Page:The Roman index of forbidden books.djvu/61

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SUMMARY: FORBIDDEN BOOKS
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siderable 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.