The Roman Index of Forbidden Books (Betten)/Section I/Chapter 7
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 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. Outside of the Congregations there are also several Ecclesiastical Courts in Rome, one of which will be named later on.
The highest of the Roman Congregations is the Sacrum Officium, the "Holy Office," the prefect of which is the Pope himself. It was founded in 1542. Its purpose is to watch over the purity of Faith and to judge of the doctrines propounded in any part of the Church whether by word of mouth or by printed publications. For a number of years after its organization there was no other authority entrusted with the task of examining and passing on books. When Paul IV intended to publish the Index of Forbidden Books mentioned on page 11, the Holy Office did the preparatory work and drew up the list of books to be inserted. Fourteen years later, however, it was thought that a separate Congregation would be better able to attend to the examination and, if necessary, condemnation of books. The new Congregation of the Index of Forbidden Books was planned and devised by St. Pius V in 1571, and was formally established in the following year by his successor, Gregory XIII. Henceforward the Holy Office confined its activity concerning objectionable books to the most important cases, as when, in 1903, it proscribed the works of the French priest Loisy, which practically denied the supernatural character of Holy Writ.
But the bulk of the work was performed by the Congregation of the Index, from which indeed more than eighty percent of all prohibitions of individual books have emanated. This Congregation consisted of seven or ten cardinals with about thirty consultors, many of whom were bishops. Besides passing on books which were submitted to it for decision, it also had to register all condemnations pronounced by either the Holy Office or the Pope himself, and to see that they were duly entered in the new editions of the Index.
Under Pope Pius X was brought about a long desired reform of the central government of the Church. The competency of many of the Roman Congregations was more clearly defined, and several of those originally instituted were either suppressed or united with others. The Congregation of the Index received a wider sphere and greater power. While formerly it passed only on books in regard to which it was expressly appealed to, it now became a regular vigilance committee for the whole Church. Pope Pius X 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 investigate officially 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." After the great Pontiff's death it became publicly known, that he had cherished a further plan, which, however, for special reasons he left to his successor to carry out.
Although the most weighty considerations prompted both St Pius V and Gregory XIII to form the separate Congregation of the Index, times and circumstances have changed in these more than three hundred years. In a. d. 1917 Pope Benedict XV reunited the Congregation of the Index with that of the Holy Office, to form a special section of that body. The aim and activity of this section remain unchanged, but its acts and decrees will now be invested with the authority of the Holy Office. Only the affairs which refer to Indulgences will be handled by the Tribunal of Penance, the Sacra Poenitentiaria, one of the Courts of the Church, because of their close relation to the Sacrament of Penance. Practically the Holy Office is the successor of the former Congregation of the Index. It is natural, the Pope says, that a Congregation whose purpose it is to supervise the teaching of Faith and Morals, should also be commissioned to watch over the publication of books and writings. It performed this task in the beginning and has always exercised the power of passing on books. By this transfer, the Pope points out, every danger of a collision, which might become very embarrassing, is evaded. The prevention of such collisions has indeed been one of the chief reasons for Pius X to undertake the complete reorganization of the Roman Curia. (See Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. IX, pp. 162, 167.) Only a few verdicts concerning objectionable books have emanated from the Holy Office since the suppression of the Index Congregation.
The Roman Congregations are not infallible. But they represent the Pope in his 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 committed.