THE LITERARY POLICY OF THE MODERN CHURCH
1. The Indexes of Leo XIII 1881–1900.
2. Index Revision and Reform 1868–1880.
3. The Index and the Liberal Catholics, “Romanus”
and the “Tablet” 1897.
4. The Present Methods of Roman Censorship
=1. The Indexes of Leo XIII, 1881–1900.=
Rome, 1881, 1884, 1896.--_Index Librorum Prohibitorum sanctissimi
Domini nostri Leonis XIII, Pont. Max. Jussu editus, cum appendice usque
1895, Augustae Taurinorum. Typog. pontif. 1896._
Rome, 1900.--_Index Librorum Prohibitorum SSMI D. N. Leonis XIII,
jussu et auctoritate recognitus et editus; praemittuntur Constitutiones
Apostolicae de examine et prohibitione Librorum. Romae, Typis
Vaticanis, 1900._
The two Indexes issued by Leo XIII, the first compiled in 1881 and
reprinted in 1884 and 1896 with supplements, and the second in 1900,
constitute at the date of this writing (December, 1906) the latest
expression of the censorship policy of the Church of Rome. It remains
to be seen whether Pius X (who is not credited with any such measure
of literary interests as characterised his scholarly predecessor)
will undertake the production of any addition to the long series
of Roman prohibitory Indexes. The first of the two Indexes of Leo
is, bibliographically speaking, a fairly creditable piece of work.
The titles are, with few exceptions, correctly presented, and in
this respect it makes a noteworthy exception to all the preceding
Roman Indexes, excepting only that of Benedict, issued in 1758. Its
typography is, however, undignified. The volume contains in all about
6800 entries. The number of separate works considered is, however, very
much smaller, as in a large number of instances each book is entered
twice in the alphabetical list, once under its own title, and again
under the name of the author.
The volume of 1896 presents as front matter:
I. The Preface (signed by Cajetanus Amatus)
to the Index of Benedict 1758
II. The Address to the Reader, signed by Saccheri
III. The Ten Rules of the Index of Pius IV (Trent) 1564
IV. Observations on the Rules, from the Index of
Clement VIII 1585
V. Observations on the Rules from the Index of
Alexander VII 1664
VI. The Instruction of Clement VIII
VII. The Constitution of Benedict XIV
VIII. The Decree _de libris prohibitis_, from the Index
of Benedict 1758
IX. The _Mandatum_ from the Index of Leo XII 1825
X. The _Monitum_ of the Congregation of the Index 1828
XI. The _Monitum_ of the Congregation of the Index 1836
XII. The Constitution of Pius IX 1869
XIII. The Declaration of Pius IX (in regard to the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception) 1854
The Index of 1900 is very attractively printed, and is a credit to
the work of the papal printing-office. It is the first of the Roman
issues that can be so described. This second Index repeats, with a few
omissions, the lists of the volumes of 1896, with the addition of
certain titles selected from the publications of the intervening four
years.
The prefatory matter of the volume of 1900 is made up as follows:
I. The Papal Brief, which bears the signature of Cardinal Macchi.
II. A Preface, with the signature of Esser, Secretary to the
Congregation.
III. The Constitution of Leo XII.
IV. The _Decreta Generalia_.
V. The Constitution of Benedict.
I have thought it in order to present the full text of the first four
of these documents as fairly representative of the literary policy of
the Church at the close of the 19th century.
BRIEF OF LEO XIII
“The Roman pontiffs, to whom, in the person of S. Peter the
chief of the Apostles, that great duty was committed of feeding
the universal flock of Christ, have all been constant in
preserving whole and inviolate the most precious deposit of the
Faith, and in nourishing the Christian peoples of the world with
the food of sound doctrine. Hence the fervent and provident
care continually taken by them that, as good grain from tares,
so sound and excellent books may be separated from the alloyed,
the apocryphal, and the hurtful, lest Christian men, by using
them incautiously or daringly, may injure the integrity of their
faith and morals. Under this head, the pontiffs themselves or
the councils have been ever careful to provide remedies suitable
to the evils, changing these to suit the changes of time. When
the invention, in the 15th century, of the new art of printing
caused a great increase in the number of books and also a
great spread of the pest of evil heresies, it was everywhere
deemed necessary to take severe notice of evil writings, both to
forestall danger and to repair evil already done. Therefore the
Fathers of the Council of Trent, to whom our predecessor Pius
IV had entrusted the matter, deemed that the great contagion of
heretical books, or of books suspected of the crime of heresy,
or of books hurtful to piety and morals, should be attacked in
two ways: First, the scholars and theologians, chosen for this
purpose by the authority of the same synod, made certain general
rules so that it might be easier to decide of what books in
general the faithful should beware; and secondly, they compiled
an accurate and absolute exposition or Index of books of
improper contents. When the synod adjourned, by its own decree,
this Index, with the rules above mentioned, was shown to our
predecessor, Pius IV, that it might, before publication, receive
the support of the Apostolic sanction. The pontiff approved it
after it had been worked over again with great diligence, and
ordered its observance by all.
“In the nature of the case, his Index required additions as
in the course of time new wicked and hurtful books appeared,
and every one knows that the Apostolic Chair has attended to
this again and again with zealous care. Thus Clement VIII and
later Alexander VII and Benedict XIV, our predecessors, by the
specification of those books which the popes had proscribed, by
Apostolic letters, by the Roman Congregations, and chiefly by
the Congregations of the Inquisition and the Index, revised and
reshaped the Index proper so that it constituted practically a
new compilation. Since (the issue of Benedict) there has been
a long interval, almost a hundred and forty years, and the
conditions seemed to call for something more comprehensive and
more efficient for the present needs....
“(Signed),
“ALOIS. CARD. MACCHI.
“ROME, Sept. 17, 1900.”
