I. Laws on the Prohibition of Books and Works

128. A) Prohibition of Publishing, Reading, and Retaining Books.

Books prohibited to all and without qualification.

1. Books condemned before 1600 and not permitted by today's General Decrees (1).¹

2. Books defending heresy or schism, or in any way overturning the foundations of Religion (2).

3. Books expressly obscene (9).

4. Books detracting from God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints, the Catholic Church and its cult or Sacraments, or the Apostolic See (11, 1st part).

5. Books which adulterate the concept of inspiration of Sacred Scripture, or too much restrict its extension (11, 2nd part).

6. Books of set purpose insulting the ecclesiastical Hierarchy or the clerical or religious state (11, 3rd part).

7. Books which teach or commend superstitious arts (10).

8. Books which establish duel, suicide, or divorce as licit (14, 1st part).

9. Books which, treating of masonic sects or sects of this kind, contend that they are useful (14, 2nd part).

10. Books which defend errors proscribed by the Apostolic See (14, 3rd part).

Books less universally prohibited.

1. Those licit in themselves which are forbidden on account of the defect of some condition.

a) Legitimate approval being lacking:

Books or writings which report new supernatural facts (13, 1st part).

Books which introduce new devotions (13, 2nd part).

Practical books of devotion, or of religious or moral instruction (20).

b) New editions of liturgical books or of sacred chant differing from the authentic ones (18 and decrees of 1905. Cf. appendix to article 18).

2. Books suspect in themselves, which by a certain law are permitted to all or to certain persons.

1. Those which by a certain law are permitted to all:

Books of non-Catholics (3 and 4).

Catholic versions of the Sacred Bibles in the vernacular language (7).

2. Those which by a certain law are indulged to certain persons:

Editions or non-Catholic versions of the Sacred Bibles (5, 6, and 8).

Obscene classical books (10).

¹ The numbers enclosed in parentheses designate articles of the Constitution.

129. B) Prohibition of Publishing, Reading, and Retaining Other Works and Books.

1. Unless they have been legitimately approved, the following are forbidden:

Writings which report supernatural facts (13, 1st part).

Writings which introduce new devotions (13, 2nd part).

Practical pamphlets of devotion or of religious or moral instruction (20).

2. Newspapers, sheets, and periodic pamphlets which attack religion or good morals of set purpose are proscribed (21).

3. Printed sacred images which are different from the sense and decrees of the Church are proscribed (15).

130. C) Prohibition of Publishing or Spreading Abroad.

They are absolutely forbidden to be published:

1. Apocryphal or revoked Indulgences (15).

2. Editions or versions, not corrected, of a proscribed work (31, 45).

They are forbidden to be published without the assent of legitimate authority:

1. New sacred images (15).

2. Books, summaries, pamphlets, sheets, etc., of Indulgences (17).

3. Litanies not approved by the Holy See (19).

4. Corrected prohibited books or corrected versions of them (31, 45).

5. All works whatsoever that are subject to previous censure. Cf. below, II.

131. D) Precepts Connected with These Prohibitions.

1. Pastoral vigilance is to be exercised:

In averting the faithful from reading bad newspapers, sheets, and periodic pamphlets (21).

In suppressing apocryphal or revoked indulgences (16).

In either proscribing or denouncing harmful books (27, 29).

2. Catholics, especially ecclesiastics, are not to publish anything without just cause in bad newspapers, sheets, and periodic pamphlets (22).

3. Sellers of books are not to sell or lend books expressly obscene; they are not to have other proscribed books for sale unless license has been obtained and circumspectly (46).

4. Pernicious books are aptly to be denounced to Bishops or to the Apostolic See (27, 28).