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

by Francis S. Betten

This short treatise was written for the benefit of those who cannot devote much time to the study of the Index. It appeared first in the “Catholic Union and Times,” Buffalo, N. Y., and was reprinted in the “Catholic Mind” series, Fordham University Press, New York, as numbers 23 and 24 of 1907.

Those who wish to make a deeper study of the subject are referred to the following books:

• Rev. Timothy Hurley.—A Commentary on the Present Index Legislation. Dublin, Brown and Nolan. New York, Benziger Bros. $1.35.
• Rev. Arthur Vermeersch, S.J.—De prohibitione et censura librorum. $0.85.
• Rev. Jos. Hilgers, S.J.—Der Index der verbotenen Bücher. St. Louis, Herder. $3.25.
• [iv]
  ]—Die Bücherverbote in Papstbriefen. St. Louis, Herder. $0.95.
• Rev. Jos. Hilgers, S.J.—The Roman Index and its Last Historian. A Critical Review of “The Censorship of the Church of Rome” by George Haven Putnam. Techny, Ill. Society of the Divine Word. 10 cents.

There is also a long article on “Censorship,” written by Rev. J. Hilgers, S.J., in vol. III of the Catholic Encyclopedia.

An English translation of the Constitution “Officiorum ac munerum” is contained in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, with Preface by Rev. John J. Wynne, S.J. New York, Benziger Bros. $2.25.

[v]
]CONTENTS

PAGE
Section I.—Commentary.
1.	[The Index]		[1]
2.	[The Power of the Church]		[4]
3.	[Book Prohibitions Antedating theRoman Index]		[7]
4.	[The Roman Index]		[11]
5.	[Books Forbidden by General or ParticularDecrees]		[13]
6.	[Duties Imposed by Law and by Nature]		[18]
7.	[Who Puts Books on the Index?]		[24]
8.	[The Method of Examination]		[28]
9.	[The Spirit of the Index Congregation]		[33]
10.	[Further Explanations]		[35]
	a.	[Why an Author is not Permittedto Defend His Book]	[35]
	b.	[The Index does not AdvertiseBad Books]	[37]
	c.	[Index Decisions not Omitted forFear of Apostasies]	[39]
	d.	[The “Good Catholic”]	[41]
	e.	[A Mortal Sin]	[43]
	[vi] ]f.	[The Galileo Case]	[44]
	g.	[Non-Catholic Book-Laws]	[46]
	h.	[Some Examples of Submission tothe Index]	[48]
Section II.—A Summary of the Index.
1.	[Our Duties in Relation to ForbiddenBooks]		[51]
2.	[Forbidden Books]		[53]
	a.	[Books Forbidden by General Decrees]	[54]
	b.	[Books Forbidden by ParticularDecrees]	[57]

[1]
]SECTION I
COMMENTARY

1. The Index.

In 1901, a reviewer of the Roman Index of Forbidden Books opened his criticism by congratulating himself upon having before him a genuine copy of that book, of which, he says, only a very limited number were printed for the exclusive use of “the leaders of the Church.” Owing to its scarcity, he thinks, the owner of the volume, which he had borrowed, must have paid at least two hundred dollars for it. He could have bought a brand new copy for $2.25. The Index of which he speaks, issued by order of Leo XIII, in 1900, is for sale in this country by B. Herder, St. Louis, Mo. So [2] ]are the three later editions (1901, 1904, 1907), the last two issued under, and by order of, our gloriously reigning Pontiff, Pius