“PREFACE
“Behold, worthy reader, a new Index of the prohibited books,
revised and published with the greatest care, by direction of
His Holiness Leo XIII, P. M.; together with a syllabus of books
to be avoided, there are published also the Constitutions of
the Apostolic Chair by which the examination and proscription
of bad books are at present governed: viz.: the Constitution
‘of Offices and Duties,’ promulgated by Leo, Jan. 25, 1897, and
the Constitution ‘_Solicita ac Provida_’ by which Benedict
XIV, on July 9, 1753, established clear and firm rules for the
use of the Roman and universal Inquisition, and also of the Holy
Congregation of the Index, in examining and judging books.
“As to the Constitution of Benedict XIV, it does not apply so
much to the faithful in general as to those who are entrusted by
the Holy See with the task of examining books. The Constitution
of the present Pope has another object, since, revoking the
rules of the holy Synod of Trent, ‘it sets forth certain new
general Decretals, which are to be obeyed religiously by
Catholics everywhere.’
Furthermore, these general Decretals and the Index have this in
common, that both exist for the purpose of teaching what books
to avoid reading and owning. The Decretals, however, serve this
end in one way, the Index in another. For the Decretals prohibit
the greatest possible number, indeed almost all, of noxious and
tainted books, the reading of which is strongly forbidden by
the natural law itself; while the Index reviews and notes but a
small part of these. By the Decretals, _genera_ and classes
only of bad books are proscribed; by the Index, individual
books, each with its title and even the author’s name. Hence it
is plain how greatly they err who suppose the whole question
of improper books to be decided by the Index alone, as though
of the innumerable perverse and pernicious books which have
appeared in the course of centuries, those only are prohibited
which have been condemned by special decrees and noticed in
the catalogue of prohibited books. In fact, any given book can
only be safely declared lawful reading when these two conditions
are satisfied: it must not occur in the Index nor be contained
in any of those classes which are as a whole reprobated and
condemned by the Decretals.
“It remains to consider what the character of the Index is
and what the object was in planning and compiling it. For a
catalogue of prohibited books does not go as far as to note
each and every bad book. Obviously this would not be done, nor,
if the principle of the Decretals be grasped, does it appear
necessary. There must, therefore, be some special reason why the
Roman Congregations black-list by special decree a book already
included in those classes noted by the Decretals. This reason
is furnished in most cases by denunciations, from a bishop or
other of the persons specified in _Const. Off. ac Mun._,
vv. 27, 28, 29, recommending a given book to the Holy See for
examination as destructive or dangerous. Following this clue,
and not of set purpose choosing the worst among all the books in
existence, the Holy See is very often led to examine other books
not included by the Decretals. Therefore, it would be vain to
seek in the Index either all noxious and wicked books or those
distinguished as it were for wickedness in any department, or
to demand that the books in the Index be dealt with in a fixed
order based on either the argument or the matter. The only basis
of the Index is then this, that it notes those works which for
any reason have been prohibited by special decree during the
last three centuries, whether by popes in Apostolic letters or
by Roman Congregations, and especially the Congregation of the
Index, so that neither oblivion nor ignorance may obscure the
dangerous character of their contents.
“A few words are needed to explain the principle of the new
edition and its chief points of difference from the earlier
ones. The intention of the Pope in ordering a thorough revision
of the Index was not only to temper the severity of the old
rules but also, on behalf of the maternal kindness of the
Church, to accommodate the whole spirit of the Index to the
times. In the actual compilation of the list of prohibited books
some material modification has been shown and the number of
books formerly prohibited has been diminished. This can be seen
in the first Decretal, by which all books prohibited before the
year 1600 are declared to be henceforth expunged from the Index,
although they are to be considered as much condemned to-day as
they ever were, with the exception of those permitted by the
new Decretal. Hence in the case of condemned authors hitherto
described in Class I, all of whose works were prohibited, by
the present Index those of their works are permitted which
either _ex professo_ do not treat of religion, or, if
they do treat of it, contain nothing contrary to the Faith,
unless they happen to have been prohibited by some general or
special decree. And this mitigation may properly be extended
to the case of non-Catholic authors whose complete works are
expressly prohibited in the Index. This prohibition will not
apply in future to those books which touch the Faith either
not at all or only incidentally by the way, if these have not
been noted by any general or special decree. Therefore the old
distinction between ‘all works’ simply and ‘all works treating
of religion’ might be cancelled as superfluous. For whenever the
complete works of an author are prohibited, those works only are
understood which either treat of religion or are proscribed by
some general or special decree.
“Moreover, certain books, not a few in number, have been dropped
from the Index, which, although they labour under certain
defects or have some slight taint, yet have such a reputation
for learning or such documentary value that their errors or
views seem to be compensated by their usefulness.
“It was also thought best to delete a good many works which
deal with the Immaculate Conception, soundly, it is true, but
too intemperately or with some offence to adversaries. Again, a
number in which domestic controversies and private quarrels were
agitated with improper acrimony, to the injury of good feeling
and with hardly any gain to truth; and some which deserved
prohibition not by defective doctrine nor failure in charity,
but by the indiscretion of the author in failing to obey the
public injunction to silence for the sake of extinguishing
private quarrels. These controversies having become extinct and
the injunction to silence having been long ago removed, these
books could be dismissed.
“Since certain books, otherwise harmless, had been placed on the
Index because they contained offices and litanies of the Church
which were disapproved and published contrary to prohibition,
it seemed good to expunge these also, since to-day the power is
entrusted to Ordinaries to publish litanies and prayers of this
kind for the private use of the faithful.
“Certain minor works, frivolous, or absurd or superstitious, and
such as cite false and apocryphal indulgences, are omitted. For
superstitions and magic are sufficiently excluded by _Dec._
12, 13, 16, and 17; while for the elimination of apocryphal
indulgences, there is at hand for all the authoritative ‘decree
of the Holy Congregation in charge of Indulgences and Holy
Relics,’ published by command and authority of the Pope, and the
decree ‘concerning the discrimination between regular or normal
indulgences and apocryphal,’ published by the same Congregation
on the 10th of Aug., 1899.
