It's called The
INDEX LIBRORUM PROHIBITORUM
The
Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("List of Prohibited Books") was a list of publications
prohibited by the
Roman Catholic Church. It was abolished on June 14, 1966 by
Pope Paul VI.
[1]
A first version (the
Pauline Index) was promulgated by
Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form (the
Tridentine Index) was authorized at the
Council of Trent. The promulgation of the
Index marked the "
turning-point in the freedom of enquiry" in the Catholic world.
[2]
The avowed aim of the list was to protect the faith and morals of the faithful by preventing the reading of
immoral books or works containing
theological errors, although it also contained scientific works by leading astronomers such as
Johannes Kepler. The various
editions also contained the rules of the Church relating to the reading, selling and censorship of books. Manuscripts that passed inspection by official readers were printed with
nihil obstat ("nothing forbids") or
Imprimatur ("let it be printed") on the title page.
However, some of the scientific works on the Index (e.g. on the foundations of
cosmology) are now routinely taught at Catholic universities worldwide, and
Giordano Bruno whose works were on the Index now has a monument in Rome at the place where he was burned alive at the stake. The writings of
Maria Valtorta that were on the Index have since received an imprimatur from a Roman Catholic bishop.
[3] Mary Faustina Kowalska, who was on the Index, has since been declared a saint.
[4][5] The developments since the abolition of the
Index signify "the loss of relevance of the Index in the 21st century."
[6]
Title page of
Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Venice 1564).
Index Librorum Prohibitorum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia