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"Can.
1386 § 1 Secular clerics are forbidden, without the consent of
their Ordinaries, [and likewise] religious without the permission
of their major Superiors and local Ordinaries, to edit books that
treat of profane [secular] things and to write for or supervise
newspapers, pamphlets, and periodical literature. § 2 Neither
shall laity, unless persuaded by just and reasonable cause
approved by the local Ordinary, write for newspapers, pamphlets or
periodical literature that is accustomed to attacking the Catholic
religion or good morals." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Believe
me, the writing of pious books, the composing of the sublimest
poetry; all that does not equal the smallest act of self-denial."
(St.
Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church)
"If
thou writest, thy composition has no charms for me, unless I read
there the name of Jesus." (St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of
the Church)
"[St.
Francis de Sales], by his example, teaches them in no uncertain
manner precisely how they should write. In the first place, and
this the most important of all, each writer should endeavor in
every way and as far as this may be possible to obtain a complete
comprehension of the teachings of the Church. They should never
compromise where the truth is involved, nor, because of fear of
possibly offending an opponent, minimize or dissimulate it. They
should pay particular attention to literary style and should try
to express their thoughts clearly and in beautiful language so
that their readers will the more readily come to love the truth.
When it is necessary to enter into controversy, they should be
prepared to refute error and to overcome the wiles of the wicked,
but always in a way that will demonstrate clearly that they are
animated by the highest principles and moved only by Christian
charity." (Pope Pius XI, "Rerum Omnium Perturbationem",
1923)
"The
fact that many Catholic writers also go beyond the limits
determined by the Fathers and the Church herself is extremely
regrettable. In the name of higher knowledge and historical
research (they say), they are looking for that progress of dogmas
which is, in reality, nothing but the corruption of dogmas."
(Pope St. Pius X, "Lamentabili Sane", 1907)
CONDEMNED
ERROR #22: "The obligation by which Catholic teachers and
authors are strictly bound is confined to those things only which
are proposed to universal belief as dogmas of faith by the
infallible judgment of the Church." (Error Condemned by Pope Pius IX,
"Syllabus of Errors", 1864)
Also
See: St.
Francis de Sales Declared Patron Saint of Writers
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"And
do your best to hard up whatever you can in that little book-case of
your mind; you want to fill it as full as possible." (St. Thomas
Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the
history of the Church")
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"The
Cross is precious because it enlightens the mind and gives it an
understanding which no book in the world can give." (St. Louis
de Montfort)
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"Can.
1397 § 1 It is for all the faithful, especially clerics and
[those] constituted in ecclesiastical dignity and those excelling
in doctrine, to send to local Ordinaries or to the Apostolic See
books that they judge pernicious; this pertains by a special title
to Legates of the Holy See, local Ordinaries, and Rectors of
Catholic Universities. § 2 It is expedient that in the
denunciation of depraved books, there should be indicated not only
the title of the book but also, insofar as this can be done, the
causes explained why the book should be considered for
prohibition. § 3 Those to whom the denunciation is sent must
religiously observe secrecy regarding the name of the one
denouncing it. § 4 Local Ordinaries personally, or where it is
necessary, through suitable priests, shall be vigilant about the
books that are published in their own territory or set out for
sale. § 5 Books that require a detailed examination or for which
there seems to be required a decision of the supreme authority in
order to bring about a salutary result, should be sent by the
Ordinaries for the judgment of the Apostolic See." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
Also
See: Ecclesiastical
Examination of Written Materials
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"The
Church has always taken action to destroy the plague of bad books.
This was true even in apostolic times for we read that the
apostles themselves burned a large number of books." (Pope
Gregory XVI, "Mirari Vos", 1832)
"But
it is not enough to hinder the reading and the sale of bad books -
it is also necessary to prevent them from being printed. Hence let
the Bishops use the utmost severity in granting permission to
print." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi Dominici Gregis",
1907)
"'We
must fight valiantly,' Clement XIII says in an encyclical
letter about the banning of bad books, 'as much as the matter
itself demands and must exterminate the deadly poison of so many
books; for never will the material for error be withdrawn, unless
the criminal sources of depravity perish in flames.' Thus it
is evident that this Holy See has always striven, throughout the
ages, to condemn and to remove suspect and harmful books."
(Pope Gregory XVI, "Mirari Vos", 1832)
"Can.
823 §1 In order to safeguard the integrity of faith and morals,
pastors of the Church have the duty and the right to ensure that
in writings or in the use of the means of social communication
there should be no ill effect on the faith and morals of Christ's
faithful. They also have the duty and the right to demand that
where writings of the faithful touch upon matters of faith and
morals, these be submitted to their judgement. Moreover, they have
the duty and the right to condemn writings which harm true faith
or good morals. §2 For Christ's faithful entrusted to their care,
the duty and the right mentioned in §1 belong to the Bishops,
both as individuals and in particular councils or Episcopal
Conferences; for the whole people of God, they belong to the
supreme authority in the Church." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
824 §1 Unless it is otherwise provided, the local Ordinary whose
permission or approval for publishing a book is to be sought
according to the canons of this title, is the author's proper
local Ordinary, or the Ordinary of the place in which the book is
published. §2 Unless the contrary is clear, what is said in the
canons of this title about books, applies also to any writings
intended for publication." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
825 §1 Books of the sacred Scriptures may not be published unless
they are approved by the Apostolic See or the Episcopal
Conference. The publication of translations of the sacred
Scriptures requires the approval of the same authority, and they
must have necessary and sufficient annotations." (1983 Code
of Canon Law)
"Can.
826 §2 To republish liturgical books or to publish translations
of all or part of them, it must be established, by an attestation
of the Ordinary of the place in which they are published, that
they accord with an approved edition." (1983 Code of Canon
Law)
"Can.
826 §3 Prayer books, for either the public or the private use of
the faithful, are not to be published without the permission of
the local Ordinary." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
828 Collections of decrees or acts published by any ecclesiastical
authority may not be republished without first seeking the
permission of the same authority and observing the conditions
which it lays down." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
829 The approval or permission to publish some work is valid for
the original text but not for new editions or translations of the
same." (1983 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
830 §1 Every local Ordinary retains the right to appoint persons
whom he considers competent to give a judgement about books. The
Episcopal Conference, however, may draw up a list of censors who
are outstanding for their knowledge, right doctrine and prudence,
to be available to diocesan curias; it may even establish a
commission of censors whom the local Ordinary can consult. §2 In
carrying out this task, a censor must put aside all preference of
persons and look only to the teaching of the Church concerning
faith and morals, as declared by its magisterium. §3 The censor
must give an opinion in writing. If it is favorable, the Ordinary
may, in his prudent judgement, give his permission for the work to
be published, adding his own name and the date and place of the
permission. If he does not give this permission, the Ordinary must
inform the author of the reasons for the refusal." (1983 Code
of Canon Law)
"Can.
1384 § a. The Church has the right of requiring that books that
have not been recognized by her prior judgment not be published by
the faithful, and that those published by anyone be prohibited for
a just cause. § 2 Those things that are prescribed about books in
this title are applicable to daily publications, periodicals, and
other published writings, unless it appears otherwise." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1395 § 1 The right and duty of prohibiting books for a just cause
belongs not only to the supreme ecclesiastical authority for the
universal Church, but for their subjects also to particular
Councils and to local Ordinaries. § 2 From this prohibition there
is given recourse to the Holy See, but it is not, however,
suspensive. § 3 Even the Abbot of a monastery of its own right
and the supreme Moderator of a clerical exempt religious
[Institute] with his Chapter or Council, can prohibit books for
his subjects for a just cause; likewise, if there is danger in
delay, other major Superiors can [act] with their own Council,
notwithstanding the requirement that the matter go as quickly as
possible to the supreme Moderator." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1396 Books condemned by the Apostolic See are considered
prohibited in any place and in any language." (1917 Code of
Canon Law)
"Can.
1398 § 1 The prohibition of books brings it about that the book
cannot be published, read, retained, sold, translated into another
language, or in any other way communicated to others without
necessary permission. § 2 A book that in any manner is prohibited
cannot once again be brought out unless, the corrections having
been made, permission is given by him who prohibited the book, or
by his Superior or successor." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Let
them combat novelties of words remembering the admonitions of Leo
XIII: 'It is impossible to approve in Catholic publications
of a style inspired by unsound novelty which seems to deride the
piety of the faithful and dwells on the introduction of a new
order of Christian life, on new directions of the Church, on new
aspirations of the modern soul, on a new vocation of the clergy,
on a new Christian civilization.' Language of this kind is
not to be tolerated either in books or from chairs of learning.