“It happened often that there were placed on the Index works
of slight bulk, sometimes of only a few pages, which were full
of venom and danger, but which have been so dispersed by the
passage of time (as by the wind) that to-day copies are hardly
to be found. These have not been placed on the new Index. Under
this head are included a series of pamphlets, for the most part
scholastic, which were transferred to the Index proper from
the appendices to the Indexes of Innocent XI and of Clement
XI. Theses, also, which were prepared for public academic
discussion, although not free from error and rightly and justly
placed on the Index on their first appearance, have been thought
fit for omission, the more as oblivion has long ago blotted
out most of them. But those prohibited writings, however small
in compass, which claim any part in the historic evolution of
Catholic theological doctrine, are for this very cause retained
in the Index.
“All those works were struck off which had been condemned only
by the edicts of the _Magister Palatii_ early in the 17th
century, and those in regard to which the Congregation itself
decreed that they might or should be omitted by the next decree,
as well as certain old collections of declarations, decisions,
and interpretations of the Council of the Congregation,
which this body proscribed by its decree of April 29, 1621.
For although the decrees in these collections are not to be
considered authentic simply on the ground of inclusion there,
the collections are nevertheless believed to be of some value
to-day. Besides, the making of such collections in future has
been sufficiently guarded against by _Dec. gen._ 33.
“It happened sometimes that the first volume or volumes of
a work were placed in the Index, the later volumes of which
followed the publication of the prohibition; or that periodicals
were proscribed which continued afterwards to be published; also
that all the works of an author were proscribed, who, after
the publication of the decree, produced other works. In all
these cases, the volumes or numbers published after the latest
special decree, although not mentioned in that special decree,
are nevertheless held suspicious and are justly presumed to fall
under the prohibition of some general decree, unless there is
evidence of the author’s change of heart.
“It remains to indicate in a few words, for the readier use of
the Index, the method used in arranging and describing books.
In order that the issue of Leo might be more correct than its
predecessors, and that all corruptions might be eliminated
which, in the course of so many editions, (some of them prepared
by private authority) had crept in, much zealous labour has been
given to the investigation of the records of the Congregation of
the Index and of the Inquisition, both Roman and general; and of
libraries in Rome and abroad. Books whose authorship is declared
in their titles are entered under their titles in alphabetical
order, the author’s name being subjoined when possible. These
names are always entered in full, lest the omission of a
syllable should lead to the confusion of similar ones. Assumed
or fraudulent names included in titles are treated on the same
basis as real names.
“Italian names prefixed by the syllable _De_, _Del_, _Di_, etc.,
which appears to be part of the name, always begin with that
syllable in this catalogue. The same applies to _Van_ etc., in
Dutch names, and to _Des_, etc., and _St._ in French names; but
names beginning with the two syllables _De la_ are entered under
_La_. When the syllable _De_ alone begins a French name, it is
placed after the name in this catalogue unless the name begins
with a vowel.[156]...”
There follow certain further bibliographical details. The Preface
bears the signature of “Fr. Thomas Esser, Ord. Praed. S. Indicis
Congregationis a Secretis.”
THE CONSTITUTION OF POPE LEO XIII, CONCERNING
THE PROHIBITION AND CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS
“Of the duties and obligations which ought to be most carefully
and faithfully performed in this Apostolic Office, this is the
chief and most important matter, namely,--to watch zealously and
make every effort that the integrity of the faith and morals of
Christians shall not be impaired. If this were ever necessary,
it is especially so in this age--when, in the midst of unbounded
license of character and morals, almost all the teaching which
Jesus Christ, the Saviour of Mankind, entrusted to the care of
his Church for the salvation of the human race is attacked, with
daily criticism and discussion.
“In this criticism, our opponents use various and innumerable
stratagems and artifices for the purpose of causing injury; but
especially dangerous is the lack of moderation in their writings
and the influence of these pernicious writings among the people.
For nothing worse can be imagined for contaminating the minds
of men, both by making them despise religion and by suggesting
many incentives to sin. Wherefore the Church, the guardian and
protector of the integrity of faith and morals, in fear of
this great evil, long ago came to the conclusion that measures
must be adopted to guard against the danger. To this end, it
made continued efforts to prohibit men, as far as practicable,
from the reading of pernicious books, which are the worst kind
of poison. Even the very remote age of St. Paul saw an eager
zeal in this matter. And in like manner, every subsequent
generation has witnessed the watchful care of the holy Fathers,
the instructions of the bishops, and the decrees of the Church
councils.
“Especially do the records of literature bear witness to the
care and diligence shown by the Roman pontiffs to prevent the
writings of heretics, a constant menace to the community, from
making their way unnoticed into circulation. The earlier years
are full of examples of this. Anastasius I condemned by a
solemn edict the more dangerous writings of Origen; Innocent I
did the same with all the works of Pelagius, and Leo the Great
with those of the Manichaeans. There are known to be decretal
letters about the same matter concerning the acceptance and
the non-acceptance of certain books. For one of these letters
Gelasius is responsible. Likewise, in the course of years, the
decree of the Holy See has condemned the pestilent books of the
Monothelites, of Abélard, Marsilius of Padua, of Wyclif, and of
Huss.
“But in the 15th century, with the invention of the new art
of printing, not only were prohibitions made against wicked
books that had actually appeared, but efforts were also made
to prevent the publication of any further such books. This
foresight was demanded for that age not on any trivial grounds,
but by the necessity for the preservation of the public
integrity and safety; because an art, most excellent in itself,
and the source of very great advantages, which had come into
existence originally for the purpose of propagating Christian
civilisation, had been speedily perverted by the action of many
into a powerful instrument of evil. The great and pernicious
influence of wicked writers had more serious and more rapid
results because of this very increase in the extent of the
circulation of literature. Therefore, by a most wise policy,
both Alexander VI and Leo X, my predecessors, made regulations,
adapted to the character of the times, to keep publishers in the
path of duty.
