The Roman Index of Forbidden Books (Betten)/Section II/Chapter 1

The Roman Index of Forbidden Books (1920)
by Francis Sales Betten
Section II, Chapter 1: Our Duties in Relation to Forbidden Books
2425935The Roman Index of Forbidden Books — Section II, Chapter 1: Our Duties in Relation to Forbidden Books1920Francis Sales Betten

SECTION II

A SUMMARY OF THE INDEX

1. Our Duties in Relation to Forbidden Books.

Rule 1. We are not allowed to read any forbidden publication.

Father Génicot, S.J., a reliable and moderate theologian, says: "Were one to read only a few lines which he sees contain doctrine directly opposed to faith or good morals" (and, it must be understood, in a manner highly dangerous to the average reader), "he would sin grievously. But when nothing so extraordinarily harmful occurs, good moralists hold that as much as six pages may be read without mortal sin." He also quotes the opinion of F. Vermeersch, a very good authority, that when a book becomes dangerous only through a long perusal of it, quite a considerable portion must be read to incur grievous guilt, and that the reading even of a great portion of a condemned book may be excused from mortal sin, as long as the part read is not injurious in itself and does not tempt one to read further.

As to forbidden newspapers, it would of course be a mortal sin to become a subscriber to them or to indulge in reading such sections as are especially dangerous, though each of them may not be very long. Minor offenses would be venial sins.

Rule 2. No one, whether he be the owner or not, is allowed to keep a forbidden book. He must either destroy it or give or sell it to some one who has permission or he must obtain permission for himself.

Rule 3. It is not lawful for a Catholic publisher or printer to issue or print, or reprint forbidden books. Nor may a bookseller keep such books in stock, unless he has obtained leave to do so; and he may sell them only to those whom he can reasonably presume to have permission for their perusal.