The Councils [of Vigilance] must not neglect the books treating of
the pious traditions of different places or of sacred relics. Let
them not permit such questions to be discussed in periodicals
destined to stimulate piety, neither with expressions savoring of
mockery or contempt, nor by dogmatic pronouncements, especially
when, as is often the case, what is stated as a certainty either
does not pass the limits of probability or is merely based on
prejudiced opinion." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
Dominici Gregis", 1907)
"To
give you some more general directions, Venerable Brethren, in a
matter of such moment, We bid you do everything in your power to
drive out of your dioceses, even by solemn interdict, any
pernicious books that may be in circulation there. The Holy See
neglects no means to put down writings of this kind, but the
number of them has now grown to such an extent that it is
impossible to censure them all. Hence it happens that the medicine
sometimes arrives too late, for the disease has taken root during
the delay. We will, therefore, that the Bishops, putting aside all
fear and the prudence of the flesh, despising the outcries of the
wicked, gently by all means but constantly, do each his own share
of this work, remembering the injunctions of Leo XIII in the
Apostolic Constitution Officiorum: 'Let the Ordinaries,
acting in this also as Delegates of the Apostolic See, exert
themselves to prescribe and to put out of reach of the faithful
injurious books or other writings printed or circulated in their
dioceses.' In this passage the Bishops, it is true, receive a
right, but they have also a duty imposed on them. Let no Bishop
think that he fulfils this duty by denouncing to us one or two
books, while a great many others of the same kind are being
published and circulated. Nor are you to be deterred by the fact
that a book has obtained the Imprimatur elsewhere, both because
this may be merely simulated, and because it may have been granted
through carelessness or easiness or excessive confidence in the
author as may sometimes happen in religious Orders. Besides, just
as the same food does not agree equally with everybody, it may
happen that a book harmless in one may, on account of the
different circumstances, be hurtful in another. Should a Bishop,
therefore, after having taken the advice of prudent persons, deem
it right to condemn any of such books in his diocese, We not only
give him ample faculty to do so but We impose it upon him as a
duty to do so. Of course, it is Our wish that in such action
proper regard be used, and sometimes it will suffice to restrict
the prohibition to the clergy; but even in such cases it will be
obligatory on Catholic booksellers not to put on sale books
condemned by the Bishop." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
Dominici Gregis", 1907)
It
is certainly possible to obtain without difficulty some learning
by reading books. The skill of book-printing has been invented, or
rather improved and perfected, with God's assistance, particularly
in our time. Without doubt it has brought many benefits to men and
women since, at small expense, it is possible to possess a great
number of books. These permit minds to devote themselves very
readily to scholarly studies. Thus there can easily result,
particularly among Catholics, men competent in all kinds of
languages; and we desire to see in the Roman church, in good
supply, men of this type who are capable of instructing even
unbelievers in the holy commandments, and of gathering them for
their salvation into the body of the faithful by the teaching of
the Christian faith. Complaints from many persons, however, have
reached our ears and those of the apostolic see. In fact, some
printers have the boldness to print and sell to the public, in
different parts of the world, books - some translated into Latin
from Greek, Hebrew, Arabic and Chaldean as well as some issued
directly in Latin or a vernacular language - containing errors
opposed to the faith as well as pernicious views contrary to the
Christian religion and to the reputation of prominent persons of
rank. The readers are not edified. Indeed, they lapse into very
great errors not only in the realm of faith but also in that of
life and morals. This has often given rise to various scandals, as
experience has taught, and there is daily the fear that even
greater scandals are developing. That is why, to prevent what has
been a healthy discovery for the glory of God, the advance of the
faith, and the propagation of good skills, from being misused for
the opposite purposes and becoming an obstacle to the salvation of
Christians, we have judged that our care must be exercised over
the printing of books, precisely so that thorns do not grow up
with the good seed or poisons become mixed with medicines. It is
our desire to provide a suitable remedy for this danger, with the
approval of this sacred council, so that the business of
book-printing may go ahead with greater satisfaction the more that
there is employed in the future, with greater zeal and prudence, a
more attentive supervision. We therefore establish and ordain that
henceforth, for all future time, no one may dare to print or have
printed any book or other writing of whatever kind in Rome or in
any other cities and dioceses, without the book or writings having
first been closely examined, at Rome by our vicar and the master
of the sacred palace, in other cities and dioceses by the bishop
or some other person who knows about the printing of books and
writings of this kind and who has been delegated to this office by
the bishop in question, and also by the inquisitor of heresy for
the city or diocese where the said printing is to take place, and
unless the books or writings have been approved by a warrant
signed in their own hand, which must be given, under pain of
excommunication, freely and without delay." (Fifth Lateran
Council)
"With
regard to priests who are correspondents or collaborators of
periodicals, as it happens not infrequently that they write matter
infected with Modernism for their papers or periodicals, let the
Bishops see to it that this is not permitted to happen, and,
should they fail in this duty, let the Bishops make due provision
with authority delegated by the Supreme Pontiff. Let there be, as
far as this is possible, a special Censor for newspapers and
periodicals written by Catholics. It shall be his office to read
in due time each number after it has been published, and if he
find anything dangerous in it let him order that it be corrected.
The Bishop shall have the same right even when the Censor has seen
nothing objectionable in a publication." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Pascendi Dominici Gregis", 1907)
Also
See: Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Injurious
/ Odious Writings | Rejected
Writings | Writings
to be Rejected / Shunned | Reading
Recommendations
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"There
are many striking examples of the salutary effects of the reading
of pious books. Outstanding is the case of Augustine whose great
services to the Church had their origin in such reading: 'Take,
read; take, read; I took (the epistles of Paul the Apostle), I
opened, I read in silence; it was as though the darkness of all my
doubting was driven away by the light of peace which had entered
my soul.'" (Pope St. Pius X, Haerent Animo)
Also
See: Good
Books Are Our Friends
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"Everyone
knows the great influence that is exerted by the voice of a friend
who gives candid advice, assists by his counsel, corrects,
encourages and leads one away from error. Blessed is the man who
has found a true friend; he that has found him has found a
treasure. We should, then, count pious books among our true
friends. They solemnly remind us of our duties and of the
prescriptions of legitimate discipline; they arouse the heavenly
voices that were stifled in our souls; they rid our resolutions of
listlessness; they disturb our deceitful complacency; they show
the true nature of less worthy affections to which we have sought
to close our eyes; they bring to light the many dangers which
beset the path of the imprudent. They render all these services
with such kindly discretion that they prove themselves to be not
only our friends, but the very best of friends. They are always at
hand, constantly beside us to assist us in the needs of our souls;
their voice is never harsh, their advice is never self-seeking,
their words are never timid or deceitful." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Haerent Animo", 1908)
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"Catholic
writers have produced most of the world's greatest
literature...literature written by Catholics is one of the word's
greatest treasures." (Curran)
Also
See: Reading
Recommendations
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"Can.
2344 Whoever gives injury to the Roman Pontiff, a Cardinal of the
H.R.C., a Legate of the Roman Pontiff, to Sacred Roman
Congregations, Tribunals of the Apostolic See, and their major
Officials, and their own Ordinary by public journals, sermons, or
pamphlets whether directly or indirectly, or who excites animosity
or odium against their acts, decrees, decisions, or sentences
shall be punished by an Ordinary not only at the request of a
party but even by office with censures and, or order to accomplish
satisfaction, other appropriate penalties and penances for the
gravity of the fault and the repair of scandal." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1369 A person is to be punished with a just penalty, who, at a
public event or assembly, or in a published writing, or by
otherwise using the means of social communication, utters
blasphemy, or gravely harms good morals, or expresses insults or
excites hatred or contempt against religion or the Church"
(1983 Code of Canon Law)
Also
See: Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Modernist
Writings | Rejected
Writings | Warnings
/ Cautions Concerning Written Materials | We
Should Not Look to Heterodox Works | Writings
to be Rejected / Shunned
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"What
would be the good of learning without love? It would puff up. And
love without learning? It would go astray" (St. Bernard of
Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"...according
to [St.] Thomas [Aquinas], by far the most important benefit to be derived from
sacred studies, is that they inspire a man with a great love for
God and a great longing for eternal things." (Pope Pius XI,
"Studiorum Ducem", 1923)
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"So,
also, liberty of thinking and of publishing whatsoever each one likes
without any hindrance is not in itself a good over which society can
rejoice. On the contrary, it is the source and origin of many evils.
Liberty, that element of perfection for man, should be applied in
relation to that which is true and good. However, the essence of
goodness and truth cannot be changed at the will of man, but remains
ever one and the same, and by the nature of things is immutable. If the
mind assents to false opinions, if the will chooses and follows after
the evil, then neither the mind nor the will can achieve its perfection.
Both fall from their native dignity and are corrupted. Whatever,
therefore, is opposed to virtue and truth, may not be permitted to come
before the eyes of men to tempt them. And much less can be sanctioned by
the favor and protection of laws." (Pope Leo XIII)
"We
must now consider briefly liberty of speech, and liberty of the
press. It is hardly necessary to say that there can be no such
right as this, if it be not used in moderation, and if it pass
beyond the bounds and end of all true liberty. For right is a
moral power which - as We have before said and must again and
again repeat - it is absurd to suppose that nature has accorded
indifferently to truth and falsehood, to justice and injustice.
Men have a right freely and prudently to propagate throughout the
State what things soever are true and honorable, so that as many
as possible may possess them; but lying opinions, than which no
mental plague is greater, and vices which corrupt the heart and
moral life should be diligently repressed by public authority,
lest they insidiously work the ruin of the State. The excesses of
an unbridled intellect, which unfailingly end in the oppression of
the untutored multitude, are no less rightly controlled by the
authority of the law than are the injuries inflicted by violence
upon the weak. And this all the more surely, because by far the
greater part of the community is either absolutely unable, or able
only with great difficulty, to escape from illusions and deceitful
subtleties, especially such as flatter the passions. If unbridled
license of speech and of writing be granted to all, nothing will
remain sacred and inviolate; even the highest and truest mandates
of natures, justly held to be the common and noblest heritage of
the human race, will not be spared. Thus, truth being gradually
obscured by darkness, pernicious and manifold error, as too often
happens, will easily prevail. Thus, too, license will gain what
liberty loses; for liberty will ever be more free and secure in
proportion as license is kept in fuller restraint. In regard,
however, to all matter of opinion which God leaves to man's free
discussion, full liberty of thought and of speech is naturally
within the right of everyone; for such liberty never leads men to
suppress the truth, but often to discover it and make it
known." (Pope Leo XIII, "Libertas Praestantissimum",
1888)
"And
so from what has been said it follows that it is by no means lawful to
demand, to defend, and to grant indiscriminate freedom of thought,
writing, teaching, and likewise of belief, as if so many rights which
nature has given to man. For if nature had truly given these, it would
be right to reject God's power, and human liberty could be restrained by
no law. - Similarly it follows that these kinds of freedom can indeed be
tolerated, if there are just reasons, yet with definite moderation, lest
they degenerate into caprice and indulgence." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Libertas praestantissimum", June 20, 1888 A.D.)