“Later, as the evil was recognised as more serious, it became
necessary to use strict and more strenuous measures to check
the contagious spread of wicked heresies. To this end, the
same Leo X, and afterwards Clement VII, positively forbade any
one to read or to possess the books of Luther. But when, in
accordance with the calamities of the age, the foul collection
of dangerous books had increased beyond all bounds and had
penetrated in every direction, the need of a more far-reaching
and more immediate remedy was recognised. This remedy was first
opportunely suggested by our predecessor Paul IV, namely, the
publication of a list of writers and books, from the perusal of
which the faithful were to abstain. Not long afterwards, the
Fathers of the Synod of Trent took further measures for checking
the increasing license of writing and of reading. In accordance
with their wish and instructions, directors and theologians
chosen for this purpose took great pains not only in amplifying
and perfecting the Index which Paul IV had published, but also
in framing rules to be observed in the publishing, reading, and
possessing of books. To these rules, Pius IV added the weight of
the Apostolic authority.
“But the needs of the public welfare, which in the beginning
had caused to be framed the Rules of Trent, promulgated from
the council, came in later years to call for further action.
Therefore, the Roman pontiffs, and especially Clement VIII,
Alexander VII, and Benedict XIV, with full understanding of the
requirements and with thoughtful discretion, framed further
decrees to explain these rules and to adapt their instruction to
the later generations.
“This record shows plainly that the Roman pontiffs have always
taken exceptional pains to protect human society from errors of
opinion and from influences inimical to morality, and to combat
those causes of disaster and ruin to the community which are
engendered and distributed from pernicious literature. Good
results attended this action as long as, in the administration
of public affairs, the Divine law had control of the directing
and the prohibiting, and as long as the temporal Rulers of
States were in accord with the sacred Authority.
“As to what followed, no one is ignorant. When, in the progress
of the ages, the conditions of society had gradually changed,
the Church modified with discretion the application of its
authority, because, with full understanding of the character
of the times, it saw that these regulations were of assistance
and service for the guidance of mankind. Several of the rules
of the Index, which appeared no longer to be pertinent, were
either abolished by decree, or the books therein forbidden
were permitted under conditions and with wise judgment on the
ground of the increasing importance of antiquarian researches.
Of more recent occurrence is the action of Pius IX instructing
the archbishops and bishops to modify materially the strictures
of Rule V. In addition, in view of the approaching important
Vatican Council, Pius IX confided to a group of learned men
the task of making a fresh examination of all the rules of
the Index with instructions to report as to what action might
be necessary in regard to them. They unanimously agreed that
certain changes ought to be made. The majority of the Fathers
frankly avowed that they were of the same opinion and they
submitted to the council a similar recommendation. There are
extant letters concerning this matter from the bishops of
France, whose opinion was unanimous as to the necessity for
immediate action in order that these rules and the entire Index
should be framed in an entirely different manner, which would
render the regulations better suited to our age and easier
to observe. Similar counsel was received from the bishops of
Germany, who united in recommending that the rules of the Index
should be submitted to a new examination and revision. A great
number of the bishops in Italy and in other countries were in
accord with this conclusion.
“If one considers the character of the times, and the condition
of civil institutions and of popular morals, we must admit that
these demands are just and reasonable, and are not out of accord
with the purposes or the material affection of the Holy Church.
In the rapid development of intellectual activity, there is
no field of knowledge in which literature is not produced too
freely, with the result of a daily accumulation of foul and
of dangerous books. What is still more serious is that this
great evil is not only connived at by the civil laws, but even
secures under these a great freedom. As a result, therefore,
unrestricted license is assured for reading anything whatever,
and the minds of many are filled with religious doubts.
“Concluding, therefore, that we must now take measures to remedy
these evils, we have decided that there are two things to be
done in order that there should be a fixed rule of action in
this class of matter, a rule that should be plain to every one.
The Index of books forbidden to be read has been gone over again
with the utmost care and this revised list shall be published as
soon as it is in readiness. Furthermore, we have directed our
attention to the rules themselves and have decided, without
changing their general character, to make them more lenient, in
order that unless a man be really depraved, he shall not find it
a difficult matter to obey them. In this we not only follow the
examples of our predecessors, but we also imitate the zeal of
the Mother Church, which, with loving zeal, takes pains to spare
the infirmities of her children.
“Therefore, after mature deliberation and after summoning the
cardinals and a holy council to go over the lists of books, we
have decided to publish the following general decrees, which are
made part of this Constitution. The holy council will in the
future make use of these rules only, and Catholics all over the
world must obey them scrupulously. We decree that these only
shall have the authority of law, and we abrogate the ‘Rules’
published by the order of the very holy Council of Trent, and
the ‘observations,’ ‘instructions,’ ‘decrees,’ and ‘precepts,’
and every other statute or law concerning this matter which have
been made by our predecessors, except only the ‘Constitution’
of Benedict XIV, which we decree shall remain in force in the
future as it has done hitherto.”
GENERAL DECREES CONCERNING THE PROHIBITION AND CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS
ARTICLE I
OF THE PROHIBITION OF BOOKS
I. OF THE PROHIBITED BOOKS OF APOSTATES, HERETICS, SCHISMATICS, AND
OTHER WRITERS
1. All books condemned before the year 1600 by the Sovereign
Pontiffs, or by Oecumenical Councils, and which are not recorded
in the new Index, must be considered as condemned in the same
manner as formerly: with the exception of such as are permitted
by the present General Decrees.
2. The books of apostates, heretics, schismatics, and all
writers whatsoever, defending heresy or schism, or in any way
attacking the foundations of religion, are altogether prohibited.
3. Moreover, the books of non-Catholics, _ex professo_
treating of religion, are prohibited, unless they clearly
contain nothing contrary to Catholic Faith.
4. The books of the above-mentioned writers, not treating _ex
professo_ of religion, but only touching incidentally upon
the truths of Faith, are not to be considered as prohibited by
ecclesiastical law, unless proscribed by special decree.
