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
Finally a reasonable person on this thread that I can relate! I started reading at the end of the thread and went backward -- I cannot believe what I am reading. Can't people just read books for enjoyment without having to find hidden meanings?
"Whatever happened to the free market place of ideas?"
The free marketplace of ideas allows us to say what we think of Rowling's ideas.
You don't have to listen.
Thank you for that splendid verse. It's going next to my computer.
Input equals output.
Aw shucks, you're just saying that...
you know at the rate our image oriented society is going, reading of any sort, is better than the TV.
Yes, I think we can agree on that. However, I still have the right to shameless criticize crap books.
BTW, I just read your profile. There is no way in hades you're a conservative. But stick around anyways. I admire a troll with courage. And you might be kinda fun to kick around now that Nixon gone. ;P
Huh?
Yeah, it takes a lot of rigorous intellectual introspection to wait in line for hours with the rest of the unwashed masses to lap up the latest pulp fiction drivel.
Have you ever considered that perhaps people like LJ, dsc, and myself are actually the ones who have taken the time to "question" the dominant value system in our culture.
This Pope has succinctly summed up the problem of Potter. It's especially interesting how his statement lines up with concerns expressed by evangelicals a few to several years earlier.
Nobody is calling for any work to be banned or censored. This is such a typical strawman argument of the left. To criticize something is to somehow "censor" it. Don't you dare criticize the Dixie Chicks for saying stupid things because then you are "censoring" them.
Grow up.
"I welcome all forms of criticism from all perspectives."
Including idiotic criticism from fools? How about reckless and invalid criticism from the malicious?
I only welcome criticism if the point might be valid and is one I haven't previously dealt with.
Questioning one's own value system is not a good or a virtue per se. It's not something that everyone need engage in every hour of every day.
A person only needs to question his value system when there is good reason. The reintroduction of questions dealt with thoroughly decades ago does not constitute such a reason.
"It's especially interesting how his statement lines up with concerns expressed by evangelicals a few to several years earlier."
I guess the closer two entities get to the truth, the more they'll start to sound alike.
Ah, so this is what it comes down to now. No matter what my conservative political views on 90% of issues, and my own belief in God, the fact that I don't just follow along with the rest of the herd makes me a "cave troll".
Keep this up, and we won't be able to call the DUmmies intolerant with a straight face.
I'm sort of surprised that you would approve someone who enthusiastically approved of Margaret Sanger's "noble cause."
The pope made a point of characterizing these issues as "subtle". Like I pointed out before, the media has very "subtly" indoctrinated our children into accepting homosexuality using very innocuous things like sitcoms, reality shows, and even children's programming ("Arthur" anyone?) I understand that these are entertaining books - I own every one of them and have read every one of them! The problem is that it's marketed specifically to children who are immersed in a secular society and have been taught to be ashamed of religious faith. Kids are impressionable, and if they're more interested in emulating witches and warlocks, they will accept the occult later in life when they should be following Christ. I'm not expecting them to walk around with magic wands, but paganism and things like Wicca have become "acceptable" in our PC society today, and will be more acceptable when these children have authority later in life.
It's about subtlety and the fact that most parents will not take their kids aside and say, "this is great fun and entertainment, but you need to realize that there are people who really practice witchcraft and it's evil."
All you have to do is turn on the TV and watch what's-his-face "channeling" the dead. It's evil. And even adults are vulnerable to the "subtlety" of a supposed reunion with a dead parent through an occultist. It feels good, so do it. It's fun and entertaining, so it must be good for kids.
Like I said, I agree with the Pope because the vast majority of parents will not sit down with their kids and explain the difference between fiction and reality. When the fiction is warm and fuzzy and the reality is rife with danger, someone needs to point out the difference.
Rose Jane McGowan
Born to an American mother and an Irish father who were members of the Children of God, and the second oldest of six children, Rose's parents divorced and she moved to Gig Harbor, Washington, when she was just nine years old. Her high school years were spent in Seattle, where her father ended up. McGowan was a misfit in high school and began hanging out in gay bars, where she said she felt accepted. As an adult she acquired a gay following.
This bio from wikipedia doesn't tell you that, while in Italy, her family practiced the occult. Her relationship with Marilyn Manson was a match made in hell.
You see, she may look hot in a string bikini, but there's more than meets the eye...
what are picking on me for? I'm crossing the Tiber! : ) And the journey is in part inspired by the election of Benedict XVI, as you know. Regarding Harry: I was entertained by the first one because I found it funny at times. Fact is, I got rapidly bored and have read nothing more.
There has been lots of comment on this thread of the "it's only a story" variety. Human beings have been telling stories for along time as a way of mirroring the world and understanding human character, and also as depicting the dangers and pitfalls inherent in our free will. Stories describing character flaws and the results of these are of great value in civilizing children and bringing them to noble adulthood. We should carefully select for them the stories which promote these things. As far as Harry goes, I am not well-versed enough to comment but I suspect the fact that it is entertaining isn't enough. It doesn't reflect the real world, so I can take it in stride. But I am an adult woman of 50+, not a ten-year-old kid with a sponge for a brain.
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