judgment, must make his report in writing. If the censor approves of the work the ordinary is to authorize its publication with the censor's decision signed by his name; the censor's name must never be omitted, except in a very rare and extraordinary case when the ordinary deems the omission prudent. If the ordinary refuses to authorize the publication of a work, the author on inquiring must be told why approval has been refused, unless there is a grave reason to the contrary.
Authors and publishers who without the requisite leave cause books of the Holy Scripture or Scriptural annotations or commentaries to be printed thereby incur excommunication reserved to no one. This is a modification of the canon law, as under the older discipline the censure was incurred not only by those who caused the works to be
printed, but by the printer also. PROHIBITION OF Books (cf. C. E., III-526b). Not only may the Holy See for just reason forbid any member of the Church to read, keep, or sell certain books, but local councils and bishops may impose similar restrictions on their own subjects, though in the latter case an appeal without suspensive effect may be made to the Holy See. The abbot of a monastery sui juris and the general of an exempt clerical religious order with his chapter or council may forbid certain books to their subjects for just reasons; when there would be danger if action were not taken promptly the other higher superiors also with their councils may do so, but in such a case they must notify the head of the order as soon as possible. When a book is condemned by the Holy See it is thereby forbidden in all places and in all languages. If it has been prohibited it may not be published, read, kept, sold, or translated without permission of the proper authorities, nor may it be republished before the necessary corrections have been made and permission has been granted by the person who issued the prohibition or by his successor or superior. Booksellers must not supply, sell or keep professedly obscene books; as to other forbidden books, they should obtain permission from the Holy See; but they must not sell them except to those who they believe have a right to ask for them. Persons who have obtained permission of the Holy See to read and retain prohibited books are not authorized to read or keep books condemned by their ordinaries, unless this is expressly stated in the Apostolic indult granted to them.
The following general classes of works are forbidden by law: (a) editions of the original text and of ancient Catholic versions of the Scriptures, including those of the Eastern Church, made by non-Catholics; also translations into any language made or edited by non-Catholics; (b) books of any writers which upheld heresy or schism, or undermine the foundations of religion; (c) books attacking religion or morality; (d) books written by non-Catholics treating professedly of religion, unless it is clear that they contain nothing contrary to the Catholic Faith; (e) certain books which have not obtained the requisite imprimatur before publication, namely, the Bible, Scriptural annotations and commentaries, vernacular translations of the Bible, books or booklets relating new apparitions, revelations, visions, prophecies or miracles, or proposing new devotions, even when they are intended only for private use; (f) books attacking or ridiculing any Catholic dogma, or defending errors condemned by the Holy See, or detracting from Divine worship, or intended to upset Church discipline, or attacking the hierarchy or the clerical or religious state; (g) books teaching or recommending any kind of superstition, charms, divination, magic, or evocation of spirits; (h) books upholding the lawfulness of duelling, suicide, or divorce, or which in treating of the Masonic societies and others of the same kind declare them to be useful and not injurious to the Church and civil society; (i) books professedly treating of, narrating, or teaching obscene and lascivious things; (j) editions of liturgical works approved by the Holy See, in which there has been made any change which causes them to vary from the authentic editions approved by the Holy See; (k) books containing indulgences that are apocryphal or have been proscribed or revoked by the Holy See; (1) all representations of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, angels, saints or servants of God not consonant with the mind or decrees of the Church.
The Scriptural works just referred to under (a), as well as translations that have not received the requisite imprimatur, may be used only by those engaged in any way in theological or Scriptural studies, provided they are edited faithfully and in their entirety, and that the introductions or annotations make no attack on Catholic dogma. Ordinaries may grant permission to their subjects in case of urgency to read individual books pro- hibited by the general law or by Apostolic decree. Cardinals, residential and bishops, and other ordi- naries, if they take the necessary precautions, are not bound by the ecclesiastical regulations pro- hibiting books.
Codex jur. can., 1385-1405.
Censures, ECCLESIASTICAL (cf. C. E., III-527d).— In stating the relation of the Code of Canon Law to the earlier discipline and practice, canon 6 de- clares that all penalties, spiritual or temporal, medicinal or vindictatory, late or ferendæ sententiæ, which are not mentioned in the Code, are abolished. So, too, are disciplinary laws not contained ex- pressly or implicitly in the Code, unless those that are laid down in the approved liturgical works or such as are of positive or natural Divine law. Censures late sententiæ are multiplied: (a) if different offenses, each of which entails the censure, are committed, by the same or distinct acts; (b) if the same offense, entailing the censure, is repeated so as to form a distinct offense; (c) if the crime when punished by different superiors with different censures is committed once or oftener. Censures ab homine are multiplied if several precepts or several sentences or more than one distinct part of the same precept or sentence imposes a separate censure.
Censures may be reserved to the Holy See simply, or specially, or very specially. A censure late sententiæ is not reserved unless the law or precept expressly so states; in case of doubt, whether of law or fact, the reservation does not hold. Ignorance which is not affected or crass excuses from censures late sententiæ when perfect deliberation is required, that is when the law uses the words dare, knowingly, rashly, or the like. In ordinary cases, however, it excuses from medicinal but not from vindicatory censures.
Reservation of censures is justified only in very grave circumstances, and is to be interpreted strictly. In case of a censure which prohibits the reception of the sacraments (excommunication and personal interdict), it implies reservation of the sin to which it was annexed (absolution from the censure must precede absolution from the sin); whereas in the case of other. censures (suspension and local interdict), the sin may be forgiven while the censure remains; but the reservation of the