II. OF EDITIONS OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT OF HOLY SCRIPTURE AND
OF VERSIONS NOT IN THE VERNACULAR
5. Editions of the original text and of the ancient Catholic
versions of Holy Scripture, as well as those of the Eastern
Church, if published by non-Catholics, even though apparently
edited in a faithful and complete manner, are allowed only to
those engaged in theological and biblical studies, provided
also that the dogmas of Catholic Faith are not impugned in the
prolegomena or annotations.
6. In the same manner, and under the same conditions, other
versions of the Holy Bible, whether in Latin, or in any other
dead language, published by non-Catholics, are permitted.
III. OF VERNACULAR VERSIONS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
7. As it has been clearly shown by experience that, if the Holy
Bible in the vernacular is generally permitted without any
distinction, more harm than utility is thereby caused, owing
to human temerity: all versions in the vernacular, even by
Catholics, are altogether prohibited, unless approved by the
Holy See, or published, under the vigilant care of the Bishops,
with annotations taken from the Fathers of the Church and
learned Catholic writers.
8. All versions of the Holy Bible, in any vernacular language,
made by non-Catholics, are prohibited; and especially those
published by the Bible Societies, which have been more than once
condemned by the Roman Pontiffs, because in them the wise laws
of the Church concerning the publication of the sacred books are
entirely disregarded.
Nevertheless, these versions are permitted to students of
theological or biblical science, under the conditions laid down
above (No. 5).
IV. OF OBSCENE BOOKS
9. Books which professedly treat of, narrate, or teach lewd or
obscene subjects are entirely prohibited, since care must be
taken, not only of faith, but also of morals, which are easily
corrupted by the reading of such books.
10. The books of classical authors, whether ancient or modern,
if disfigured with the same stain of indecency, are, on account
of the elegance and beauty of their diction, permitted only to
those who are justified on account of their duty or the function
of teaching; but on no account may they be placed in the hands
of, or taught to, boys or youths, unless carefully expurgated.
V. OF CERTAIN SPECIAL KINDS OF BOOKS
11. Those books are condemned which are derogatory to Almighty
God, or to the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Saints, or to the
Catholic Church and her worship, or to the Sacraments, or
to the Holy See. To the same condemnation are subject those
works in which the idea of the inspiration of Holy Scripture
is perverted, or its extension too narrowly limited. Those
books, moreover, are prohibited which professedly revile the
Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, or the clerical or religious state.
12. It is forbidden to publish, read, or keep books in which
sorcery, divination, magic, the evocation of spirits, and other
superstitions of this kind are taught or commended.
13. Books or other writings which narrate new apparitions,
revelations, visions, prophecies, miracles, or which introduce
new devotions, even under the pretext of being private ones, if
published without the legitimate permission of ecclesiastical
superiors, are prohibited.
14. Those books, moreover, are prohibited which defend as lawful
duelling, suicide, or divorce; which treat of Freemasonry, or
other societies of the kind, teaching them to be useful; and not
injurious to the Church and to Society; and those which defend
errors proscribed by the Apostolic See.
VI. OF SACRED PICTURES AND INDULGENCES
15. Pictures, in any style of printing, of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and Saints, or other
Servants of God, which are not conformable to the sense and
decrees of the Church, are entirely forbidden. New pictures,
whether produced with or without prayers annexed, may not be
published without permission of ecclesiastical authority.
16. It is forbidden to all to give publicity in any way to
apocryphal indulgences, and to such as have been proscribed or
revoked by the Apostolic See. Those which have already been
published must be withdrawn from the hands of the faithful.
17. No books of indulgences, or compendiums, pamphlets,
leaflets, etc., containing grants of indulgences, may be
published without permission of competent authority.
VII. OF LITURGICAL BOOKS AND PRAYER BOOKS
18. In authentic editions of the Missal, Breviary, Ritual,
Ceremonial of Bishops, Roman Pontifical, and other liturgical
books approved by the Holy Apostolic See, no one shall presume
to make any change whatsoever; otherwise such new editions are
prohibited.
19. No Litanies--except the ancient and common Litanies
contained in the Breviaries, Missals, Pontificals, and Rituals,
as well as the Litany of Loreto, and the Litany of the Most
Holy Name of Jesus, already approved by the Holy See--may
be published without the examination and approbation of the
Ordinary.
20. No one, without license of legitimate authority, may publish
books or pamphlets of prayers, devotions, or of religious,
moral, ascetic, or mystic doctrine and instruction, or others of
like nature, even though apparently conducive to the fostering
of piety among Christian people; unless issued under license,
they are to be considered as prohibited.
VIII. OF NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS
21. Newspapers and periodicals which designedly attack religion
or morality are to be held as prohibited, not only by the
natural, but also by the ecclesiastical law.
Ordinaries shall take care, whenever it be necessary, that
the faithful shall be warned against the danger and injury of
reading of this kind.
22. No Catholics, particularly ecclesiastics, shall publish
anything in newspapers or periodicals of this character, unless
for some just and reasonable cause.
IX. OF PERMISSION TO READ AND KEEP PROHIBITED BOOKS
23. Those only shall be allowed to read and keep books
prohibited, either by special decrees, or by these General
Decrees, who shall have obtained the necessary permission,
either from the Apostolic See or from its delegates.
24. The Roman Pontiffs have placed the power of granting
licenses for the reading and keeping of prohibited books in the
hands of the Sacred Congregation of the Index. Nevertheless the
same power is enjoyed both by the Supreme Congregation of the
Holy Office, and by the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda for
the regions subject to its administration. For the city of Rome
this power belongs also to the Master of the Sacred Apostolic
Palace.
25. Bishops and other prelates with quasi-episcopal jurisdiction
may grant such license for individual books, and in urgent cases
only. But if they have obtained from the Apostolic See a general
faculty to grant permission to the faithful to read and keep
prohibited books, they must grant this only with discretion and
for a just and reasonable cause.
