Kościelni cenzorzy ksiąg

Abstract

As a custodian of the Christian faith and morals the Church has resorted to preventive censorship almost from the v ery beginning of h er existence. Nowadays prior censorship is still indispensable as it helps the believers to choose what is approved by the Church out of an im m ense output of the printed word. If prior censorship is to fulfil its tasks w ithout inhibiting at the same time the influence exercised by the wirtten word upon the community it ought to be performed by carefully selected, conscientious persons having sufficient knowledge to evaluate the investigated work. Prior censorship is performed by persons known as censors, appointed by a suitable ecclesiastical authority. The present article gives the regulations now in force to gether with the comments by canonists regarding the authority compenent to appoint censors, censors' qualifications and duties as well as the criteria of evaluation. The article contains also a detailed discussion of the usual procedure of evaluating the works, passing the censor's verdict and giving the permission to print. A censor ought to be of the appropriate age, education and wisdom. When passing the judgement he ought to follow a safe path motivated neither by too excessive sternness nor leniency, neith er by predjudice nor forbearance, dislike or hatred, but he should act according to the principles of faith and ethics. In the course of practising censorship certain doctrinal, textual and disciplinary norms have been worked out by canonists, making the evaluation of the works easier. There are separate regulations founded on the statements of the Apostolic See and concerning the pictures intended for cult. A censor's opinion expressed in writing is sent to the diocesan authority which ordered the censorship, and it is only after the bishop's rescript that the statement that the given work is not contrary to the Christian faith and morals becomes valid. Approval of the work being merely an official statement of its conformability to the principles of the Christian faith and morals does not mean that the work is recommended to the members of the Church or that the exists a complete agreement with the author's opinions or the contents of the work.