ordinary, to publish even books which treat of profane matters, and to write in, or moderate, newspapers, sheets, or periodical booklets.

§ 2. In newspapers, sheets, or periodical booklets which are accustomed to attack the Catholic religion or good morals, not even Catholic lay persons are to write anything, unless a just and reasonable cause urges, approved by the local Ordinary.

The things which in any way pertain to causes of beatifications and canonizations of the Servants of God cannot be published without the permission of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.

§ 1. All books of indulgences, summaries, booklets, sheets, etc., in which their concessions are contained, are not to be published without the permission of the local Ordinary.

§ 2. Moreover, the express permission of the Apostolic See is required so that it may be lawful to publish in print, in any language whatever, both an authentic collection of prayers and pious works to which the Apostolic See has attached indulgences, and a list of apostolic indulgences, and a summary of indulgences either collected before but never approved, or now for the first time to be collected from diverse concessions.

Collections of decrees of the Roman Congregations cannot be published again unless permission has first been obtained and the conditions prescribed by the Moderators of each Congregation have been observed.

In publishing liturgical books and their parts, and likewise litanies approved by the Holy See, it must be established by the attestation of the local Ordinary in whose place they are printed or made public that they agree with the approved editions.

Versions of the sacred Scriptures into the vernacular language cannot be printed unless they have been approved by the Apostolic See, or unless they are published under the vigilance of the Bishops and with annotations chiefly excerpted from the holy Fathers of the Church and from learned and Catholic writers.

§ 1. The approval of the original text of some work does not support translations of the same into another language nor other editions; wherefore both translations and new editions of an approved work must be fortified by a new approval.

§ 2. Excerpts from periodicals, chapters published separately, are not considered new editions and therefore do not need a new approval.

§ 1. In all episcopal Curias let there be censors from office, who are to examine things to be published.

§ 2. Examiners, in performing their office, all acceptance of persons having been laid aside, are to have before their eyes only the dogmas of the Church and the common doctrine of Catholics which is contained in the decrees of general Councils or the constitutions or prescriptions of the Apostolic See and in the consensus of approved doctors.

§ 3. Censors are to be chosen from either clergy, commended by age, learning, and prudence, who in approving and disapproving doctrines go by a middle, safe way.

§ 4. The censor must give his opinion in writing. If it is favorable, the Ordinary is to make the power of publishing, to which nevertheless the judgment of the censor is to be prefixed, with his name inscribed. Only in extraordinary circumstances and very rarely, by the prudent judgment of the Ordinary, can mention of the censor be omitted.

§ 5. The name of the censor is never to be made known to authors before he has issued a favorable opinion.

§ 1. The permission by which the Ordinary makes the power of publishing is to be granted in writing, to be printed at the beginning or end of the book, sheet, or image, with the name of the one granting it expressly stated and likewise the place and time of the concession.

§ 2. But if it seems that permission is to be denied, unless a grave cause demands otherwise, the reasons are to be indicated to the author requesting it.