26. Those who have obtained Apostolic faculties to read and keep
prohibited books may not on this account read and keep any books
whatsoever or periodicals condemned by the local Ordinaries,
unless by the Apostolic favour express permission be given to
read and keep books by whomsoever prohibited. And those who have
obtained permission to read prohibited books must remember that
they are bound by grave precept to keep books of this kind in
such a manner that they may not fall into the hands of others.
X. OF THE DENUNCIATION OF BAD BOOKS
27. Although all Catholics, especially the more learned, ought
to denounce pernicious books either to the Bishops or to the
Holy See, this duty belongs more especially to Apostolic Nuncios
and Delegates, local Ordinaries, and Rectors of Universities.
28. It is expedient, in denouncing bad books, that not only the
title of the book be expressed, but also, as far as possible,
the reasons be explained why the book is considered worthy of
censure. Those to whom the denunciation is made will remember
that it is their duty to keep secret the names of the denouncers.
29. Ordinaries, even as Delegates of the Apostolic See, must
be careful to prohibit evil books or other writings published
or circulated in their dioceses, and to withdraw them from
the hands of the faithful. Such works and writings should be
referred by them to the judgment of the Apostolic See as appear
to require a more careful examination, or concerning which a
decision of the Supreme Authority may seem desirable in order to
procure a more salutary effect.
ARTICLE II
OF THE CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS
I. OF THE PRELATES INTRUSTED WITH THE CENSORSHIP OF
BOOKS
30. From what has been laid down above (No. 7), it is
sufficiently clear what persons have authority to approve or
permit editions and translations of the Holy Bible.
31. No one shall venture to republish books condemned by the
Apostolic See. If, for a grave and reasonable cause, any
particular exception appears desirable in this respect, this
can only be allowed on obtaining beforehand a license from the
Sacred Congregation of the Index and observing the conditions
prescribed by it.
32. Whatsoever pertains in any way to Causes of Beatification
and Canonisation of the Servants of God may not be published
without the approval of the Congregation of Sacred Rites.
33. The same must be said of Collections of Decrees of the
various Roman Congregations: such Collections may not be
published without first obtaining the license of the authorities
of each Congregation, and observing the conditions by them
prescribed.
34. Vicars Apostolic and Missionaries Apostolic shall faithfully
observe the decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda
concerning the publication of books.
35. The approbation of books, of which the censorship is not
reserved by the present Decrees either to the Holy See or to the
Roman Congregations, belongs to the Ordinary of the place where
they are published.
36. Regulars must remember that, in addition to the license of
the Bishop, they are bound by a decree of the Sacred Council
of Trent to obtain leave for publishing any work from their
own Superior. Both permissions must be printed either at the
beginning or at the end of the book.
37. If an author, living in Rome, desires to print a book, not
in the city of Rome but elsewhere, no other approbation is
required beyond that of the Cardinal Vicar and the Master of the
Apostolic Palace.
II. OF THE DUTY OF CENSORS IN THE PRELIMINARY
EXAMINATION OF BOOKS
38. Bishops, whose duty it is to grant permission for the
printing of books, shall take care to employ in the examination
of them men of acknowledged piety and learning, concerning
whose faith and honesty they may feel sure, and that they will
show neither favour nor ill-will, but, putting aside all human
affections, will look only to the glory of God and the welfare
of the people.
39. Censors must understand that, in the matter of various
opinions and systems, they are bound to judge with a mind
free from all prejudice, according to the precept of Benedict
XIV. Therefore they should put away all attachment to their
particular country, family, school, or institute, and lay
aside all partisan spirit. They must keep before their eyes
nothing but the dogmas of Holy Church, and the common Catholic
doctrine, as contained in the Decrees of General Councils, the
Constitutions of the Roman Pontiffs, and the unanimous teaching
of the Doctors of the Church.
40. If after this examination, no objection appears to the
publication of the book, the Ordinary shall grant to the author,
in writing and without any fee whatsoever, a license to publish,
which shall be printed either at the beginning or at the end of
the work.
III. OF THE BOOKS TO BE SUBMITTED TO CENSORSHIP
41. All the faithful are bound to submit to preliminary
ecclesiastical censorship at least those books which treat
of Holy Scripture, Sacred Theology, Ecclesiastical History,
Canon Law, Natural Theology, Ethics, and other religious or
moral subjects of this character; and in general all writings
specially concerned with religion and morality.
42. The secular clergy, in order to give an example of respect
towards their Ordinaries, ought not to publish books, even when
treating of merely natural arts and sciences, without their
knowledge.
They are also prohibited from undertaking the management of
newspapers or periodicals without the previous permission of
their Ordinaries.
IV. OF PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS OF BOOKS
43. No book liable to ecclesiastical censorship may be printed
unless it bear at the beginning the name and surname of both the
author and the publisher, together with the place and year of
printing and publishing. If in any particular case, owing to a
just reason, it appears desirable to suppress the name of the
author, this may be permitted by the Ordinary.
44. Printers and publishers should remember that new editions
of an approved work require a new approbation; and that an
approbation granted to the original text does not suffice for a
translation into another language.
45. Books condemned by the Apostolic See are to be considered as
prohibited all over the world, and into whatever language they
may be translated.
46. Booksellers, especially Catholics, should neither sell,
lend, nor keep books professedly treating of obscene subjects.
They should not keep for sale other prohibited books, unless
they have obtained leave through the Ordinary from the Sacred
Congregation of the Index; nor sell such books to any person
whom they do not prudently judge to have the right to buy them.
V. OF PENALTIES AGAINST TRANSGRESSORS OF THE GENERAL
DECREES
47. All and every one knowingly reading, without authority of
the Holy See, the books of apostates and heretics, defending
heresy; or books of any author which are by name prohibited by
Apostolic Letters; also those keeping, printing, and in any way
defending such works; incur _ipso facto_ excommunication
reserved in a special manner to the Roman Pontiff.
