Appendix: On the Censorship and Prohibition of Books

1232. Two things are established in the Code concerning this matter: 1. the previous censure of certain books; 2. the prohibition of certain books. "Those things which are prescribed under this title concerning books are to be applied to publications, newspapers, periodicals, and any other published writings whatever, unless the contrary is established."¹⁷

¹⁷ Code, c. 1384, § 2.

1233. 1. Certain books cannot be published, even by laymen, unless ecclesiastical censure has preceded, which "can be given either by the local Ordinary proper to the author, or by the Ordinary of the place in which the books or images are made public property, or by the Ordinary of the place in which they are printed, yet so that, if any one of these Ordinaries has denied permission, the author cannot seek it from another Ordinary unless he has informed the same of the permission denied by another."¹⁸

¹⁸ Code, c. 1385, § 2.

Now these books are: "(a) Books of Sacred Scripture, or annotations and commentaries on them; (b) books which regard 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 religious, moral, ascetical, mystical doctrine and instruction, and others of this kind, although they seem to conduce to fostering piety; and generally writings in which there is something which is of special interest for religion and honesty of morals; (c) sacred images to be printed in any way, whether they have prayers joined, or are published without them."¹⁹

¹⁹ Code, c. 1385, § 1.

Besides, "in newspapers, sheets, or periodical booklets which are accustomed to attack the Catholic religion or good morals, let not even Catholic laymen write anything, unless a just and reasonable cause persuades, approved by the Ordinary of the place."²⁰

²⁰ Code, c. 1386, § 2.

1234. 2. Secular clerics are forbidden, without the consent of their Ordinaries, and religious without the license of their major superior and of the local Ordinary, to publish also books which treat of profane matters, and to write in newspapers, sheets, or periodical booklets, or to moderate the same.²¹

²¹ Ibid., § 1.

1235. 3. Express license of the Apostolic See is required "so that it may be lawful to publish in print, in any language, 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 previously collected but never approved, or now for the first time to be gathered from diverse concessions."²² - Moreover all books, summaries, booklets, sheets, etc., in which concessions of indulgences are contained, are not to be published without license of the Ordinary.²³

²² Code, c. 1388, § 2.

²³ Ibid., § 1.

4. "Those things which in any way pertain to the causes of beatifications and canonizations of Servants of God cannot be published without the license of the Sacred Congregation of Rites."²⁴

²⁴ Code, c. 1387.

5. "Collections of decrees of the Roman Congregations cannot again be published unless permission has first been obtained and the conditions prescribed by the Moderators of each Congregation have been observed."²⁵

²⁵ Code, c. 1389.

6. "In publishing liturgical books and their parts, and likewise litanies approved by the Holy See, agreement with the approved editions must be established from the attestation of the Ordinary of the place in which they are printed or made public property."²⁶

²⁶ Code, c. 1390.

7. "Versions of Sacred Scripture 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."²⁷

²⁷ Code, c. 1391.

8. Translations and new editions of an approved work must be fortified by a new approval. But chapters excerpted from periodicals and published separately do not need new approval.²⁸

²⁸ Code, c. 1392.

1236. 9. As regards censors to be established in all episcopal curias:²⁹

²⁹ Code, c. 1393.

(a) "Let them be chosen from either clergy, commended by age, erudition, and prudence, who in approving and disapproving doctrines go by a middle and safe path."

(b) Examiners, in performing their office, with every acceptance of persons laid aside, should keep 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 in the constitutions or prescriptions of the Apostolic See, and in the consent of approved doctors.

(c) A censor must give his judgment in writing. If it is favorable, the Ordinary is to grant the power of publishing; nevertheless the judgment of the censor is to be placed before it, his name being inscribed, except in a few extraordinary cases in which mention of the censor, by the prudent judgment of the Ordinary, can be omitted. - But the name of the censor should never be made known to authors before he has issued a favorable judgment.

10. The Ordinary³⁰ should grant the power of publishing in writing, at the beginning or at the end of the book, sheet, or image to be printed, with the name of the one granting, the place and time of the concession expressed. - If license is denied, unless a grave cause demands otherwise, the reasons are to be indicated to the author asking.

³⁰ Code, c. 1394.

1237. 1. Besides books prohibited under penalty of excommunication,¹ and books reported in the Index, from the Code itself these are prohibited by the law itself:²

¹ Code, c. 2318.

² Code, c. 1399.

1. Editions of the original text and of ancient Catholic versions of Sacred Scripture, even of the Eastern Church, published by any non-Catholics whatever; likewise versions of the same into any language, made or published by the same;³

³ Yet the use of these books is permitted to those who devote themselves to theological or biblical studies, provided that the same books have been published faithfully and integrally, and that the dogmas of the Catholic faith are not attacked in their prolegomena or annotations. Code, c. 1400.

2. Books of any writers whatever which defend heresy or schism, or strive in any way to overthrow the very foundations of religion;

3. Books which, by set purpose, attack religion or good morals;

4. Books of any non-Catholics whatever which treat professedly of religion, unless it is established that nothing is contained in them against the Catholic faith;

5. Books of which there is question in c. 1385, § 1, n. 1, and c. 1391; likewise, from those of which there is question in the cited c. 1385, § 1, n. 2, books and booklets which narrate new apparitions, revelations, visions, prophecies, or miracles, or which introduce new devotions, even under the pretext that they are private, if they have been published without observing the prescriptions of the canons;

6. Books which attack or deride any one whatever of the Catholic dogmas, which defend errors proscribed by the Apostolic See, which detract from divine worship, which contend to overthrow ecclesiastical discipline, and which by set purpose heap reproaches upon the ecclesiastical hierarchy, or the clerical or religious state;

7. Books which teach or commend superstition of any kind, sorceries, divination, magic, evocation of spirits, and other things of this kind;

8. Books which establish as licit the duel, or suicide, or divorce; books which, treating of Masonic sects or other societies of the same kind, contend that they are useful and not pernicious to the Church and civil society;

9. Books which professedly treat, narrate, or teach lascivious or obscene matters;⁴

⁴ But expurgated classical books do not fall under the prohibition.

10. Editions of liturgical books approved by the Apostolic See, in which anything has been changed so that they do not agree with the authentic editions approved by the Holy See;

11. Books by which apocryphal indulgences, or indulgences proscribed or revoked by the Holy See, are spread abroad;

12. Images printed in any way whatever of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Angels and Saints, or of other Servants of God, alien from the sense and decrees of the Church.

1238. 2. Local Ordinaries can also proscribe books, and they must warn the faithful of the danger and harm of reading depraved books, especially prohibited ones.⁵ They can besides grant permission to their subjects to read books prohibited by the law itself or by decree of the Holy See, but only for individual books and only in urgent cases. But if they have obtained from the Apostolic See a general faculty of permitting their subjects to retain and read proscribed books, let them grant it only with selection and for a reasonable cause.⁶

⁵ Code, c. 1405.

⁶ Code, c. 1402.

1239. 3. Those only can read and retain proscribed books who have obtained opportune faculties. - License to read or retain books condemned by the Holy See does not include license to read and retain books prohibited by a Bishop, unless in the case of express mention.⁷ Besides, they are held by grave precept to guard prohibited books in such a way that these do not come to the hands of others.⁸

⁷ Code, c. 1403.

⁸ Code, ibid., § 2.

1240. 4. Sellers of books are wholly prohibited from selling, lending, or retaining books treating professedly of obscene matters; moreover, they are forbidden to have other proscribed books for sale without permission of the Congregation of the Index, or to sell them to those who do not legitimately ask.⁹

⁹ Code, c. 1404.