"Here
We must include that harmful and never sufficiently denounced
freedom to publish any writings whatever and disseminate them to
the people, which some dare to demand and promote with so great a
clamor. We are horrified to see what monstrous doctrines and
prodigious errors are disseminated far and wide in countless
books, pamphlets, and other writings which, though small in
weight, are very great in malice. We are in tears at the abuse
which proceeds from them over the face of the earth. Some are so
carried away that they contentiously assert that the flock of
errors arising from them is sufficiently compensated by the
publication of some book which defends religion and truth. Every
law condemns deliberately doing evil simply because there is some
hope that good may result. Is there any sane man who would say
poison ought to be distributed, sold publicly, stored, and even
drunk because some antidote is available and those who use it may
be snatched from death again and again?" (Pope Gregory XVI,
"Mirari Vos", 1832)
Also
See: Modernist
Writings
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"The
prevailing spirit of the household corresponds with the literature
in the home." (St. John Vianney)
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Also See:
Modernism
(Topic Page)
|
"And
here we have already some of the artifices employed by Modernists
to exploit their wares. What efforts they make to win new
recruits! They seize upon chairs in the seminaries and
universities, and gradually make of them chairs of pestilence.
From these sacred chairs they scatter, though not always openly,
the seeds of their doctrines; they proclaim their teachings
without disguise in congresses; they introduce them and make them
the vogue in social institutions. Under their own names and under
pseudonyms they publish numbers of books, newspapers, reviews, and
sometimes one and the same writer adopts a variety of pseudonyms
to trap the incautious reader into believing in a whole multitude
of Modernist writers - in short they leave nothing untried, in
action, discourses, writings, as though there were a frenzy of
propaganda upon them." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
Dominici Gregis", 1907)
"It
is also the duty of the bishops to prevent writings infected with
Modernism or favorable to it from being read when they have been
published, and to hinder their publication when they have not. No
book or paper or periodical of this kind must ever be permitted to
seminarians or university students. The injury to them would be
equal to that caused by immoral reading - nay, it would be greater
for such writings poison Christian life at its very fount. The
same decision is to be taken concerning the writings of some
Catholics, who, though not badly disposed themselves but
ill-instructed in theological studies and imbued with modern
philosophy, strive to make this harmonize with the faith, and, as
they say, to turn it to the profit of the faith. The name and
reputation of these authors cause them to be read without
suspicion, and they are, therefore, all the more dangerous in
preparing the way for Modernism." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
Dominici Gregis", 1907)
"With
regard to priests who are correspondents or collaborators of
periodicals, as it happens not infrequently that they write matter
infected with Modernism for their papers or periodicals, let the
Bishops see to it that this is not permitted to happen, and,
should they fail in this duty, let the Bishops make due provision
with authority delegated by the Supreme Pontiff. Let there be, as
far as this is possible, a special Censor for newspapers and
periodicals written by Catholics. It shall be his office to read
in due time each number after it has been published, and if he
find anything dangerous in it let him order that it be corrected.
The Bishop shall have the same right even when the Censor has seen
nothing objectionable in a publication." (Pope St. Pius X,
"Pascendi Dominici Gregis", 1907)
"This,
surely, will be quite clear to one who observes how the modernists
act quite in conformity with what they teach. For much seems to
have been written and spoken by them in contrary fashion so that
one might easily think them doubtful and uncertain. But this takes
place deliberately and advisedly, namely, in accord with the
opinion which they hold on the mutual exclusion of faith and
science. Thus in their books we find certain things which a
Catholic entirely approves, yet on turning the page certain things
which one could think were dictated by a rationalist. So, when
writing history they make no mention of the divinity of Christ,
but when preaching in the churches they profess it most strongly.
Likewise, when discussing history they have no place for the
Councils and the Fathers, but when teaching catechism, they refer
to the former and the latter with respect. Thus, too, they
separate theological and pastoral exegesis from the scientific and
the historical. Similarly, on the principle that science in no
wise depends on faith, when they are treating of philosophy,
history, and criticism, with no special horror about following in
the tracks of Luther, they display in every way a contempt for
Catholic precepts, the Holy Fathers, the Ecumenical Synods, and
the ecclesiastical magisterium; and if they are criticized for
this, they complain that they are being deprived of their freedom.
Finally, professing that faith must be made subject to science,
they rebuke the Church generally and openly, because she refuses
most resolutely to subject and accommodate her teachings to the
opinions of philosophy; but they, repudiating the old theology for
this purpose, endeavor to bring in the new, which follows the
ravings of the philosophers." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
dominici gregis", 1907 A.D.)
"The
fact that many Catholic writers also go beyond the limits
determined by the Fathers and the Church herself is extremely
regrettable. In the name of higher knowledge and historical
research (they say), they are looking for that progress of dogmas
which is, in reality, nothing but the corruption of dogmas."
(Pope St. Pius X, "Lamentabili Sane", 1907)
Also
See: Injurious
/ Odious Writings | Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Rejected
Writings | Warnings
/ Cautions Concerning Written Materials | We
Should Not Look to Heterodox Works | Writings
to be Rejected / Shunned
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"You
can easily see, therefore, how important it is for the Christian
people to turn to the example of holiness given by St. Francis [de
Sales], so that they may be edified thereby and may make his
teachings the rule of their own lives. It would be impossible to
exaggerate the value of his books and pamphlets, of which We have
written, to attain this purpose. These books ought to be
distributed as widely as possible among Catholics, for his
writings are easy to understand and can be read with great
pleasure. They cannot but inspire in the souls of the faithful a
love of true and solid piety, a love which the clergy can develop
with most happy results if they but learn to assimilate thoroughly
the teachings of St. Francis and to imitate the kindly qualities
which characterized his preaching." (Pope Pius XI, "Rerum
Omnium Perturbationem", 1923)
"St.
Francis [de Sales] published many works of piety, among which we
may single out his two best known books, 'Philothea - An
Introduction to the Devout Life' and 'The Treatise on
the Love of God'. In the 'Introduction to the Devout
Life' St. Francis, after showing clearly how hardness of
heart discourages one in the practice of virtue and is altogether
foreign to genuine piety (he does not strip piety of that severity
which is in harmony with the Christian manner of life) then sets
himself expressly to prove that holiness is perfectly possible in
every state and condition of secular life, and to show how each
man can live in the world in such a manner as to save his own
soul, provided only he keeps himself free from the spirit of the
world. At the same time we learn from the Saint how not only to
perform the customary acts of everyday life, (with the exception,
of course, of sin) but also a fact which all do not know, how to
do these things correctly with the sole intention of pleasing
God... After having pointed out how we must flee sin, fight
against our evil inclinations, and avoid all useless and harmful
actions, he then goes on expounding the nature of those practices
of piety which cause the soul to grow, as well as how it is
possible for man to remain ever united to God. Following this, he
shows how necessary it is to select out a special virtue for
constant practice on our part until we can say that we have
mastered it. He writes, too, on the individual virtues, on
modesty, on moral and immoral language, on licit and dangerous
amusements, on fidelity to God, on the duties of husband and wife,
of widows, and of young women. Finally, he teaches us how not only
to conquer dangers, temptations, and the allurements of pleasure,
but how every year it is necessary for each of us to renew and to
rekindle his love of God by the making of holy resolutions. May it
please God that this book, the most perfect of its kind in the
opinion of contemporaries of the Saint, be read now as it formerly
was by practically every one. If this were done, Christian piety
certainly would flourish the world over and the Church of God
could rejoice in the assurance of a widespread attainment of
holiness by her children. 'The Treatise on the Love of
God,' however, is a much more important and significant book
than any of the others he published. In this work the saintly
Doctor gives a veritable history of the love of God, explaining
its origin and development among men, at the same time showing how
divine love begins to cool and then to languish. He also outlines
the methods of developing and of growing in the love of God. When
necessary he even goes deeply into explanations of the most
difficult problems as, for example, that of efficacious grace,
predestination, and the gift of faith. This he does not do dryly
but, by reason of the agile and well-stored mind which he
possessed, in such a way that his discussions abound in most
beautiful language and are filled with an equally desirable
function. He was also accustomed to illustrate his thoughts by an
almost infinite variety of metaphors, examples, and quotations
taken from the most part from the Holy Scriptures, all of which
gave the impression that what he wrote flowed no less from this
heart and the depths of his being than from his intellect."
(Pope Pius XI, "Rerum Omnium Perturbationem", 1923)
"In
fact, St. Francis [de Sales] preached so well that his sermons
were but 'an exposition of the grace and power which dwelt
within his own soul.' His sermons, since they were largely
made up of the teachings of the Bible and of the Fathers, became
not only a source of sound doctrine but were agreeable and
persuasive to his hearers as well by reason of the sweetness of
the love which filled his heart. It is not surprising then that
such a great number of heretics returned to the Church because of
his work and that, following the guidance of such a teacher, so
many of the faithful have, during the last three hundred years,
attained a truly high degree of perfection." (Pope Pius XI,
"Rerum Omnium Perturbationem", 1923)
"[I]t
would be a wonderful aid to the furthering of piety if the sermons
and writings of St. Francis [de Sales] were brought to the
attention of Christian peoples." (Pope Pius XI, "Rerum
Omnium Perturbationem", 1923)
Also
See: St.