48. Those who, without the approbation of the Ordinary,
print, or cause to be printed, books of Holy Scripture, or
notes or commentaries on the same, incur _ipso facto_
excommunication, but not reserved.
49. Those who transgress the other prescriptions of these
General Decrees shall, according to the gravity of their
offence, be seriously warned by the Bishop, and, if it seem
expedient, may also be punished by canonical penalties.
We decree that these presents and whatsoever they contain shall
at no time be questioned or impugned for any fault of subreption
or obreption, or of Our intention, or for any other defect
whatsoever; but are and shall be ever valid and efficacious, and
to be inviolably observed, both judicially and extrajudicially,
by all of whatsoever rank and preëminence. And We declare
to be invalid and of no avail, whatsoever may be attempted
knowingly or unknowingly contrary to these, by any one, under
any authority or pretext whatsoever; all to the contrary
notwithstanding.
And We will that the same authority be attributed to copies
of these Letters, even if printed, provided they be signed by
the hand of a Notary, and confirmed by the seal of some one in
ecclesiastical dignity, as to the indication of Our will by the
exhibition of these presents.
No man, therefore, may infringe or temerariously venture to
contravene this document of Our constitution, ordination,
limitation, derogation, and will. If any one shall so presume,
let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God, and
of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.
Given at St. Peter’s in Rome, in the year of the Incarnation of
Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven, on the
25th day of January, in the nineteenth year of Our Pontificate.
A. CARD. MACCHI.
A. PANICI, Subdatary.
_Visa._
De Curia: J. DE AQUILA VISCONTI.
L. ✠ S.
Registered in the Secretariat of Briefs,
I. CUGNONI.
THE LISTS OF THE WORKS CONDEMNED
In the lists (as was the arrangement in the earlier Index of Leo) the
date of the decree under which the work was condemned is connected with
the title of the book. For the works (a considerable proportion of the
entire series) which are entered both under the title and under the
name of the author, cross references are given. The number of entries
in the second Index of Leo is about 7000, practically the same as that
in the earlier volume. Of the publications of the last ten years of
the 19th century, 131 works, representing 82 authors, are selected for
condemnation. These books of recent date comprise 60 Italian volumes,
47 French, 16 Spanish and Portuguese, 4 German, and 4 English. This
selection may be considered as indicative of the lack of familiarity
of the examiners with the language or with the modern literature of
Germany or of England.
As these two Indexes represent the latest authoritative expression of
opinion in regard to the present literary policy of the Church of Rome,
it is in order to present with some detail the character of the books
selected for examination.
It is with the Leonine Indexes, as with all those that preceded,
difficult to arrive at the principle that has guided this selection.
The lists include no works of the heresiarchs, and in fact no titles
back of the 17th century. Place has been found, however, for reprinting
a number of the prohibitions of the early 17th century, as well as for
those of the 18th. The Leonine decrees confirm those of the Indexes
of Pius IV (Trent), 1564, of Clement VIII, 1596, and of Benedict XIV,
1758, and the lists in these cover, of course, all the important
heretical literature from the earliest date of printing. It is not
clear on what principle have been selected the works of the 17th
century which in the judgment of the Leonine editors were important
enough to warrant a reiteration, three centuries later, of the original
condemnation. Still more difficult for these editors must have been
the selection from the great mass of fiction and of current literature
of the past century, and more particularly of the last half of the
19th century, of works that impressed them as sufficiently pernicious
in character and abiding in their influence to call for specific
condemnation. The result of this selection impresses the student as
curiously disproportionate, and in fact as almost haphazard in its
character. The fiction which has been condemned is for the most part
classed under the description of _fabulae amatoriae_.
I have noted the titles of certain works which seem to be in one way or
another typical or which would be likely to prove of interest to the
English-speaking readers of to-day.[157] It is doubtless the case that
the Italian literature (which constitutes the very large proportion of
the lists) possesses for the purposes of the indexer a distinctive
importance of its own, but these books are, I judge, less likely to be
familiar to the readers who will be reached by my treatise. The dates
placed against the titles are those, not of publication, but of the
decrees, these decrees being in some cases as far as a century later
than the date of the original issue.
_Abrégé de l’histoire ecclésiastique de Fleury._ Decr. 1769.
ACTON, LORD. _Zur Geschichte des vaticanischen Conciles;
Sendschreiben an einen deutschen Bischof._ 1871.
ADDISON, JOS. _Remarks on Italy._ 1729.
ALBERTUS MAGNUS. _De Secretis Mulierum._ 1604.
_Alciphron_, by Berkeley. 1742.
_Anglica, Normanica_, etc., _a veteribus scripta_, etc. _d.c._
By Walsingham, etc., edit. Camden. 1605.
These chronicles are, it is to be noted, to be permitted
when corrected; but for such corrections they have
already waited for centuries.
_Apologie de Jansénius, évesque_, etc. 1654.
There are no less than sixteen entries under the term
“Apology.”
ARNAULD ANTOINE (_fils_).
Seventeen works are entered under the name of this
Jansenist writer. The decrees are of date 1656–1659.
_Arrest de la cour de Parlement._
Under this term are six entries, covering acts of the
Parliament of Paris from 1680–1744, the condemnation of
which it is considered important to confirm 250 years
later.
_Augustinus._ Janseni. 1654.
A condemnation that recalls a long and bitter doctrinal
contest.
BALZAC, _oeuvres de_. 1841, 1842, 1864.
BARONIUS, VINCENTIUS.
Three works. 1672.
BAYLE, PIERRE. _Opera omnia._ 1698 to 1757.
This is followed by entries of four separate works of the
same author.
BENTHAM, JEREMIE.
Four works, of which two are entered in the French
editions. 1819–1835.
BÉRANGER. _Chansons._ 1834.
BERT, PAUL. _L’Instruction Civile._ 1882.
BLACKWELL, GEORGE, Archpriest of England. Letter to
Clement VIII. 1614.
