The Roman Index of Forbidden Books / Briefly Explained for Catholic Booklovers and Students

by Francis S. Betten

7. Who Puts Books On The Index?

The popes have at all times exercised the prerogative of their supreme office as guardians of the faith by condemning books opposed to the faith. The latest of such condemnations is that, in 1862, of the works of the Munich professor, Frohschammer, who answered this condemnation by falling away from the Church. There are in all 144 books that were individually proscribed by a papal document. In Pope Leo’s edition they are marked with a dagger. Yet only in cases of the utmost importance did the popes act themselves. To facilitate the government of the world-wide Church, in the course of centuries special committees of cardinals were appointed, to whom part of the pontiff’s various duties were entrusted. These committees are styled Congregations. A larger or smaller [25] ]number of learned priests and bishops, generally called Consultors, assist the cardinals and practically do the greater part of the work, though the final decision in all cases is reserved to the cardinals.

The highest of these Roman Congregations

is the Sacrum Officium or “General Inquisition,” called also the “Congregation of the Holy Office,” of which the Pope himself is Prefect. Its purpose is especially to watch over the purity of faith. It is this august body that, after the Pope himself, is in the first place called to judge the doctrines propounded in any book. It was this Congregation that performed the preparatory work for the first Index of Paul IV, and, although another congregation for the examining of books was soon after established, the Sacrum Officium continued to exercise the same power. As may be expected, especially such works as seemed to affect the integrity of the faith, were submitted to this supreme court. In our days the works of the French priest Loisy were proscribed by the Sacrum Officium.

[26]
]But the bulk of this work is at present performed by the Congregatio Indicis librorum prohibitorum, or “Congregation of the Index of Forbidden Books.” It was founded by Saint Pius V in 1571, seven years after the publication of the Tridentine Index. Since then about eighty per cent. of all individual prohibitions of books have emanated from it. Its Prefect is a cardinal. The present one is Cardinal Segna. The perpetual assistant and secretary are always members of the Dominican order. Besides the seven or ten cardinals there are about thirty consultors, many of whom are bishops.

Though three or four prohibitions of books have emanated from other Roman authorities, the practice has been to let either the Sacrum Officium or the Congregation of the Index decide in all cases. The latter Congregation, moreover, had to register all condemnations pronounced by any of the legitimate authorities and to see that they were entered in the new editions of the Index.

Our present Holy Father, Pius X, has [27] ]lately brought about a long desired reform in the central government of the Church. The competency of many of the Roman Congregations has been more clearly defined, and several of those originally instituted have been either suppressed or united with others. The Congregation of the Index has received a wider sphere and greater power. While formerly it passed only on books in regard to which it was expressly appealed to, it has now become a regular vigilance committee for the whole Church. The Holy Father says: “For the future it shall be the province of this Sacred Congregation not only to examine diligently the books reported to it, to prohibit them, if this should seem well, and to concede dispensations; but also to officially investigate in the best available way whether writings of any kind that should be condemned are being circulated; and to remind the ordinaries how strictly they are bound to condemn pernicious writings and to denounce them to the Holy See.”

On the relation of the Congregation of the Index to that of the Sacrum Officium [28] ](Holy Office) the Pope says: “As the prohibition of books has very frequently the scope of defense of the Faith, which is also the object of the Congregation of the Holy Office, we decree that in future in all things relating to the prohibition of books, and in those alone, the Cardinals, Consultors and officers of both congregations, may communicate with one another, and that all of them shall be bound by the same secret.”

The Roman Congregations are not infallible. But they represent the Pope in his highest capacity as shepherd of the entire flock of Christ. Therefore we owe them obedience. Their regulations and orders must find us even more willing to obey than those of our bishops and pastors, to whom only a small portion of Christ’s kingdom is entrusted.