Francis de Sales Declared Patron Saint of Writers
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"If
anyone, therefore, desires to understand fully all the
implications of the commandment to love God, the growth of charity
and the conjoined gifts of the Holy Ghost, the differences between
the various states of life, such as the state of perfection, the
religious life and the apostolate, and the nature and value of
each, all these and other articles of ascetical and mystical
theology, he must have recourse in the first place to the Angelic
Doctor [St. Thomas]." (Pope Pius XI, "Studiorum Ducem", 1923)
"And
as [St. Thomas] is, as We have said, the perfect theologian, so he gives
infallible rules and precepts of life not only for individuals,
but also for civil and domestic society which is the object also
of moral science, both economic and politic." (Pope Pius XI,
"Studiorum Ducem", 1923)
"There
can be no doubt that Aquinas raised Theology to the highest
eminence, for his knowledge of divine things was absolutely
perfect and the power of his mind made him a marvelously capable
philosopher. Thomas is therefore considered the Prince of teachers
in our schools, not so much on account of his philosophical system
as because of his theological studies. There is no branch of
theology in which he did not exercise the incredible fecundity of
his genius." (Pope Pius XI, "Studiorum Ducem",
1923)
"...as
we well know from the experience of centuries, the method of
Aquinas is singularly preeminent both for teaching students and
for bringing truth to light; his doctrine is in harmony with
Divine Revelation, and is most effective both for safeguarding the
foundation of the faith and for reaping, safely and usefully, the
fruits of sound progress." (Pope Pius XII, "Humani
Generis", 1950)
"After
this slight sketch of the great virtues of Thomas, it is easy to
understand the preeminence of his doctrine and the marvelous
authority it enjoys in the Church. Our Predecessors, indeed, have
always unanimously extolled it. Even during the lifetime of the
saint, Alexander IV had no hesitation in addressing him in these
terms: 'To Our beloved son, Thomas Aquinas, distinguished
alike for nobility of blood and integrity of character, who has
acquired by the grace of God the treasure of divine and human
learning.' After his death, again, John XXII seemed to
consecrate both his virtues and his doctrine when, addressing the
Cardinals, he uttered in full Consistory the memorable sentence: 'He alone enlightened the Church more than all other doctors;
a man can derive more profit in a year from his books than from
pondering all his life the teaching of others'." (Pope
Pius XI, "Studiorum Ducem", 1923)
"Whether
it is ignorance or fear, or both, that inspires this conduct in
them, certain it is that the passion for novelty is always united
in them with hatred of scholasticism, and there is no surer sign
that a man is on the way to Modernism than when he begins to show
his dislike for this system." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
Dominici Gregis", 1907)
"We
exhort you, venerable brethren, in all earnestness to restore the
golden wisdom of St. Thomas, and to spread it far and wide for the
defense and beauty of the Catholic faith, for the good of society,
and for the advantage of all the sciences... But, lest the false
for the true or the corrupt for the pure be drunk in, be ye
watchful that the doctrine of Thomas be drawn from his own
fountains, or at least from those rivulets which, derived from the
very fount, have thus far flowed, according to the established
agreement of learned men, pure and clear; be careful to guard the
minds of youth from those which are said to flow thence, but in
reality are gathered from strange and unwholesome streams."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Aeterni Patris", 1879)
"The
aim of the whole theology of St. Thomas is to bring us into close
living intimacy with God. For even as in his childhood at Monte
Cassino he unceasingly put the question: 'What is God?';
so all the books he wrote concerning the creation of the world,
the nature of man, laws, the virtues, and the sacraments, are all
concerned with God, the Author of eternal salvation." (Pope
Pius XI, "Studiorum Ducem", 1923)
"Among
the Scholastic Doctors, the chief and master of all towers Thomas
Aquinas, who, as Cajetan observes, because 'he most venerated
the ancient Doctors of the Church, in a certain way seems to have
inherited the intellect of all.' The doctrines of those
illustrious men, like the scattered members of a body, Thomas
collected together and cemented, distributed in wonderful order,
and so increased with important additions that he is rightly and
deservedly esteemed the special bulwark and glory of the Catholic
faith. With his spirit at once humble and swift, his memory ready
and tenacious, his life spotless throughout, a lover of truth for
its own sake, richly endowed with human and divine science, like
the sun he heated the world with the warmth of his virtues and
filled it with the splendor of his teaching. Philosophy has no
part which he did not touch finely at once and thoroughly; on the
laws of reasoning, on God and incorporeal substances, on man and
other sensible things, on human actions and their principles, he
reasoned in such a manner that in him there is wanting neither a
full array of questions, nor an apt disposal of the various parts,
nor the best method of proceeding, nor soundness of principles or
strength of argument, nor clearness and elegance of style, nor a
facility for explaining what is abstruse." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Aeterni Patris", 1879)
"He
enjoyed a more than human reputation for intellect and learning
and Pius V was therefore moved to enroll him officially among the
holy Doctors with the title of Angelic. Again, could there be any
more manifest indication of the very high esteem in which this
Doctor is held by the Church than the fact that the Fathers of
Trent resolved that two volumes only, Holy Scripture and the Summa
Theologica, should be reverently laid open on the altar during
their deliberations? And in this order of ideas, to avoid
recapitulating the innumerable testimonies of the Apostolic See,
We are happy to recall that the philosophy of Aquinas was revived
by the authority and at the instance of Leo XIII; the merit of Our
illustrious Predecessor in so doing is such, as We have said
elsewhere, that if he had not been the author of many acts and
decrees of surpassing wisdom, this alone would be sufficient to
establish his undying glory. Pope Pius X of saintly memory
followed shortly afterwards in his footsteps, more particularly in
his Motu Proprio Doctoris Angelici, in which this memorable phrase
occurs: 'For ever since the happy death of the Doctor, the
Church has not held a single Council but he has been present at it
with all the wealth of his doctrine.' Closer to Us, Our
greatly regretted Predecessor Benedict XV repeatedly declared that
he was entirely of the same opinion and he is to be praised for
having promulgated the Code of Canon Law in which 'the
system, philosophy and principles of the Angelic Doctor' are
unreservedly sanctioned. We so heartily approve the magnificent
tribute of praise bestowed upon this most divine genius that We
consider that Thomas should be called not only the Angelic, but
also the Common or Universal Doctor of the Church; for the Church
has adopted his philosophy for her own, as innumerable documents
of every kind attest. It would be an endless task to explain here
all the reasons which moved Our Predecessors in this respect, and
it will be sufficient perhaps to point out that Thomas wrote under
the inspiration of the supernatural spirit which animated his life
and that his writings, which contain the principles of, and the
laws governing, all sacred studies, must be said to possess a
universal character." (Pope Pius XI, "Studiorum Ducem",
1923)
"Moreover, the Angelic Doctor pushed his philosophic inquiry into the reasons and principles of things, which because they are most comprehensive and contain in their bosom, so to say, the seeds of almost infinite truths, were to be unfolded in good time by later masters and with a goodly yield. And as he also used this philosophic method in the refutation of error, he won this title to distinction for himself: that, single-handed, he victoriously combated the errors of former times, and supplied invincible arms to put those to rout which might in after-times spring up.
Again, clearly distinguishing, as is fitting, reason from faith,
while happily associating the one with the other, he both
preserved the rights and had regard for the dignity of each; so
much so, indeed, that reason borne on the wings of Thomas to its
human height, can scarcely rise higher, while faith could scarcely
expect more or stronger aids from reason than those which she has
already obtained through Thomas. For these reasons most learned
men, in former ages especially, of the highest repute in theology
and philosophy, after mastering with infinite pains the immortal
works of Thomas, gave themselves up not so much to be instructed
in his angelic wisdom as to be nourished upon it. It is known that
nearly all the founders and lawgivers of the religious orders
commanded their members to study and religiously adhere to the
teachings of St. Thomas, fearful least any of them should swerve
even in the slightest degree from the footsteps of so great a man.
To say nothing of the family of St. Dominic, which rightly claims
this great teacher for its own glory, the statutes of the
Benedictines, the Carmelites, the Augustinians, the Society of
Jesus, and many others all testify that they are bound by this
law. And, here, how pleasantly one's thoughts fly back to those
celebrated schools and universities which flourished of old in
Europe - to Paris, Salamanca, Alcala, to Douay, Toulouse, and
Louvain, to Padua and Bologna, to Naples and Coimbra, and to many
another! All know how the fame of these seats of learning grew
with their years, and that their judgment, often asked in matters
of grave moment, held great weight everywhere. And we know how in
those great homes of human wisdom, as in his own kingdom, Thomas
reigned supreme; and that the minds of all, of teachers as well as
of taught, rested in wonderful harmony under the shield and
authority of the Angelic Doctor. But, furthermore, Our
predecessors in the Roman pontificate have celebrated the wisdom
of Thomas Aquinas by exceptional tributes of praise and the most
ample testimonials. Clement VI in the bull 'In Ordine;'
Nicholas V in his brief to the friars of the Order of Preachers,
1451; Benedict XIII in the bull 'Pretiosus,' and others
bear witness that the universal Church borrows luster from his
admirable teaching; while St. Pius V declares in the bull 'Mirabilis'
that heresies, confounded and convicted by the same teaching, were
dissipated, and the whole world daily freed from fatal errors;
others, such as Clement XII in the bull 'Verbo Dei'.
affirm that most fruitful blessings have spread abroad from his
writings over the whole Church, and that he is worthy of the honor
which is bestowed on the greatest Doctors of the Church, on
Gregory and Ambrose, Augustine and Jerome; while others have not
hesitated to propose St. Thomas for the exemplar and master of the
universities and great centers of learning whom they may follow
with unfaltering feet. On which point the words of Blessed Urban V
to the University of Toulouse are worthy of recall: 'It is
our will, which We hereby enjoin upon you, that ye follow the
teaching of Blessed Thomas as the true and Catholic doctrine and
that ye labor with all your force to profit by the same.'
