Posted on 07/13/2005 12:49:13 AM PDT by dsc
Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online
RIMSTING, Germany, July 13, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews.com has obtained and made available online copies of two letters sent by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was recently elected Pope, to a German critic of the Harry Potter novels. In March 2003, a month after the English press throughout the world falsely proclaimed that Pope John Paul II approved of Harry Potter, the man who was to become his successor sent a letter to a Gabriele Kuby outlining his agreement with her opposition to J.K. Rowling's offerings. (See below for links to scanned copies of the letters signed by Cardinal Ratzinger.)
As the sixth issue of Rowling's Harry Potter series - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - is about to be released, the news that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger expressed serious reservations about the novels is now finally being revealed to the English-speaking world still under the impression the Vatican approves the Potter novels.
In a letter dated March 7, 2003 Cardinal Ratzinger thanked Kuby for her "instructive" book Harry Potter - gut oder böse (Harry Potter- good or evil?), in which Kuby says the Potter books corrupt the hearts of the young, preventing them from developing a properly ordered sense of good and evil, thus harming their relationship with God while that relationship is still in its infancy.
"It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly," wrote Cardinal Ratzinger.
The letter also encouraged Kuby to send her book on Potter to the Vatican prelate who quipped about Potter during a press briefing which led to the false press about the Vatican support of Potter. At a Vatican press conference to present a study document on the New Age in April 2003, one of the presenters - Fr. Peter Fleedwood - made a positive comment on the Harry Potter books in response to a question from a reporter. Headlines such as "Pope Approves Potter" (Toronto Star), "Pope Sticks Up for Potter Books" (BBC), "Harry Potter Is Ok With The Pontiff" (Chicago Sun Times) and "Vatican: Harry Potter's OK with us" (CNN Asia) littered the mainstream media.
In a second letter sent to Kuby on May 27, 2003, Cardinal Ratzinger "gladly" gave his permission to Kuby to make public "my judgement about Harry Potter."
The most prominent Potter critic in North America, Catholic novelist and painter Michael O'Brien commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the "judgement" of now-Pope Benedict saying, "This discernment on the part of Benedict XVI reveals the Holy Father's depth and wide ranging gifts of spiritual discernment." O'Brien, author of a book dealing with fantasy literature for children added, "it is consistent with many of the statements he's been making since his election to the Chair of Peter, indeed for the past 20 years - a probing accurate read of the massing spiritual warfare that is moving to a new level of struggle in western civilization. He is a man in whom a prodigious intellect is integrated with great spiritual gifts. He is the father of the universal church and we would do well to listen to him."
English translations of the two letters by Cardinal Ratzinger follow:
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Vatican City March 7, 2003
Esteemed and dear Ms. Kuby!
Many thanks for your kind letter of February 20th and the informative book which you sent me in the same mail. It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly.
I would like to suggest that you write to Mr. Peter Fleedwood, (Pontifical Council of Culture, Piazza S. Calisto 16, I00153 Rome) directly and to send him your book.
Sincere Greetings and Blessings,
+ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
=======================
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Vatican City May 27, 2003
Esteemed and dear Ms. Kuby,
Somehow your letter got buried in the large pile of name-day , birthday and Easter mail. Finally this pile is taken care of, so that I can gladly allow you to refer to my judgment about Harry Potter.
Sincere Greetings and Blessings,
+ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
Links to the scanned copies of the two signed letters by Cardinal Ratzinger (in German) - In PDF format: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/ratzingerletter.pdf http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/ratzingerpermission.pdf
jhw
Explain "A Midsummer Nights Dream"
Ok. If that's the best they can do... sheesh.
And are you sure it wasn't "Old Hairy"?
Now what?
Cassandra Vablatsky, the name they're all up in arms about, is mentioned once in a list of books for sale at the wizard bookstore, in "Prisoner of Azkaban". That's all. Nothing sinister and creepy.
Ask that question after your particular judgment.
OHHHH.... I see... so Rowling's trying to equate God and the devil. How devious! She must be stopped!
I also highly recommend Patrick O'Brian if you like naval stories
They're fun reads. Nothing terribly deep, certainly should never be confused with literature, but a fun way to blow off a couple of hours, a nice break from denser reading material.
Or even "Old Hoary"
LOL! Actually I think that was one too (there were lots!).
I've always thought that reference was handy to Rawlings (like so many others) simply because of her education: see T.S. Eliot (the only place I had ever heard of Blavatsky).
It's "Rowling", by the way. I think Rawlings wrote "The Yearling".
That title, however, is even worse.
Harry finds he's half royalty by blood. That blood is what gives him his "special powers." Right there we all should be seeing a big red flag.
But let us go to the horse's mouth, or some part of the horse anyway...
Then you're obviously not reading very much.
Nope. Harry's not the prince. Sorry. And blood has nothing at all to do with power. Harry's friend Hermione, one of the most powerful kids Harry's age, comes from a family with no magical background.
I'll look at this site and see if it's any less howl-inducing than the last two.
What is the occult and what would an occult worldview look like? What would a fantasy world contructed out of elements of that worldview look like? How would that be different than, say, "The Chronicles of Narnia?" or "The Lord of the Rings?"
Without reference to Harry Potter or anything else, how would a neutral party answer those questions.
Gotta go, folks. Prayer & board meetings to run.
Why?
The whole issue of a class system in a British boarding school is not a new theme in literature. It's not surprising that a British author would touch upon it.
Nope. That website's dumb too. You can read anything into Harry Potter you want. In fact I'm about to put the finishing touches on my essay, "Harry Potter and the Agricultural Economy of 1250"; I think you'll agree, once you read it, that these stories are no more than a metaphor for the socioeconomic realities of the Thirteenth Century.
Seriously, have you even read the books? Because you keep saying things that are wrong or just don't make sense.
Harry isn't a half-blood anything. Both his parents are wizards, he's a pure blood to those that think it matters. General concensus is that the half-blood prince is either not all human (like a half-breed giant, ie Hagrid) or a bad guy wizard since they tend to be hung up on the purity of the blood. The good guy wizarding community also isn't into feudalistic structures which is another big reason why it obviously isn't Harry.
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