I thought I found one of these. But I could be wrong.
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
"Heinlein's dangerous. Much more dangerous than Potter. I find ideas popping up all the time that I can trace back to Heinlein... mostly about learning and the virtues of being able to do anything you set your mind to."
Sigh. The point of that (true) story is that the books from which I acquired moral precepts that I later acted on in the real world were "just fiction."
Uh. Ok. Well, I guess I can see your point.
There's a difference between learning ideas from books, and learning practices from books. I used to read a lot of Robin Cook novels but I never tried to remove my sister's appendix. I like the Spider-man movies but I don't try to shoot webs from my arms.
I thoroughly enjoyed Madeleine L'Engle's "Wrinkle in Time" series as well as her books on the Austins.
Sorry. It was an obscure reference from Gone with the Wind. After the war when Rhett is wounded and Scarlet's husband is killed, they make up a story about visiting Belle Watling.
The doctor's wife, Mrs. Meade, gets all in a tizzy about them being in a brothel. Dr. Meade says, "Good heavens, Mrs. Meade, remember yourself" since she's all up in arms about a nonissue, in fact a manufactured issue.
"ohfercryinoutloud" would mean much the same.
IOW, what a load of hooey about the channeling.
There's been more discussion/research about Madame Blavatsky here than there's ever been in Rowling's work.
"John Carter rules!"
Ah, the hurtling moons of Barsoom.
"As far as the eye could reach gorgeous forest and crimson sward skirted a silent sea, and about all towered the brilliant monster guardian cliffs. Once we thought we discerned a gilded minaret gleaming in the sun amidst the waving tops ..."
I meant that, in general, kids are constantly subject to authority in a direct way that adults aren't; the point is especially driven home in boarding school stories. And they're all full of rule-breaking for good, bad or indifferent reasons, from the (relatively) innocent but ubiquitous, though forbidden, midnight feast to students staging a mass walkout. HP is strongly within that tradition.
I thought I found one of these. But I could be wrong.
There are real satanists/warlocks/witches with real occultic powers. Believe it or not.
"There's a difference between learning ideas from books, and learning practices from books."
But the whole point here is learning ideas from books. Nobody has suggested that kids are going to imagine that they can manufacture cloaks of invisibility.
See, this is what I mean by shallow and vapid.
***Sleeping Beauty glorifies the good witch's spells.***
There are no good witches.
Not having read any "girls' boarding school" stories, and given the current state of modern culture, I would not be surprised if the lot of them were harmless, or absolutely wicked.
Perfect analogy--JRRT is smiling on you!
Um, I thought that's exactly what's being suggested, that Harry Potter will convince kids to do pagan rituals or spells or whatnot.
You're obviously a fellow JRRT enthusiast, so I've got to ask you this, my friend: How can you stand reading the Potty books?
With the flat of my sword I struck down his polluting hand; and grasping Dejah Thoris round the waist, I swung her behind me as, with my back against the draperies of the dais, I faced the tyrant of the north and his roomful of noble warriors.
The Jeddak of Jeddaks was a great mountain of a man--a coarse, brutal beast of a man--and as he towered above me there, his fierce black whiskers and mustache bristling in rage, I can well imagine that a less seasoned warrior might have trembled before him.
With a snarl he sprang toward me with naked sword, but whether Salensus Oll was a good swordsman or a poor I never learned; for with Dejah Thoris at my back I was no longer human--I was a superman, and no man could have withstood me then.
Actually I haven't read much "modern" (unless you count anything from about 1880 to maybe 1940 as modern). (My mother used to bring me to a nearby Goodwill book store, where kids' book were a nickel apiece. Most of my Nancy Drews were 30s editions.)
I would not be surprised if the lot of them were harmless, or absolutely wicked.
LOL! Well, you're right there! ;-)
***and had no exposure to Christians who weren't falsly condemning my sources of non-sinful entertainment,***
You mean you "idols" right?
***but now I'm back, and I'll argue against your kind every chance I get***
I suggest you learn to argue more effectively then.
"The doctor's wife, Mrs. Meade, gets all in a tizzy about them being in a brothel. Dr. Meade says, "Good heavens, Mrs. Meade, remember yourself" since she's all up in arms about a nonissue, in fact a manufactured issue."
No, Mrs. Meade starts asking about the furnishings of the brothel in a way that shows she finds the subject titillating. Dr. Meade seizes on propriety to close discussion of the subject. "Remember yourself" means "Remember that you are a respectable lady who does not discuss brothels."
The humor in the exchange stems from the unspoken implication that Dr. Meade could have answered her questions on the furnishings of the brothel, because he had been there recreationally.
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