BOILEAU, JACOBUS. _Historia Flagellantium._ 1668.
_Book of Common Prayer._ London. 1714.
BOSSUET, ÉVESQUE. _Résponse à M. de Tencin._ 1745.
BROWNE, THOMAS. _Religio Medici._
BRUNO, GIORDANO. _Opera omnia._ 1600.
BUNSEN, C. C. J. _Hippolytus and his Age._ 1853.
BURNET, GILBERT. _The Reformation of the Church of
England._ 1714.
„ „ _History of his own Times._ 1731.
CAMERARIUS, JOHANNES. _Opera omnia._ 1654.
CASAUBONUS, ISAACUS. _De Rebus Sacris_, etc. 1614.
„ „ _Epistolae._ 1640.
_Catechisme, Catechismo, and Catechism._
Under this heading and that of Katechism there are
twenty-five entries in the four languages, under dates
from 1602 to 1876.
CHARRON, PIERRE. _De la Sagesse._ 1605.
COLLINS, ANTHONY. _On Free Thinking._ 1715.
COMBE, GEORGE. _Manuel de phrénologie._ 1837.
COMTE, AUGUSTE. _Cours de philosophie positive._ 1864.
CONDORCET. _Tableau historique du progrés de l’esprit humain._
1827.
CUDWORTH, RALPH. _Intellectual System of the Universe._ 1739.
DARWIN, ERASMUS. _Zoönomia._ 1817.
DESCARTES, RENATUS. _Meditationes de prima philosophia._ 1663.
DIDEROT. _Encyclopaedie raisonnée des sciences._ 1804.
_Discovery of a New World._ Wilkins, John. 1701.
DRAPER, JNO. WM. _History of the Conflicts between
Science and Religion._ 1876.
The much more comprehensive and incisive work on the same
subject by Andrew D. White escapes attention.
DUMAS, ALEXANDRE (_pater_). _Omnes fabulae amatoriae._ 1863.
DUMAS, ALEXANDRE (_filius_). _Omnes fabulae amatoriae._
{ _The Spiritual Body._ }
EARLE, JOHN C. { _The Forty Days._ } 1878.
ENFANTIN, BARTHÉLEMY P. _Science de l’homme_. 1859.
ERIGENA, JOHANNES SCOTUS. _De divisione naturae_, etc. 1684.
FÉNELON. _Explication des Maximes des Saintes_, etc. 1665.
FERRI, ENRICO. _Sociologia criminale_ [and four other
treatises]. 1895–6.
FERRIÈRE, ÉMILE. _Le Darwinisme_ [and seven other treatises].
1892–3.
FEYDEAU, ERNEST. _Omnes fabulae amatoriae._ 1864.
FONTENELLE, B. L. _La république des philosophes_, etc. 1779.
FOURIER, CHAS. _Le Nouveau monde industriel et sociétaire._ 1835.
FREDERIC II (of Prussia). _Oeuvres du philosophe de Sans-Souci._
1760.
FROHSCHAMMER, JACOB. _Ueber den Ursprung der menschlichen
Seelen_ [and five other treatises]. 1857–1873.
GANDOLPHY, PETER. _A Defence of the Ancient Faith_, etc. 1818.
GIBBON, E. _The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire._ 1783.
GOBLET D’ALVIELLA, E. _L’idée de Dieu d’après l’anthropologie_,
etc. 1893.
GOLDSMITH, OLIVER. _Abridged History of England_, etc. 1823.
GREGOROVIUS, F. _Geschichte der Stadt Rom_, etc. 1874.
GROTIUS, HUGO. _Opera omnia theologica_ [and five other works,
comprising practically _Opera omnia_]. 1757.
GUICCIARDINI, F. _Loci duo ob rerum_, etc. 1603.
HALLAM, H. _Constitutional History of England._ 1833.
„ „ _View of the State of Europe._ 1833.
HERBERT DE CHERBURY. _De Veritate_, etc. 1633.
_Histoire_, _Historia_, _De Religione_, etc.
Under these terms are entered thirty-six different works.
_History of the Devil, as well ancient as modern._ Defoe,
Daniel. 1743.
HOBBES, THOMAS. _Opera omnia._ 1703.
HUGO, VICTOR. _Notre Dame de Paris._ 1834.
„ „ _Les Misérables._ 1864.
JACOB (_filius_) _Chaviv._, etc. By Rabbi Jehuda Arje de Mutina.
The title is reprinted in Hebrew.
JACOBUS I. _Rex Angliae._ [Greek: Basilikon dôron.] 1606.
„ _Meditatio in orationem dominicam_ [and two other treatises].
1619.
JANSENIUS, C. _Augustinus_, etc. 1641, 1642, 1654.
KANT, I. _Kritik der reinen Vernunft._ 1827.
LAMARTINE, A. _Souvenirs, etc., d’un voyage en Orient_ [and two
other works]. 1836.
LAMÉ FLEURY, J. R. _L’Histoire Ancienne_ [and five other
histories]. 1857.
LAMENAIS, H. F. R. _Paroles d’un croyant_ [and six other works].
1834.
LANFREY, PIERRE. _Histoire politique des papes._ 1875.
LANG, ANDREW. _Myth, Ritual, and Religion._[158] 1896.
LAUNOY, J. _Veneranda romanae ecclesiae circa simoniam traditio_
[and no less than twenty-six other works by this much condemned
author]. 1688.
LEIGH, EDWARD. _Annotations upon the New Testament_, 1735.
LESSING, G. E. _Religion Saint Simonienne_, etc. 1835.
_Lettre_, _Lettura_, _Letter_, and _Lettres_.
Under these headings are seventy-eight titles.
LIMBORCH, P. _Historia inquisitionis_, etc. [and two other
books]. 1694.
LIPSIUS, J. _Orationes_, etc. 1613.
LOCKE, J. _Essay on the Human Understanding._ 1734.
„ _The Reasonableness of Christianity._ 1737.