Innocent XII, followed the example of Urban in the case of the
University of Louvain, in the letter in the form of a brief
addressed to that university on February 6, 1694, and Benedict XIV
in the letter in the form of a brief addressed on August 26, 1752,
to the Dionysian College in Granada; while to these judgments of
great Pontiffs on Thomas Aquinas comes the crowning testimony of
Innocent VI: 'His teaching above that of others, the
canonical writings alone excepted, enjoys such a precision of
language, an order of matters, a truth of conclusions, that those
who hold to it are never found swerving from the path of truth,
and he who dare assail it will always be suspected of error.'
The ecumenical councils, also, where blossoms the flower of all
earthly wisdom, have always been careful to hold Thomas Aquinas in
singular honor. In the Councils of Lyons, Vienna, Florence, and
the Vatican one might almost say that Thomas took part and
presided over the deliberations and decrees of the Fathers,
contending against the errors of the Greeks, of heretics and
rationalists, with invincible force and with the happiest results.
But the chief and special glory of Thomas, one which he has shared
with none of the Catholic Doctors, is that the Fathers of Trent
made it part of the order of conclave to lay upon the altar,
together with sacred Scripture and the decrees of the supreme
Pontiffs, the 'Summa' of Thomas Aquinas, whence to seek
counsel, reason, and inspiration. A last triumph was reserved for
this incomparable man - namely, to compel the homage, praise, and
admiration of even the very enemies of the Catholic name. For it
has come to light that there were not lacking among the leaders of
heretical sects some who openly declared that, if the teaching of
Thomas Aquinas were only taken away, they could easily battle with
all Catholic teachers, gain the victory, and abolish the Church. A
vain hope, indeed, but no vain testimony." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Aeterni Patris", 1879)
Also
See: St.
Thomas Aquinas on His Own Masterful Writings
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Reading
Recommen-
dations
|
"It
is clear and very practical. Yes, my daughter, the Spiritual
Combat is a great book, and a book dear to me. I have carried it
in my pocket for at least eighteen years, and I never read it
without profit." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"Have
always at hand some approved book of devotion, such as the
spiritual works of St. Bonaventure, of Gerson, of Thomas a Kempis,
etc., etc., and read a little in them every day, with as much
devotion as if you were reading a letter from those saints."
(St. Francis De Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"Without hesitation, however, to
the doctors piously and correctly discussing the word of truth,
and to those very clear expositors of Sacred Scripture, namely,
Cyprian, Hilary, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and others living
tranquilly in Catholic piety, we reverently and obediently submit
our hearing and our understanding, and to the best of our ability
we embrace the things which they have written for our
salvation." (Council of Valence III, 855 A.D.)
"And
although no one can lay a foundation other than that, which has
been laid, which is Christ Jesus (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11), nevertheless
for the purpose of instruction the holy, that is, the Roman
Church, does not forbid these writings also, that is: the Sacred
Synod of Nicea... Ephesus...[and] Chalcedon... to be received after
those of the Old or New Testament, which we regularly accept...
Likewise the works of blessed Caecilius Cyprian... [and in the
same way the works of Gregory Nazianzen, Basil, Athanasius, John (Chrysostom)
Theophilus, Cyril of Alexandria, Hilary, Ambrose, Augustine,
Jerome, (and) Prosper may be admitted]. Also the epistle of
blessed Leo the Pope to Flavian Likewise it decrees that the works
and treatises of all the orthodox Fathers who in no [way] have
deviated from the society of the holy Roman Church... ought to
be read. Likewise, too, the decretal epistles, which the most
blessed Popes... have written, ought to be received with reverence" (Pope St. Gelasius I, circa 495 A.D.)
"It
soon became clear what sort of a 'vessel of election'
the Lord had wrought in [St.] Augustine and for what brilliant deeds he
was destined. Ordained priest and later advanced to the bishopric
of Hippo, he shed the light of his abundant learning not merely on
Christian Africa, but on the entire Church, bestowing the while
the blessings of his apostolate. He meditated on books of Holy
Writ, long and earnestly did he offer to the Lord the prayers,
whereof the meaning and the accent still live in his writings.
That he might daily better fathom and understand the truths of
Divine Revelation, he read through with close scrutiny the works
of the Fathers and Doctors who preceded him and whom he regarded
with humble veneration. Though he came after those holy men, like
dazzling stars shed luster on the Catholic name - Clement of Rome,
for example, and Irenaeus, Hilary and Athanasius, Cyprian and
Ambrose, Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom; though a
contemporary of Jerome, nevertheless Augustine still excites in
all men the greatest admiration because of the subtlety and depth
of his thoughts and because of the marvelous wisdom breathing from
the pages, which through long span of nearly fifty years he wrote
and published." (Pope Pius XI, "Ad Salutem", 1930)
"Can anyone be unaware how thoroughly familiar with the
doctrine of [St.] Augustine were the Roman Pontiffs, during the ages
that followed close upon his death, as Leo the Great, for example,
and Gregory the Great? Thus Saint Gregory, thinking as highly of
Augustine as he thought humbly of himself, wrote to Innocentius,
prefect of Africa: 'If you wish to feast on choice food, read the
works of blessed Augustine, your fellow countryman. His writings
are as fine wheat. Seek not for our bran." (Pope Pius XI,
"Ad Salutem", 1930)
"[St.]
Thomas of Aquin is an honor to mankind, for perhaps there never
existed a man whose intellect surpassed his. He is one of the
brightest ornaments of the Church, for not one of her doctors has
equaled him in the clearness and precision wherewith he has
explained her doctrines." (Gueranger)
Also
See: On
the Writings of St. Francis de Sales | Popes
on the Writings of St. Thomas Aquinas
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"As
soldiers however drill and exercise themselves in mock fights, so
we may train ourselves by studying profane literature [that is,
secular/non-sacred literature] before turning to the sacred
Scriptures. But we must read with discernment." (St. Basil,
Doctor of the Church)
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Reminder: Rejected items listed herein
are not comprehensive.
|
"If
anyone does not anathematize Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius,
Apollinarius Nestorius, Eutyches and Origen, as well as their
heretical books, and also all other heretics who have already been
condemned and anathematized by the holy, Catholic and apostolic
Church and by the four holy synods which have already been
mentioned, and also all those who have thought or now think in the
same way as the aforesaid heretics and who persist in their error
even to death: let him be anathema." (Canon 11, Second
Council of Constantinople)
"If
anyone reads the Scriptures, which Priscillian has distorted according
to his own error, or Dictinius's treatises, which Dictinius himself
wrote before he was converted - or whatsoever writings of the heretics
under the name of the Patriarchs, of the Prophets, or of the Apostles
they have devised in agreement with their own error, and follows or
defends their impious creations, let him be anathema." (Council of
Braga II, 561 A.D.)
"Moreover,
because the preceding errors and many others are contained in the
books or writings of Martin Luther, we likewise condemn,
reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the writings
and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other
language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we
wish them to be regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and
rejected. We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either
sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties to
be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise, print,
publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties if they
presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another
or others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly
or occultly, either in their own homes or in other public or
private places." (Pope Leo X, "Exsurge Domine",
1520)
"Finally,
that every danger of error may efficaciously be prevented, We
condemn and We proscribe that all, as they call them, catechisms
and books of the Carbonari, in which those things that are
accustomed to be carried out in their meetings, their statues,
codices, and all books written in their defense, whether they be
published in type or manuscripts, are delineated by the Carbonari,
and We forbid, under the same pain of major excommunication
reserved in the same way, every one of the faithful to read or to
possess the books mentioned above, and We command that they hand
over those materials, either to the Ordinaries, or to others, to
whom the right of receiving them pertains." (Pope Pius VII,
"Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo", 1821)
[Question:]
"Whether the doctrines, which today are called theosophical, can be
in harmony with Catholic doctrine; and thus whether it is permitted to
join theosophical societies, attend their meetings, and read their
books, daily papers, journals, and writings. - Reply: In the negative in
all cases." (Reply of the Holy Office, July 18, 1919 A.D.)
"This
same John Wyclif wrote books called by him Dialogus and Trialogus
and many other treatises, works and pamphlets in which he included
and taught the above and many other damnable articles. He issued
the books for public reading, in order to publish his perverse
doctrine, and from them have followed many scandals, losses and
dangers to souls in various regions, especially in the kingdoms of
England and Bohemia. Masters and doctors of the universities and
houses of study at Oxford and Prague, opposing with God's strength
these articles and books, later refuted the above articles in
scholastic form. They were condemned, moreover, by the most
reverend fathers who were then the archbishops and bishops of
Canterbury, York and Prague, legates of the apostolic see in the
kingdoms of England and of Bohemia. The said archbishop of Prague,
commissary of the apostolic see in this matter, also judicially
decreed that the books of the same John Wyclif were to be burnt
and he forbade the reading of those that survived. After these
things had again been brought to the notice of the apostolic see
and a general council, the Roman pontiff condemned the said books,
treatises and pamphlets at the lately held council of Rome,
ordering them to be publicly burnt and strictly forbidding anyone
called a Christian to dare to read, expound, hold or make any use
of any one or more of the said books, volumes, treatises and
pamphlets, or even to cite them publicly or privately, except in
order to refute them. In order that this dangerous and most foul
doctrine might be eliminated from the Church's midst, he ordered,
by his apostolic authority and under pain of ecclesiastical
censure, that all such books, treatises, volumes and pamphlets
should be diligently sought out by the local ordinaries and should
then be publicly burnt; and he added that if necessary those who
do not obey should be proceeded against as if they were promoters
of heresy...This holy synod, therefore, in the name of our lord
Jesus Christ, in ratifying and approving the sentences of the
aforesaid archbishops and of the council of Rome, repudiates and
condemns for ever, by this decree, the aforesaid articles and each
one of them in particular, and the books of John Wyclif called by
him Dialogus and Trialogus, and the same author's other books,
volumes, treatises and pamphlets (no matter what name these may go
under, and for which purpose this description is to be regarded as
an adequate listing of them). It forbids the reading, teaching,
expounding and citing of the said books or of any one of them in
particular, unless it is for the purpose of refuting them. It
forbids each and every Catholic henceforth, under pain of
anathema, to preach, teach or affirm in public the said articles
or any one of them in particular, or to teach, approve or hold the
said books, or to refer to them in any way, unless this is done,
as has been said, for the purpose of refuting them. It orders,
moreover, that the aforesaid books, treatises, volumes and
pamphlets are to be burnt in public, in accordance with the decree
of the synod of Rome, as stated above. This holy synod orders
local ordinaries to attend with vigilance to the execution and due
observance of these things, insofar as each one is responsible, in
accordance with the law and canonical sanctions." (Council of
Constance)
"[The
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith] sees itself obliged now to
declare that in his writing, Prof. Hans Kung has abandoned the integrity
of the Catholic faith and can no longer be considered as a Catholic
theologian or, as such, exercise his office to teach" (Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1975)
"Other things which have been written or published by
heretics or schismatics, the Catholic and apostolic Roman Church
in nowise receives." (Pope St. Gelasius I, circa 495 A.D.)
"Several works of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin,
some of which were posthumously published, are being edited and
are gaining a good deal of success. Prescinding from a judgement
about those points that concern the positive sciences, it is
sufficiently clear that the above-mentioned works abound in such
ambiguities and indeed even serious errors, as to offend Catholic
doctrine. For this reason, the most eminent and most revered
Fathers of the Holy Office exhort all Ordinaries as well as the
superiors of Religious institutes, rectors of seminaries and
presidents of universities, effectively to protect the minds,
particularly of the youth, against the dangers presented by the
works of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and of his followers." (Sacred
Congregation of the Holy Office, June 30, 1962 A.D.)
"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
today published a 'Notification Regarding the Book 'Just Love. A
Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics' by Sister Margaret A.
Farley R.S.M'. The document warns the faithful that the work in
question 'is not in conformity with the teaching of the Church...'
... The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote to Sr.
Farley in 2010 enclosing a preliminary evaluation of her book and
indicating the doctrinal problems it contained, however her answer
failed to clarify those issues in a satisfactory manner. The
Congregation therefore proceeded to examine the volume following
the procedure for 'examination in cases of urgency'. In June 2011
a commission of experts confirmed that the 'book contained
erroneous propositions, the dissemination of which risks grave
harm to the faithful'... In addressing various moral issues, Sr.
Farley either ignores the constant teaching of the Magisterium or,
where it is occasionally mentioned, treats it as one opinion among
others. ... Sr. Farley also manifests a defective understanding of
the objective nature of the natural moral law'." (VIS -
Notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
6/4/12)
Also
See: Injurious
/ Odious Writings | Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Modernist
Writings | Warnings
/ Cautions Concerning Written Materials | We
Should Not Look to Heterodox Works | Writings
to be Rejected / Shunned
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Reparation /
Misuse of Communic-
ations
|
"Father,
in union with all those who celebrate the Eucharist, I wish to
offer myself, a small victim, with Jesus, the Victim: In atonement
for the error and scandal spread throughout the world through the
misuse of the media of social communication; to appeal to your
mercy for those persons who, deceived and seduced by the influence
of these interments, stray from your fatherly love; for the
conversions of those persons who in the use of these instruments
reject the teaching of Christ and his Church and thus warp the
minds, the hearts, and the undertakings of men and women"
(Bl.
James Alberione)
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"Make
a practice of reading spiritual and devout books. They serve to
feed the imagination and to keep the heart recollected, and they
lead men of good will to occupy their minds with what has appealed
to them, for what the heart is full of is always the first to
suggest itself to the mind." (St. Peter of Alcantara)
"To
preserve purity, three things are necessary; the practice of the
Presence of God, prayer, and the Sacraments; and again, the reading of
holy books - this nourishes the soul." (St. John Vianney)
"It
is to be hoped that before turning in for the night you do a
little devotional reading. This will give you some helpful
thoughts to dwell upon while you go to bed, and as you get up in
the morning." (St. John Vianney)
"Give
some time, if it is only a half an hour in every day, to devotional
reading, which is as necessary to the well ordering of the mind as the
hand of the gardener is to prevent weeds destroying your favorite
flowers." (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton)
"You
will not see anyone who is really striving after his spiritual advancement who is
not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects it, the fact
will soon be observed in his progress." (St. Athanasius, Doctor of
the Church)
"For
if the devil will not dare to approach a house where a Gospel is
lying, much less will any evil spirit, or any sinful nature, ever
touch or enter a soul which bears about with it such sentiments as
it contains. Sanctify then thy soul, sanctify thy body, by having
these ever in thy heart, and on thy tongue. For if foul speech
defiles and invites devils, it is clear that spiritual reading
sanctifies and draws down the grace of the Spirit." (St. John
Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"There
are many striking examples of the salutary effects of the reading
of pious books. Outstanding is the case of Augustine whose great
services to the Church had their origin in such reading: 'Take, read; take, read; I took (the epistles of Paul the
Apostle), I opened, I read in silence; it was as though the
darkness of all my doubting was driven away by the light of peace
which had entered my soul.'" (Pope St. Pius X, "Haerent
Animo", 1908)
"Reading
well-chosen and recommended books of formation is also of great
help both in offering a wider and deeper formation and in
providing examples and testimonies of virtue." (The
Pontifical Council for the Family, 1995)
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"We
take this happy occasion, after mature deliberation and in full
knowledge, by Our Apostolic authority, to hereby publish, confirm
and declare by this encyclical, everything to the contrary
notwithstanding, St. Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and Doctor
of the Church, to be the Heavenly Patron of all Writers."
(Pope Pius XI, "Rerum Omnium Perturbationem", 1923)
Also
See: On
the Writings of St. Francis de Sales
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"Postumianus,
who spent six months with [St. Jerome] at Bethlehem, says: 'He is wholly occupied in reading and with books; he rests
neither day nor night; he is always either reading or writing
something.'" (Pope Benedict XV, "Spiritus
Paraclitus", 1920)
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"The
end of my labors has come. All that I have written appears to me
as so much straw after the things that have been revealed to
me." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
Also
See: Popes
on the Writings of St. Thomas Aquinas
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"Can.
1404 Booksellers shall not sell, exchange, or stock books that by
design treat of obscenities; nor shall they have other prohibited
[books] for sale unless they have sought the required permission
from the Apostolic See, nor will they sell them unless they
prudently believe that they are being approached by a legitimate
[e.g. authorized]
buyer." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Should a Bishop,
therefore, after having taken the advice of prudent persons, deem
it right to condemn any of such books in his diocese, We not only
give him ample faculty to do so but We impose it upon him as a
duty to do so. Of course, it is Our wish that in such action
proper regard be used, and sometimes it will suffice to restrict
the prohibition to the clergy; but even in such cases it will be
obligatory on Catholic booksellers not to put on sale books
condemned by the Bishop." (Pope St. Pius X, "Pascendi
Dominici Gregis", 1907)
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Reminder: Warnings / cautions listed herein are not
comprehensive.
|
"How
often today must parents and educators bewail the corruption of
youth brought about by the modern theater and the vile book!"
(Pope Pius XI, "Divini Illius Magistri", 1929)
"Nothing
is more degrading than to make one's self the servant of that
murder of souls [Satan], by helping him to lay his snares for
them. Yet this is what is done by the authors of bad books, those
who spread them, and those who lend them; this is what is done by
all those who voluntarily scandalize their neighbor." (Fr.
Delaporte)
"The
passion which does not appear to be allied to the sin of impurity,
but which, nevertheless, enters deep into the heart, is that
curiosity which prompts the reading of bad or dangerous books.
Nothing more dreadful, nothing more injurious to the purity of
young persons than those novels and books of gallantry, which,
under the pretext of elegance of diction or beauty of language,
corrupt the educated mind. If such reading forms the mind, it
spoils the soul; if it gives us a knowledge of the world, it
destroys Christianity; and thus, by the loss of devotion, by the
loss of the holy fear of God, and purity of conscience, such
reading leads insensibly to the loss of chastity." (St.
Astere)
"To
this end, finally - to omit other dangers which are too well known
to you - tends the widespread disgusting infection from books and
pamphlets which teach the lessons of sinning. These works,
well-written and filled with deceit and cunning, are scattered at
immense cost through every region for the destruction of the
Christian people. They spread pestilential doctrines everywhere
and deprave the minds especially of the imprudent, occasioning
great losses for religion." (Pope Pius IX, "Qui
Pluribus", 1846)
"Hostile
men in these lamentable times never stop planting thorns in the
Lord's field, first with destructive and ephemeral books and then
with monstrous and depraved suppositions plainly opposed to
Catholic faith and dogma. Consequently, you rightly understand how
you must labor and ever be on your guard to keep the faithful from
those poisonous pastures, to urge them on to eternal salvation,
and to imbue them in greater measure with the teachings of the
Catholic Church." (Pope Pius IX, "Amantissimus",
1862)
"Should
we not also be angry with those who use the most wicked indecency
of word and example to corrupt pure and strict morals by mortal
sin, who recommend to the minds of the unwary an accursed license
of living, and who cause an extreme loss of faith? Then consider
how they sprinkle their writings with a certain refined splendor,
a seductive pleasantness of speech and allurement so as to
penetrate more easily into the readers' minds and infect them more
deeply with the poison of their error. Thus they will give the
snake's poison in the cup of Babylon to the unwary who are seduced
and blinded by their smooth speech and so do not recognize the
poison that kills them. Finally, who can avoid deep sadness when
he sees the bitter enemy exceed the bounds of modesty and due
respect and attack with the publication of outrageous books now in
open battle, now in dissimulated combat the very See of Peter
which the strong redeemer of Jacob has placed as an iron column
and as a bronze wall against the leaders of darkness. Perhaps they
are led on by the desperate thought that if they shatter the head
of the Church, they will be able more freely to tear to pieces its
members." (Pope Clement XIII, "Christianae Reipublicae",
1766)
"The
heretics have disseminated pestilential books everywhere, by which
the teachings of the impious spread, much as a cancer. To
counteract this most deadly pest, spare no labor. Be admonished by
the words of Pius VII: 'May they consider only that kind of
food to be healthy to which the voice and authority of Peter has
sent them. May they choose such food and nourish themselves with
it. May they judge that food from which Peter's voice calls them
away to be entirely harmful and pestiferous. May they quickly
shrink away from it, and never permit themselves to be caught by
its appearance and perverted by its allurements.'" (Pope
Pius VIII, "Traditi Humilitati", 1829)
"Books
which openly oppose the teaching of Christ are to be burned. Even
more importantly, the eyes and minds of all must be kept from
books, which do so more stealthily and deceitfully. To recognize
such books, as St. Cyprian says in On the Unity of the Church,
'there is not need of a long treatise and arguments: The sum of
truth is a proof easy for faith: the Lord says to Peter, 'feed my
sheep.' So the sheep of Christ should consider safe and eat
cheerfully the food to which Peter's voice and authority directs
them; but despite any beauty and charm, they should shun as
harmful and plague-ridden, what this voice forbids them. Those who
do not comply are certainly not to be counted among the sheep of
Christ. In this case We cannot overlook, keep silent or act
sluggishly. For unless this great license of thinking, speaking,
writing, and reading is repressed, it will appear that the
strategy and armies of wise kings and generals have relieved us
for but a short time from this evil which has crushed us for so
long. But so long as its stock and seed is not removed and
destroyed (I shudder to say it but it must be said), it will
spread abroad and be strengthened to reach over the whole world.
To destroy it later or to rout it, legions, guards, watches, the
armories of cities, and the defenses of empires will not be
enough." (Pope Pius VII, Diu Satis)
"The
wickedness of our enemies is progressing to such a degree that,
besides the flood of pernicious books hostile in themselves to
religion they are endeavoring to turn to the harm of religion
even the Sacred Literature given to us by divine Providence for
the progress of religion itself." (Pope Leo XII, 1824 A.D.)
"The
well-being of the Christian community which has been entrusted to
Us by the Prince of shepherds and the Guardian of souls requires
Us to see to it that the unaccustomed and offensive licentiousness
of books which has emerged from hiding to cause ruin and
desolation does not become more destructive as it triumphantly
spreads abroad. The distortion of this hateful error and the
boldness of the enemy has so increased, especially at this time,
in sowing weeds among the wheat either in word or in writing that
unless We lay the scythe to the root and bind up the bad plants in
bundles to burn, it will not be long before the growing thorns of
evil attempt to choke the seedlings of the Lord Sabaoth. For
accursed men who have given themselves over to myths and who do
not uphold the stronghold of Sion from all sides vomit the poison
of serpents from their hearts for the ruin of the Christian people
by the contagious plague of books which almost overwhelms us. They
pollute the pure waters of belief and destroy the foundations of
religion. They are abominable in their activity. Secretly sitting
in ambush, they draw arrows out of the quiver which they shoot at
the righteous in the dark." (Pope Clement XIII, "Christianae
Reipublicae", 1766)
"Books
and journals, schools and universities, clubs and theaters,
monuments and political discourse, photographs and the fine arts,
everything conspires to pervert minds and corrupt hearts."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Custodi Di Quella Fede", 1892)
"They
should be warned not to allow themselves to be ensnared by the
splendid writing of certain authors in order to halt the diffusion
of error by cunning and wicked men. In a word, they should detest
books which contain elements shocking to the reader; which are
contrary to faith, religion, and good morals; and which lack an
atmosphere of Christian virtue." (Pope Clement XIII, "Christianae
Reipublicae", 1766)
"More
than ever nowadays an extended and careful vigilance is necessary,
inasmuch as the dangers of moral and religious shipwreck are
greater for inexperienced youth. Especially is this true of
impious and immoral books, often diabolically circulated at low
prices; of the cinema, which multiplies every kind of exhibition;
and now also of the radio, which facilitates every kind of
communications. These most powerful means of publicity, which can
be of great utility for instruction and education when directed by
sound principles, are only too often used as an incentive to evil
passions and greed for gain. St. Augustine deplored the passion
for the shows of the circus which possessed even some Christians
of his time, and he dramatically narrates the infatuation for
them, fortunately only temporary, of his disciple and friend
Alipius. How often today must parents and educators bewail the
corruption of youth brought about by the modern theater and the
vile book!" (Pope Pius XI, "Divini Illius Magistri",
1929)
"The
crafty enemies of the Church and human society attempt to seduce
the people in many ways. One of their chief methods is the misuse
of the new technique of book-production. They are wholly absorbed
in the ceaseless daily publication and proliferation of impious
pamphlets, newspapers and leaflets which are full of lies,
calumnies and seduction. Furthermore, under the protection of the
Bible Societies which have long since been condemned by this Holy
See, they distribute to the faithful under the pretext of
religion, the Holy Bible in vernacular translations. Since these
infringe the Church's rules, they are consequently subverted and
most daringly twisted to yield a vile meaning. So you realize very
well what vigilant and careful efforts you must make to inspire in
your faithful people an utter horror of reading these pestilential
books. Remind them explicitly with regard to divine Scripture that
no man, relying on his own wisdom, is able to claim the privilege
of rashly twisting the Scriptures to his own meaning in opposition
to the meaning which holy mother Church holds and has held. It was
the Church alone that Christ commissioned to guard the deposit of
the faith and to decide the true meaning and interpretation of the
divine pronouncements." (Pope Pius IX, "Nostis et
Nobiscum", 1849)
"For
if it is necessary to avoid the company of evildoers because their
words encourage impiety and their speech acts like a cancer, what
desolation the plague of their [wicked] books can cause! Well and
cunningly written these books are always with us and forever
within our reach. They travel with us, stay at home with us, and
enter bedrooms which would be shut to their evil and
deception." (Pope Clement XIII, "Christianae Reipublicae",
1766)
Also
See: Injurious
/ Odious Writings | Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Modernist
Writings | Rejected
Writings | We
Should Not Look to Heterodox Works | Writings
to be Rejected / Shunned
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"But,
it is entirely unfitting that anyone should ignore and look down
upon the works which our own have left in abundance, and prefer
the books of the heterodox; and to the immediate danger to sound
doctrine and not rarely to the damage of faith seek from these,
explanations of passages to which Catholics have long and very
successfully directed their geniuses and labors." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Providentissimus Deus", 1893 A.D.)
Also
See: Injurious
/ Odious Writings | Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Modernist
Writings | Rejected
Writings | Warnings
/ Cautions Concerning Written Materials | Writings
to be Rejected / Shunned
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Reminder: Items listed
herein are not comprehensive.
|
"Every
Christian should shun books and journals which distill the poison
of impiety and which stir up the fire of unrestrained desires or
sensual passions. Groups and reading clubs where the Masonic
spirit stalks its [intended victims] should be likewise
shunned." (Pope Leo XIII, "Custodi Di Quella Fede",
1892)
"It
is impossible to approve in Catholic publications a style inspired
by unsound novelty which seems to deride the piety of the faithful
and dwells on the introduction of a new order of Christian life,
on new directions of the Church, on new aspirations of the modern
soul, on a new social vocation of the clergy, on a new Christian
civilization, and many other things of the same kind." (Pope
Leo XIII)
"We
exhort them also to take diligent care to put an end to those
books and other writings, now growing exceedingly numerous, which
contain opinions or tendencies of the kind condemned in the
encyclical letters and decree above mentioned; let them see to it
that these publications are removed from Catholic publishing
houses, and especially from the hands of students and the clergy.
By doing this they will at the same time be promoting real and
solid education, which should always be a subject of the greatest
solicitude for those who exercise sacred authority." (Pope
St. Pius X, "Praestantia Scripturae", 1907)
"Several works of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin,
some of which were posthumously published, are being edited and
are gaining a good deal of success. Prescinding from a judgement
about those points that concern the positive sciences, it is
sufficiently clear that the above-mentioned works abound in such
ambiguities and indeed even serious errors, as to offend Catholic
doctrine. For this reason, the most eminent and most revered
Fathers of the Holy Office exhort all Ordinaries as well as the
superiors of Religious institutes, rectors of seminaries and
presidents of universities, effectively to protect the minds,
particularly of the youth, against the dangers presented by the
works of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and of his followers." (Sacred
Congregation of the Holy Office, June 30, 1962 A.D.)
"Can.
1399 By the law, [the following] are prohibited: 1° Original
editions or ancient versions of Catholic Scripture, even of the
Oriental Church, published by any non-Catholic; and likewise
versions [of these], in any language, by these [same sort]
prepared or published; 2° Books of any writers propagating heresy
or schism, or attacking in any way the basis of religion; 3°
Books by design striking against religion and good morals; 4°
Books by any non-Catholics treating purposely of religion, unless
it can be shown that nothing contained in them is contrary to the
Catholic faith; 5° Books mentioned Canon 1385, § 1, n. 1, and
Canon 1391; likewise all those mentioned in the cited Canon 1385,
§ 1, n. 2, [and] books and booklets that describe new apparition,
revelations, visions, prophecies, and miracles, or that lead to
new devotions, even under the pretext of being private, if they
have not been published in accord with the prescriptions of the
canons; 6° Books attacking or deriding any Catholic dogma, or
protecting errors proscribed by the Holy See, or detracting from
divine cult, or arguing for the avoidance of ecclesiastical
discipline, or bringing about opprobrium on religion or the
clerical state; 7° Books that teach or recommend superstition in
general, sorcery, divination, magic, evoking of spirits, and other
things of this sort; 8° Books that argue the liceity of dueling,
suicide, or divorce, and those that in discussing Masonic sects
and other societies of this sort argue that they are useful and
not pernicious to the Church and civil society; 9° Books that
purposely describe, teach, or treat lascivious or obscene
materials; 10° Editions of liturgical books approved by the
Apostolic See in which there have been any changes so that they
are not consistent with the authentic editions approved by the
Holy See; 11° Books that give out apocryphal indulgences or
[ones] proscribed or revoked by the Holy See; 12° Any images or
impressions of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
of the Angels and Saints or other Servants of God, alien to the
sense and decrees of the Church." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Books
which openly oppose the teaching of Christ are to be burned. Even
more importantly, the eyes and minds of all must be kept from
books, which do so more stealthily and deceitfully. To recognize
such books, as St. Cyprian says in On the Unity of the Church, 'there is not need of a long treatise and arguments: The sum
of truth is a proof easy for faith: the Lord says to Peter, 'feed
my sheep.' So the sheep of Christ should consider safe and
eat cheerfully the food to which Peter's voice and authority
directs them; but despite any beauty and charm, they should shun
as harmful and plague-ridden, what this voice forbids them. Those
who do not comply are certainly not to be counted among the sheep
of Christ." (Pope Pius VII, "Diu Satis", 1800)
"These
and [writings] similar to these, which... all the heresiarchs and
their disciples, or the schismatics have taught or written... we
confess have not only been rejected, but also banished from the whole
Roman Catholic and apostolic Church and with their authors and the
followers of their authors have been condemned forever under the
indissoluble bond of anathema." (Pope St. Gelasius I, circa 495
A.D.)
"Can.
1. We have faithfully and obediently heard that Doctor of the Gentiles
warning in faith and in truth: 'O Timothy, guard that which has been
entrusted to you, avoiding the profane novelties of words, and
oppositions under the false name of knowledge, which some promising
concerning faith have destroyed' (cf. 2 Tim. 6:20); and again: 'Shun
profane and useless talk; for they contribute much toward ungodliness,
and their speech spreadest like an ulcer' (cf. 2 Tim. 2:16); and again:
'Avoid foolish and unlearned questions, knowing that they beget strifes;
but the servant of the Lord must not quarrel' (cf. 2 Tim. 2:23) and
again: 'Nothing through contention, nothing through vain glory' (Phil.
2:3): desiring to be zealous for peace and charity, in so far as God has
given, attending the pious counsel of this same apostle: 'Solicitous to
preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace' (Eph. 4:3), let
us with all zeal avoid novel doctrines and presumptuous talkativeness,
whence rather the smoke of contention and of scandal between brothers
can be stirred up, than any increase of the fear of God arise."
(Council of Valence III, 855 A.D.)
[Question:]
"Can the method be approved, which is called 'sexual
education,' or even 'sexual initiation?' Response:
In the negative, and that the method must be preserved entirely as
set forth up to the present by the Church and saintly men, and
recommended by the Most Holy Father in the Encyclical Letter, 'On the Christian Education of Youth,' given on the 31st
day of December, 1929. Naturally, care must especially be taken
that a full and solid religious instruction be given to the youth
of both sexes without interruption; in this instruction there must
be aroused a regard, desire, and love for the angelic virtue; and
especially must it be inculcated upon them to insist on prayer, to
be constant in the sacraments of penance and the most Holy
Eucharist, to be devoted to the Blessed Virgin, Mother of holy
purity, with filial devotion and to commit themselves wholly to
her protection; to avoid carefully dangerous reading, obscene
plays, association with the wicked, and all occasions of sin. By
no means, then, can we approve what has been written and published
in defense of the new method especially in these recent times,
even on the part of some Catholic authors." (Pope Pius XI,
Decree of the Holy Office, March 21, 1931 A.D.)
Also
See: Injurious
/ Odious Writings | Duty
to Submit Pernicious Books for Judgment | Modernist
Writings | Rejected
Writings | Warnings
/ Cautions Concerning Written Materials | We
Should Not Look to Heterodox Works
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
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"You
will not see anyone who is really striving after his advancement
who is not given to spiritual reading. And as to him who neglects
it, the fact will soon be observed in his progress." (St.
Athanasius)
"It
is our duty to live among books; especially to live by one book,
and a very old one." (Cardinal Newman)
"Through
the study of books one seeks God; by meditation one finds him."
(St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina)
"I
want my friars to pray more than to read, according to the example of my
Lord Jesus Christ." (St. Francis of Assisi)
"When
the writings of the saints awaken in us pious thoughts and generous
resolutions, we must not be satisfied, as we might in the case of
profane [that is, secular] books, with admiring the genius of the
authors, but think with gratitude of the price they paid for the
supernatural good produced in their souls." (Liturgical Year)
"Let
no one think that it is enough for him to read if he lacks
devotion, or to engage in speculation without spiritual joy, or to
be active if he has no piety, or to have knowledge without
charity, or intelligence without humility, or study without God's
grace, or to expect to know himself if he is lacking the infused
wisdom of God." (St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church)
"The
needs of our times then require that the laity, too, and
especially those who collaborate with the Hierarchy of the Church,
procure for themselves a treasure of religious knowledge, not a
poor and meager knowledge, but one that will have solidity and
richness through the medium of libraries, discussions and study
clubs; in this way they will derive great benefit for themselves
and at the same time be able to instruct the ignorant, confute
stubborn adversaries and be of assistance to good friends."
(Pope Pius XII, "Sertum Laetitiae", 1939)
CONDEMNED
ERROR: "If a book is published by a younger or modern person, its
opinion should be considered as probable, since it is not established
that it has been rejected by the Holy See as improbable." (Error
Condemned by Pope
Alexander VII, 1665 A.D.)
"Let
us now after this be ashamed, and blush. A woman who had had five
husbands, and who was of Samaria, was so eager concerning
doctrines, that neither the time of day, nor her having come for
another purpose, nor anything else, led her away from enquiring on
such matters but we not only do not enquire concerning doctrines,
but towards them all our dispositions are careless and
indifferent. Therefore everything is neglected. For which of you
when in his house takes some Christian book in hand and goes over
its contents, and searches the Scriptures? None can say that he
does so, but with most we shall find draughts and dice, but books
nowhere, except among a few. And even these few have the same
dispositions as the many; for they tie up their books, and keep
them always put away in cases, and all their care is for the
fineness of the parchments, and the beauty of the letters, not for
reading them. For they have not bought them to obtain advantage
and benefit from them, but take pains about such matters to show
their wealth and pride. Such is the excess of vainglory. I do not
hear any one glory that he knows the contents, but that he hath a
book written in letters of gold. And what gain, tell me, is this?
The Scriptures were not given us for this only, that we might have
them in books, but that we might engrave them on our hearts."
(St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"In
the Conferences of the Fathers (Collatationes i,7) abbot Moses
speaking of religious says: 'We must recognize that we have
to undertake the hunger of fasting, watchings, bodily toil,
privation, reading, and other acts of virtue, in order by these
degrees to mount to the perfection of charity.'" (St.
Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian
in the history of the Church")
"It is a lamentable fact that there are many who with great labor
carry out and publish investigations on the monuments of
antiquity, the manners and institutions of nations and other
illustrative subjects, and whose chief purpose in all this is too
often to find mistakes in the sacred writings and so to shake and
weaken their authority. Some of these writers display not only
extreme hostility, but the greatest unfairness; in their eyes a
profane [that is, secular] book or ancient document is accepted without hesitation,
whilst the Scripture, if they only find in it a suspicion of
error, is set down with the slightest possible discussion as quite
untrustworthy." (Pope Leo XIII, "Providentissimus
Deus", 1893)
"Catholics
are encouraged to read Catholic publications regularly. Naturally
these must deserve the name of being Catholic. It is hard to see
how people can keep in touch with what is happening in the Church
without the Catholic press. Neither can people keep a Catholic
attitude towards what happens in the world without the help of
commentaries on the news written in the light of Christian
principles." (Pope Paul VI)
CONDEMNED
ERROR: "They are to be considered free of all blame who consider of
no account the reprobations published by the Sacred Congregation of the
Index, or by other Sacred Roman Congregations." (Error Condemned by
Pope St. Pius X,
"Lamentabili", 1907 A.D.)
"Can.
2318 § 1 Publishers of the books of apostates, heretics, and
schismatics that propagate apostasy, heresy, and schism incur by
that fact excommunication specially reserved to the Apostolic See
upon the publication being released, and likewise those defending
these books or other prohibited by name in apostolic letters, [as
do those who] knowingly and without required permission read and
retain them. § 2 Authors and publishers who, without the required
permission, run off printings of other books of sacred Scripture
and notations and comments thereon incur by that fact
excommunication reserved to no one." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1403 § 1 Those who have been accorded the apostolic faculty of
reading and retaining prohibited books cannot therefore read and
retain any books proscribed by their own Ordinaries, unless this
has been made express in the faculty that there is power to read
and retain books no matter by whom condemned. § 2 Moreover they
are bound by grave precept to exercise custody over the books so
that they will not come into the hands of others." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Can.
1405 § 1 Permission obtained from anyone in no way exempts one
from the prohibition in natural law against reading books that
present a proximate spiritual danger to oneself. § 2 Local
Ordinaries and others having care of souls shall opportunely
advise the faithful about the danger and harm of reading depraved
books, especially prohibited ones." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
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